As college students, many of us live on tight budgets with limited free time and many responsibilities. When it comes to groceries and other purchases, we definitely aim for lower priced and more convenient options.
At the same time, our demographics happen to be heavily influenced through social media, leading to the proliferation of consumerism. We often jump on the bandwagon of micro-trends that quickly pass and result in tons of products being thrown away.
In other words, our natural instincts and learned habits make college students our biggest enemies to a sustainable lifestyle, but that's only at first glance.
A sustainable lifestyle involves conscious decisions to minimize a person's environmental footprint. Every hour, we make decisions that impact the environment, from the food we buy to the energy we use. You don't have to break all bad habits at once. However, we need to change our mindset and focus on cultivating a greener lifestyle.
The approach to spreading awareness of these more sustainable practices must be subtle. We usually don't invest our time and energy into things we don't see value in. So we have to take that angle when recruiting people to bring their weight to the table and help us leave a healthier home for future generations.
Each student's unique values make their environmental goals, or lack thereof, equally unique. Targeting the general population, North Carolina State University faculty are conducting research to analyze the feedback loops between infrastructure and human behavior related to sustainability.
“if [individuals] “If you're more economically minded, you'll respond to a higher water rate; if you're environmentally oriented, you'll respond to a comparison of your water rates with your neighbors,” said Emily Berglund, a professor at North Carolina State University. State Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. “If it's important to me, I'll reduce my water usage accordingly.”
Before thinking about new habits, let's look back at the everyday things that we usually think about casually. Things like the plastic bags you buy at the grocery store, leaving the water running for three minutes while you brush your teeth, lights and fans. Even if I go to class, I will continue to stay in my apartment.
As Berglund said, there may not be a water bill that tells you how much your neighbor uses, but making small adjustments to reduce excess usage can also lead to lower expenses. We can all see our utility bills go down and feel good about it, but there are multiple reasons why.
The best starting point is general awareness. It is the driving force that drives multiple lifestyle changes. Just by vocalizing the changes you're trying to make or are interested in, you can encourage others to do their own research. It's okay for someone who isn't in your wheelhouse to start a conversation, but be careful not to end it.
Another barrier to getting people interested in your efforts is environmentally conscious jokes. It's not about cracks appearing here and there. I'm talking about using humor to degrade people who have different goals and priorities. Not to mention, it can spread the word about how important this issue is and make others feel less of a need to care.
Not being that person is itself a contribution.
Some simple habits I stick to are keeping a reusable bag in my car for when I go shopping, being intentional about recycling, and carrying a reusable water bottle. That's it. If you're looking for inspiration or want to find others with the same goals, check out these student organizations: eco+pack and North Carolina Sustainability Assessor.
Start by looking at your weekly consumption and decide what you can minimize. Get creative and give a second life to products that serve their original purpose. Perhaps most importantly, don't let the challenge of sustainability become so overwhelming that you can't tackle it. Let's start simple. Just be sure to turn on the lights when you go out.
