1. Travel coffee mugs and water bottles.
As an avid coffee drinker this probably makes a significant difference for me. I typically drink 5-10 cups of coffee a day. As unhealthy as that may sound, by using my trusty coffee mug, I am avoiding sending 5-10 coffee cups, lids, and cork coffee sleeves to the landfill a DAY. Although many parts of a typical coffee to go can be recycled, many refuse to do so. Not to mention they make really cute coffee mugs that can be somewhat of a accessory!
2. Reusable bags.
Another obvious one, instead of opting for paper or plastic, bring canvas! This is huge! Not to mention they don't rip AND you wont have a drawer full of plastic bags that you never find a use for but keep anyway. I keep about 8 of these in my trunk and plop 'em in my cart when I'm grocery shopping.
3. Unplug things when you aren't using them!!!
Its unbelievable to me how many things we keep plugged in and hardly use. Cell phone chargers, lamps that are never used, VCRs that people don't use anymore, etc. are just a drain to your energy bill. I do my darndest to unplug things (the straightener, the hair dryer, the cellphone charger, etc.) and to be honest, reaching behind the couch to plug in the lamp when I finally use it isn't as bad as it sounds.
4. Print double-sided.
Although I try not to print out handouts or PDFs teachers assign at all, when I have to I make sure to print notes and slides double sided and on the lowest ink setting. Our school library made this change and I couldn't believe how many people complained. After all how often do you really look back at the notes after the class period, not to mention who CARES if the notes are front back?! Ironically in our sustainability class I had to bite my tongue when the professor handed out handouts which were single sided but alas...small steps. This is an easy fix and you have to buy fewer reams of paper!
5. Re-use containers.
As a typical college girl I eat a lot of cottage cheese and yogurt. Instead of throwing these plastic containers away and buying cheap glad Tupperware, I reuse these little guys! From left overs to storing old coffee grinds and banana peels, there is no reason to buy something new to store something old. The only cost to me is having to peel open the lid to remember what I put in the container. There are so many plastic containers in super markets and it's not hard to rinse them out!
You'll notice I didn't include anything about light bulbs or walking to class or any other "low hanging fruit"-like strategies. They are also great simple things, but for the sake of not rambling I picked the 5 things that have the most impact in MY life. What works for you? What changes can you make?
Recently I've also been really into knowing what all goes into the PROCESS of making the things I buy. Whether or not a product promotes green living is irrelevant if the process to make it required thousands of gallons of water and BTUs of energy. One of my favorite companies in terms of corporate responsibility and environmental awareness is Patagonia. They have created a website that shows you exactly what goes into the products you are purchasing. They not only take in to consideration the waste generated in the production process but also take into account the distance the materials travel before becoming your favorite fleece jacket. Play on the website here.
The more I think about things like this, the more I support the idea of a label on clothing/products telling me just how much energy/water was used to make my t-shirts. Perhaps much like menus which show the calories and fat grams I am consuming right next to the item, a label would keep me from buying that extra tee? Either way it's a neat idea and keeps me aware of how my frivolous buying has a negative effect on more than my bank account. Food for thought.
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