Being a student and being environmentally friendly at the same time can seem quite challenging. However, it’s not impossible, not at all. Quite the contrary. There are many external factors that can encourage or motivate you to be more ecologically aware (in case the internal emotional factors aren’t enough!)
If you can’t think of any reasons to be more environmentally friendly hopefully this article will motivate you and give you some insights on how to be eco-friendly during your years spent at the University!
Sort your waste
Having recently lived in Belgium I got used to sorting my waste because everyone, honestly everyone, there is taking this matter seriously. This is not only in Belgium as we also can also see this movement in the UK where different recycling bins are provided to students in the kitchens of their halls of residence. Not much effort is needed to complete this task and this does not necessarily need to be dramatic. You simply put your glass into a different bin than the leftovers from your lunchbox and help the planet by doing so. Even though, we all forget sometimes (more than sometimes haha) and can end up throwing two different types of trash into one bin, it doesn’t take much time and energy to separate your waste and its totally worth it.
Turn off the tap
One thing that can drive me crazy is when I am back home is watching my brother brush his teeth while leaving the tap running. Arrrgghh! I always turn it off otherwise litres and litres of water are needlessly wasted. So if you don’t want to end up being told off like my brother, I strongly recommend you to turn off the tap because the waste of the water is tremendous! This applies to showering as well. Turn off the shower while you apply shampoo on your hair. You really don’t need to waste that much water.
Student Switch Off
If you are about to live or have already lived on the halls at the University of Worcester you have hopefully noticed the Student Switch Off campaign that is running throughout the year. Basically you can win ice cream (not just any ice cream – Ben and Jerry’s, YUM) or pizza delivery…now that I have your attention…. every hall participates and the three most energy saving halls win the prizes. When I was living in halls, my halls – Evesham- won the second place and we all got Ben and Jerry’s ice cream! Tempting right?
All you need to do is to switch the electricity off more often or turn the radiator to the lowest setting and put on a jumper to save more energy. Moreover, you should also turn off the tap while brushing your teeth so you don’t waste water. By putting all these small steps together you can end up being more energy saving and can, in the end, earn a reward for being good to our planet! What else do you need to convince you? Start saving the energy, water and sort your waste now!
![switch]](https://worcesterstudentlife.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/switch.jpg?w=980)
If you want more information about sustainability, Fairtrade and our Woo bike scheme at the University of Worcester you can visit our Sustainability pages.
Worcester Student Life 