5 simple hacks to live a greener life
Last month, we introduced you to one of the available clubs at Jacobs University - The Environmental Club. This month we have prepared some ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly while on a budget and keeping life simple. “Living green” is not as difficult as it may sound, once one starts paying more attention to the daily decisions we all make.
Stop wasting food.
Everyone has been in this situation at least once: going to the survery on Sunday during brunch and getting too much food to eat. This leads to food being thrown in the trash and wasted. As hard as it is, the best solutions are sometimes very simple - don’t rush into getting everything at once. A quick and easy way to do that is to leave the dessert for later. After you finish your meal, you would be able to decide if you want anything else.
Sometimes one needs to get a snack or meal outside of campus for a change, this can also be done in an environmentally-friendly way. The app Too Good To Go provides information about food around you that would otherwise be thrown away at the end of the day. One can get good quality food at a big discount while fighting food waste.
2. Buy second-hand and exchange.
One of the main pollutants on the planet nowadays is fast-fashion. If you feel like getting something nice for the winter season, ask around campus, maybe someone is trying to get rid of a sweater they don’t need anymore. Another alternative is secondhand stores. There are many stores in Bremen and the region which sell furniture, decorations, and clothes at reasonable prices. One example is Alz MöbellagerNord, only 10 minutes away from the university with public transport. The store is quite big and there are a lot of nice items. One can easily spend hours inside, so free your afternoon. One could find old German books, furniture, clothes and many more there.
3. Go paperless.
Generally, during university years, lots of paper is used for notes, which could be easily avoided by bringing your laptop to the lecture. Even if your devices are not allowed in the classrooms, depending on the professor, one can save lots of paper from even typing notes in only one class.
Another idea is avoiding printing unnecessary. Of course, most documents need to be on paper, but there are other alternatives for your personal printouts. With the situation currently, many people from the Jacobs faculty accept documents sent electronically as well.
4. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
There is always more than one way to use something, use your imagination, and give longer life to plastic cups, bottles, and other single-use items. Before you buy something, check if there is already something in your possession that may do a similar job. If not, check if you could reimagine and create something yourself.
Living on campus could make one feel “in a bubble” and separated from the outside world, but also remember that your decisions may hurt the environment without even realizing that. By law, in Germany, one needs to separate their trash into packaging, biological waste, waste, and paper. It is important to know the rules for trash separation to make the next steps of the process easier. Learn how to separate your trash here.
5. Be more mindful daily.
Turn off your heater when you are not in your room. Don’t let the water run in the shower to warm the bathroom. Return your food trays after eating. Return bottles in the collection bins (in your college or in a supermarket). Unplug your charger when the device is done charging. Throw away your cigarette buds in the right trash can after smoking. Get your coffee in a reusable cup or extend the life of the plastic one by finding another use for it. Keep informed and demand better climate policies for your future.
Your daily decisions form the future of all of us.
BY KREMENA TERZIEVA (BULGARIA) | CLASS OF 2021
