An informal guide
By Murray Page
It is more important than ever to know the steps we each can personally take to reduce our carbon footprints and be more friendly to the environment in our day to day lives. The following is an assortment of basic options that I consider to be accessible as college students – implementing even one of these into your daily habits and choices will have a positive impact!
Thrift Clothes instead of Fast Fashion
Fast fashion clothing is mass-produced and made of cheaper synthetic materials responsible for toxic wastewater as well as microplastics that damage the ocean and emit more carbon than cotton. This all contributes to wasteful consumer habits (examples of fast fashion clothing companies include Shein, Temu, Romwe, and AliExpress). Many items are made in unsafe, abusive and underpaying factories with the use of child labor. Thrifting is comparable in price but offers the opportunity to affordably discover items of better quality that last for years to come.
Eat Less Meat
Meat is harmful to the environment in many ways. First off, cows produce methane through their burps and farts. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is extremely harmful to the environment because it traps heat inside the atmosphere. Eating less beef can help reduce the amount of cattle farming. Another major threat to our environment is deforestation because forests are a carbon sink. This means that they absorb more carbon than they release, so destroying them not only puts that stored carbon back into the atmosphere, but also destroys the device that can take that carbon out of the atmosphere. Foods like beef, soy and palm oil contribute to deforestation because they take up forest land. You may be wondering if it is only beef that is bad for the environment: while beef has the most substantial greenhouse gas emissions, other livestock like pork and poultry are often raised in inhumane ways and processed in facilities that pollute and create runoff which harms nearby land. I am by no means saying that everyone should become a vegetarian right now, we just want to encourage you to begin making the choice a couple times a month, week or day to enjoy plant-based foods instead of meat.
Drive Less
Cars are harmful to the environment because they emit greenhouse gasses that trap heat inside the atmosphere. Walking, biking, or using public transportation when available can help reduce those emissions. Also, supporting local businesses that are within walking distance is generally better for the environment too because local businesses often produce less waste and emissions than corporations. If able, try walking or taking public transportation to local businesses instead of driving to further away chains. If walking is not an option, driving shorter distances to local businesses is still better. I fully understand that sometimes the only option is driving, we just recommend being conscious of when there is an option to choose a local business within walking distance of you, or using public transportation.
Reduse, Reuse, Recycle
Be more conscious of your habits and try to reduce waste. For example, only take the food that you need. When shopping, pay attention to the packaging of what you are purchasing. Try to purchase things that have less wasteful packaging and/or are packaged in materials that can be recycled. Then, make sure to recycle the packages that you can or find creative ways to reuse packaging like using glass bottles/jars as vases. Overall, in any situation where you see the possibility for an excess of waste, think about how to reduce the amount of waste in the future and how to reuse or recycle it instead of sending it to a landfill.
These have been some of the individual actions I consider implementing in my daily life to help prolong the life of our planet. If this is new to you, I hope that you will consider taking some of these actions in your own life even if you start small. If you are someone who already takes actions to prevent climate change, I hope this article sparked some new ideas!