Abbie considers the importance of incorporating greener habits into your day to day as well as providing some tips on how to be more sustainable on campus and at home.
The climate crisis can seem overwhelming to people and can appear to be something so massive that people often think that their own behaviour won’t make any sort of difference. However, this is not true. Incorporating greener behaviours into your everyday is not only easily achievable, but also will indeed make a massive difference over the long term to helping the planet more generally. Here are some of the areas that the planet could use your help with…
Recycling
Did you know that 2.5 billion coffee cups are thrown away each year in the UK, and among them, less than 1 in 400 actually end up being recycled[1]?
An easy way to help to reduce this figure is to buy a reusable coffee cup. They’re relatively cheap to buy and mean that you can actually get a discount on your coffee too, so you quickly make your money back. Caffè Nero offers double stamps for every time you get any drink with a reusable cup, which means you can redeem free drinks in double the time. Pret offers 50p off every single drink when you use a reusable cup, which quickly adds up.
In general, recycling is something that is often quite misunderstood and errors in the way you dispose of products can affect its efficiency to be recycled properly. One key take away is actually cleaning plastic packaging before putting it in the recycling bin, if there are remnants of the food/drink it cannot be recycled properly. Also, be sure to read the packaging of products as it often gives information on how to best recycle products (for example with the lid/after being rinsed/and squashed).
Food waste
Did you know the average household throws away 1.96kg of food every single day?[2]
An easy way that you can reduce this figure is by bringing pack lunch from what you have in your fridge. If you made extra dinner from the night before, instead of throwing it away why don’t you bring it as your lunch for the next day? This saves you money and reduces food waste which is a major contributor to the climate crisis.
If you have lots of odd bits in your fridge and feel like you can’t make a meal from it, there are plenty of resources to give you inspiration. For example, BBC Good Foods has a great recipe page that gives you a variety of options to make great meals from ingredients that you probably already have at home. There is never a need to throw away food and if you extra non-perishable items, you can always donate these to supermarkets who often take them to food banks.
Fashion
Did you know that the fashion industry is responsible for 2-8% of global CO2 emissions, which is more than what international flights contribute?[3] The fashion industry is notoriously poor in their contribution to the climate crisis and there are many ways you can help.
Firstly, you can choose to support sustainable brands, that make conscious efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, for example, Baukjen or Tala. There are plenty of brands that use recycled materials and the money you pay goes towards something far more positive.
Secondly, second-hand fashion is a great way to reduce carbon emissions caused by the fashion supply chain. Second-hand fashion is done best on apps like Vinted and Depop. They’re free to sign up to and mean you can buy and sell clothes for a massively reduced price and a lot of the items are brand new with labels. Selling can also be a great way to make a little extra money if you have something in your wardrobe that you never wear. The climate crisis can no longer be something we can ignore, and everyone should play a part, even if that is just small at first, at least it’s a step in the right direction! You can calculate your carbon footprint online easily and that may help you to realise how your daily activities contribute to global warming and also how you can reduce them. Making changes can be something as small as walking more, doing an eco cycle on your wash or turning off the tap while you brush your teeth…as long as you’re doing your part, that’s all that matters.
If you want to improve other areas of your student life, have a look at Gunisha’s blog on cooking, or Emily’s blog on five of Warwick’s hidden gems.
Do you lead a green lifestyle? What are your top tips for sustainability on campus? Let us know by tweeting us @warwicklibrary, messaging us on Instagram @warwicklibrary or by emailing us at libraryblogs@warwick.ac.uk.
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[1] https://plasticfreenorthdevon.org/blog/the-disposable-coffee-cup-effect-stopandswap#:~:text=Half%20of%20all%20coffees%20and,disposable%20coffee%20cups%20are%20recycled.
[2] https://www.theecoexperts.co.uk/home-hub/food-waste-facts-and-statistics#:~:text=Households%20throw%20away%2C%20on%20average,per%20week%2C%20according%20to%20WRAP.
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