Sustainability Tips for Students

Check out our great tips below for ways that you can live more sustainably as a college student. The ideas are organized from easy to more challenging within each category. Starred* tips are especially impactful!

Waste

  • Use a Reuzzi when you buy a drink in the campus cafés
  • Bring a reusable bag with you to the C-Store or when shopping in town
  • Use a natural loofah or sponge instead of a plastic one to wash your dishes
  • Use ink cartridges & graphite refills for your stationery
  • Use unused paper from old notebooks & put them into a binder to create a fresh notebook
  • Use dryer balls with a little Essential Oils instead of dryer sheets
  • Use our dorm composting system for plant-based food scraps*
  • Buy reusable cotton pads instead of single-use ones
  • Use a menstrual cup or sustainable menstruation products
  • Before you throw something away, ask yourself if you can modify or alter the item to be used for something else like a craft or storage. Reduce before Reusing. Reuse before Recycling.
  • Create an eco-brick with your single use plastic
  • Avoid buying things packaged in excessive plastic*

Energy

  • Turn things off when leaving your dorm room (TV, lights, computer, etc.)*
  • Turn lights off around campus whenever you see an unused room with the light on (dorm lounges, study rooms, classrooms, etc.)*
  • Minimize using generative AI to only when it’s needed
  • Wash your clothes in cold water
  • Air dry your clothes*
  • Keep the windows closed during winter*

Transportation

  • Combine errands instead of making multiple trips*
  • Use the ScotShare electric vehicles for local errands
  • Purchase carbon offsets for your flights
  • Walk or bike around town instead of driving
  • Carpool home on breaks*
  • Take one less flight per year*

Consumption:

  • When purchasing online, bundle shipments together
  • Shop (and donate) at nearby thrift stores*
  • Eat a more plant-rich diet (less meat, more plant proteins) – see our Plant-based Recipe Booklet for ideas*
  • Decrease your consumption of manufactured goods, specifically purchasing from large corporations. Ask yourself, “Do I really need this?”
  • Reduce before Reusing. Reuse before Recycling.
  • Take shorter & cooler showers
  • Use reusable silverware instead of plastic silverware: chopsticks, bamboo forks, knives, and spoons
  • Purchase everyday items from zero-waste or local stores in Downtown Wooster 
  • Use sustainable cleaning products
  • Avoid fully manufactured foods with highly produced oils like palm and soybean oil
  • Avoid getting fast/takeaway food packaged in Styrofoam or plastic
  • Upcycle or alter old clothing to something you could wear again
  • Repair before replacing.
  • Choose natural, higher quality clothing that will last and be versatile in your everyday wardrobe (It will save you money in the long run!)

Action

  • Close your blinds when you aren’t in your room to prevent bird strikes
  • Take a walk around campus or downtown and pick up trash & recycle safely
  • Take a carbon footprint quiz to see how you can reduce your impact 
  • Walk around local areas and identify invasive species

Advocacy & Education

  • Volunteer with an environmental group
  • Be a climate voter: vote for climate related policies and climate-focused candidates*
  • Advocate for environmental policy by calling your representatives’ offices*
  • If you have a slot in your schedule, take environmental/sustainability course 
  • Join one of the many sustainability-focused clubs we have on campus
  • Sign up for a sustainability themed summer TREK

Have Fun!

  • Take a walk on the trails of our local forests
  • Take a walk and identify local trees around campus 
  • Host an environmentally themed book club, party, craft night, or dinner
  • Make your own paper using old or unused paper 
  • Go on a wildflower hunt
  • Watch an environment-focused documentary
  • Host a board game night
  • Go for a bike ride

Community Resources