How to be Sustainable in College During COVID-19

Defining a term brings great power and clarity. The concept of sustainability has several definitions dependent on what facet you are concentrating on and is intertwined across many disciplines. For the purpose of this post, sustainability is defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” as provided by the UN Council in 1987. In many ways sustainability and all it entails is a privilege and to participate in it represents that. That being said, sustainability is still doable for college as it has its roots in using what you already have, getting creative to create less waste, and only using what you absolutely need. Below are some tips for remaining sustainable in college during this time when we are especially conscious of reusing.

In Your Dorm

• Use what you have. At the most basic level, this is what sustainability is about. Don’t buy bamboo utensils if you don’t have to; Consider the underlying shipping and production costs to the environment. Many college students already have a set of metal utensils they can stick in their backpack and clean when they get home. If you have an article of clothing you no longer wear, cut it up and make it into rags to wash surfaces. Reuse cans, containers, water bottles in upcycling projects. This mindful use of products we already own is not only cost effective for a university budget, but environmentally friendly.
• Since we have to be cleaning so often consider switching to more sustainable brands like Seventh Generation for disinfecting wipes. The same goes for laundry and dish detergent. You can also make your own multi surface cleaner using this recipe. These generally do not disinfect but rather sanitize surfaces. Use these in between disinfecting cleans. The CDC recommends a list of products to use against the Coronavirus, many of which contain bleach. Because bleach can create dioxins, furans and PCDDs harmful to the environment, try to use this as sparingly as possible.
• Start a garden. This is totally doable in a dorm room. All you need is a window and some seeds. Bonus points if you reuse something like an empty can as a potter. Also this can save you money if you grow anything edible. My roommates and I have an AeroGarden where we grow basil, parsley, dill, and rosemary.
• Stop wasting food. The United States is the leading global food waster and contributes nearly 40 million tons of food to landfills each year (via rts). There are a lot of ways to combat this. If you’re eating at a dining hall, only ask for/take what you’re going to eat. If you grocery shop, meal plan so produce doesn’t go to waste. Save veggie scraps in the freezer for vegetable stock later.

In the Community

• Bring your reusable bags! Whole Foods, Giant, and other grocers are allowing you to use your reusable bags again. If you forget your bags in the car, you can always refuse bags in the store, leave your groceries in the cart and bag with your bags when you get to the car. If you don’t feel comfortable using reusable bags or forget altogether, remember many retailers like Giant, Target, and Walmart recycle plastic bags that aren’t accepted in single stream recycling programs.
• Make your own reusable mask using this tutorial if you have extra cloth scraps lying around or invest in a fabric one. Single use masks are made of a plastic material known as polypropylene, which takes hundreds of years to decompose. Although the shutdown undoubtedly had positive effects on the climate, the pandemic has also created a surge in “COVID-19 waste” like gloves, masks, and cleaning supply containers. Swapping to a reusable mask can help alleviate the fears conservationists are expressing over the impact of the Coronavirus.
• Support Local. Buying local products reduces your global impact, keeps your community unique, creates jobs and investment in the area as well as so much more. There is no end to what you can buy locally whether it’s food (buy in season), clothes, beauty supplies etc. Many community farmer’s markets are open with COVID-19 guidelines. Everyone was hit hard by the shutdown so buying local will help local economies.