Earth Day is on April 22, and there’s no better time to give the planet some love after all the damage humans have conducted over the years — and we are running out of time. 

 

Researchers from Climate Dynamics found we'll likely cross the threshold for dangerous, irreversible global warming between 2027 and 2042, and it’s our job to try to stop this terrifying discovery to the best of our power.

 

There are many changes people can make to help reduce their ecological footprint. Sometimes we get consumed by our lives and forget about the bigger picture: improving Earth’s sustainability for future generations.

 

Here are some simple changes college students can make to live a more eco-friendly life:

 

Eat less meat

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One of the biggest contributions to greenhouse gases is factory farming, and advocating to not eat animals, or decreasing your intake, is a great way to reduce this. Even choosing to do something like “Meatless Mondays” is a step in the right direction, which is a campaign that aims to encourage the nation to not consume meat every Monday.

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According to a United Nations News study, “the livestock sector accounts for 9% of CO2 deriving from human-related activities but produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse gases. It generates 65% of human-related nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2.” More than 30% of the Earth’s surface is being used to raise and support livestock.

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Not eating meat products is one of the most impactful changes an individual can have on the planet — not just by helping to reduce greenhouse gasses, either. It’s also a great way to reduce waste from the animal agriculture industry and deforestation from crop farming, which is overwhelmingly done to feed farmed animals.

 

Besides, more vegetables and less meat is a lot better for your heart! Studies from the National Library of Medicine found that among U.S. adults, a higher intake of processed meat, unprocessed red meat, or poultry was significantly associated with an increased risk of Cardiovascular disease.

 

Donate and go thrift shopping 

 

Clothes make up a huge portion of waste in landfills, so it’s important to donate anything you can, instead of throwing it away.

 

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. landfills received 11.3 million tons of clothing and shoes in 2018, which is 7.7% of all U.S. landfills. The less our planet has to decompose, the better. Also, for college students, buying second-hand clothes is a great way to save money!

 

Use reusable alternatives for groceries 

 

Purchasing large laundry baskets or cloth bags and leaving them in your car’s trunk for grocery shopping is a helpful way to be more eco-friendly.

 

According to a National Geographic study, more than an estimated 15 trillion pieces of plastic trash are in the ocean and growing every year. Also, oil is used to produce plastic grocery bags, which has an impact on the planet.

 

According to the U.S. EPA, as many as one trillion plastic bags are used each year worldwide. This equates to 100 million barrels of oil. Most stores offer a cloth bag alternative to their wasteful generic plastic and paper bags. Using alternatives to plastic bags also saves more trips from your car to your kitchen — or dorm room — when you’re putting away groceries by holding a lot more items.

 

Use cloth instead of paper towels 

 

Using rags or cut-up old t-shirts for cleaning instead of paper towels is a great way to help out the environment. Not to mention paper towels aren’t cheap. Why not save some money and the planet at the same time?

 

According to the U.S EPA, the average person uses around 3,000 paper towels at work in a given year. 13 billion pounds of paper towels end up in U.S. landfills every year. Paper makes up the biggest part of U.S. waste coming from homes.

 

Also, cutting out the use of paper towels to dry off your hands by using the hand dryer in public places or a hand towel at home can decrease the planet’s consumption of paper towels.

 

Cut down the energy used in your home 

 

There’s an endless list of ways one can cut back on energy at home to help the planet out, along with decreasing monthly bills.

 

Start by lowering your thermostat in the winter and raising it in the summer — even just a few degrees can help. Unplugging appliances when they aren’t being used and turning off lights in rooms you aren’t in will cut back on energy consumption. If possible, wash all clothing in cold water. 

 

According to Energy Star, a government-backed company for energy efficiency, water heating consumes about 90% of the energy it takes to operate a washing machine. Switching the temperature setting from hot to warm can cut energy use in half, and even more if you use cold. Cold water does just as good of a job cleaning, unless you’re dealing with oily stains. Using a drying rack or clothesline to dry your clothes is also a great way to cut back on your energy use. Reducing your energy around the house is literally as easy as a click of a button.

 

These five steps toward living a more green life are not only easy but also budget-friendly for college students. We are at a very crucial time in human existence to make positive changes for the sustainability of our planet. We might not be able to completely erase our ecological footprints, but we definitely can slow down the damage.