5 ways to reduce your carbon footprint (without really doing anything!)

When you’re busy with lectures, coursework and exams, climate change might not be at the top of your list of priorities. However, being sustainable and energy efficient whilst at uni is as easy as turning off your heating or switching off unused electrical items when you’re heading out the door. There are so many ways of reducing your carbon footprint, ways you might not even be aware of.

Unplugging goes a long way

The first thing that might surprise you is that even once your phone is fully charged, it still uses up energy when it’s plugged in. In fact, it uses a lot of energy. A lot as in millions of pounds in energy every year in the UK, so unplugging when you’re finished charging can go a VERY long way.

Switching off

The next thing is turning off the lights when you leave a room. Okay, so we’ve all heard this one before, but when you think about just how easy it is, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing it before. Lighting is responsible for 11% of energy used, so you can make a huge difference by flipping the switch.

Plant power FTW

Speaking of switches, next time you turn on the shower, take a look at the list of ingredients in your shower gels and hair products. You’ll likely see a long list of harmful chemicals. These toxins and parabens pose a huge risk to both our health and the environment, specifically marine life. How do we get around this problem then? The best way to keep clean is to wash with traditional soap and water, extra brownie points if the soap is plant-based!

Recycling made easy

Okay, we agree… separating recycling doesn’t sound like fun, but we’ve eliminated the boring bit for you. Every Collegiate property has designated bins for different types of recycling. So, all we ask of you is to make sure you use the right bin for the right rubbish (it’s also a very satisfying sound dropping a glass bottle into the glass bin).

Make every day, leg day!

And finally, take the stairs! No, we don’t mean when you’ve done your weekly Sainsbury’s shop and you’ve got armfuls of bread and milk, although kudos to you if you do! But next time you’re popping into the city centre or coming back from lecture, skip the lift and do a mini stair workout instead. Not only will you be helping to save the planet, you’ll also be improving your stamina. Win win!

And don’t forget! A healthy planet is all about community and getting other people on board to help work toward climate solutions. We’re often very influenced by friends, so make sure you talk about climate change with those close to you. Tell your stories about the changes you’ve been making to lessen the impact and how they can do the same.

#LifeStartsHere