As a student, it can feel impossible to live a sustainable lifestyle. Many of us have limited budgets and time, and the resources we do have are put into things like schoolwork and socializing. Sustainable living is vital to the health of our oceans, however, and therefore to the health of our planet and our species. By following these 6 tips, you can make the shift to living a more sustainable life on campus so you know you’re making a change and supporting your community.
Being more sustainable isn’t an easily or immediately achieved goal you’ll be able to tick off your to-do list. It’s a journey of learning and experimenting, but the “destination” of ocean health is essential. The destination will only be achieved when we understand the impacts of our activities and take action.
Are you ready? Here’s a small start on how to be a more sustainable student.
1. Reduce your consumption
This is a huge overarching goal which underscores all other tips on this list. The tendency for our society to over-consume has begun to wreck the planet, as the world quite literally drowns in items we consume then toss to the side, from single-use plastics to large household items. Each year, billions of pounds of trash enter the ocean. Some of the debris ends up on beaches, some sinks and is eaten by marine animals, and some accumulate in ocean currents.
The best way to reduce consumption is by stopping and questioning what you actually need – and why you need it – before buying. Look for alternatives before ordering straight from Amazon. This is an easy first step in reducing consumption, and can even end up saving you money. By reducing consumption, we can also reduce our contribution to oil consumption. Oil spills are a massive source of ocean pollution and have detrimental effects on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
2. Stop buying fast fashion
Fast fashion describes cheap, stylish, mass-produced clothes that hugely impact the environment. While trendy and affordable, the clothes are made using toxic processes and are not worth the environmental impact.
As a student, a simple and cheap way to avoid fast fashion is by thrifting or shopping vintage. In Kingston alone, several second-hand stores sell clean, good quality clothes, the buying of which won’t add tonnes of CO2 into the air and lead to microplastics flowing into our oceans. Visit stores like Montreal St. Collective, YGK Thrift, and What Will I Wear along Princess Street and see what they have to offer.
3. Support local businesses
Supporting local is a massive and easy step towards living a more sustainable life. Smaller, independent businesses are often more sustainable because their purchases require less transportation and therefor add fewer carbon emissions to the air. Local businesses have the added value of keeping money in the local economy, and you know you’re supporting real people who are passionate about their skill, industry, or product. Simply taking a walk through downtown Kingston this holiday season when you’re looking for gifts is a way to promote sustainability!
4. Mend and share
As students with limited budgets, we might as well keep our possessions, clothes, and everything else in circulation for as long as possible. Sharing clothes with housemates or learning to sew in the various workshops that take place across campus will allow you to buy less and value what you have even more. At the end of the day, the less we consume (and spend), the more we help.
5. Reduce your waste
Reducing your single-use plastic waste is a massive step you can take in your journey to becoming a more sustainable student.
As explained by the name, single-use plastics are used once and then discarded. What we’re not told, however, is that after their single use they take hundreds of years to break down. Every year, countless seabirds, fishes, turtles, and marine mammals are killed by these plastics due to starvation or entanglement. Additionally, over 100 marine species have been found with microplastics in their systems. A simple way to reduce your use of these plastics on campus is to opt for reusable alternatives. Bring reusable bags when grocery shopping, use Tupperware (ideally glass or steel) instead of Ziplocs, and buy more food in bulk instead of small packaged products.
6. Just ... keep trying.
This is the absolute most important tip on the list. Moving towards a more sustainable lifestyle isn’t like adopting the latest crash diet – it’s a long-term lifestyle change that will introduce you to ideas and people you never would have met otherwise and teach you about what truly matters. Each decision you make and product you buy can be seen as its own ethical decision, meaning that every day you’ll have millions of chances to make better choices and become a more sustainable student. Even just reading this article is a huge step in the direction of promoting ocean health! Hopefully, these tips will help you learn how to live a more sustainable lifestyle here at Queen’s.