2 minute read

How to be a Sustainable Student

With sustainability becoming a hot topic, many of us already know a few ways we can “go green”, but we’re students — we’re broke, and honestly, we don’t really have the time. Whenever we think of being eco-friendly, we tend to start thinking about all the effort it would take.

But here’s the thing! Being an environmentally responsible student doesn’t have to be difficult. Some small changes here and there can add up to a significant part of a bigger cause. Here are six ways you can be a more sustainable student without breaking your back and wallet:

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1. BRING YOUR OWN WATER BOTTLE TO SCHOOL

Bringing our own reusable water bottles to lectures instead of buying a bottle of mineral water helps us reduce the amount of plastic we dispose of every day. If you do need to buy single-use plastic bottles, why not try reusing these bottles and recycling them too? Small steps like these can have a big impact altogether!

2. TAKE NOTES ELECTRONICALLY

I love Muji notebooks. Getting fresh notebooks for new semesters and writing “Spring 2019” with fancy brush pens really get me going, but do we really need them? With most of our classes being electronically focused, having our notes typed will help us save money on buying notebooks and flashcards, and reduce paper waste too.

3. BUY LESS, BORROW MORE

We all have that one friend whose fashion sense is always on point. Since you have access to some of the trendiest accessories and apparel, why buy new clothes when you can mooch off of them? And you know what’s even better? Why not try convincing them to swap some of theirs with yours?

Clothes aside, we should only buy what we really need. There are loads of options to rent, borrow or even electronically download items. If you have the option, choose borrowing over buying.

4. RECYCLE!

Recycling a single aluminum can save enough energy to power a TV for three hours. Yes, recycling can make a big impact! However, most of us are doing it wrong, and end up contaminating the entire recycling bins.

Learn the right way to recycle at zerowastesg.com!

5. DON’T USE PLASTIC STRAWS

You’re an adult. Do you really need a straw? Sip your drink like the university level intellectual that you are. If you really can’t do without a straw (bubble tea fans, I feel you), you can easily get your own bamboo or stainless steel straw to reuse with every drink.

6. CHECK OUT LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS

Singapore’s a small place, but it has a (bigger than you’d expect) green community all into their own thing! Bored on a weekend afternoon? There’s always an event or two going around town.

LepakInSG is a one-stop calendar for environmental events around Singapore.

Other groups you can consider checking out include ACRES, Love MacRitchie, The Herpetological Society of Singapore, and Nature Society (Singapore).

You can find our resident environmental club Eco-SIM on Instagram at @eco_ sim_ and on Facebook at @EcoSIMClub!