Many people around your college campus try and do their part in protecting the environment. However, your college may not follow many sustainable practices. Read more about the best changes to make your college greener and help your campus become more sustainable.
Start a Community Garden
Get the approval of campus administration to start a garden with a group of other students, and set rules for planting, growing, and harvesting. As the plants grow, more people will pay attention to, preserve, and tend to the garden.
Planting flowers that attract honey bees and bumble bees will provide a pollen source for them. Vegetables in the garden could become a food source for local shelters or food pantries.
Make It a Brighter Place With LEDs
Lights on campus use a lot of electricity, which requires fossil fuels. Combat this energy usage by petitioning to install LED lights in every building.
LEDs are the most environmentally friendly lights thanks to their longevity, brightness, and low energy consumption. They require less energy and burn fewer fossil fuels than traditional bulbs. LEDs with motion sensors can further reduce energy consumption. They turn on when they detect movement in areas such as offices and classrooms.
LEDs are best for lighting a building with high ceilings, like lecture halls and student buildings. Your university will save money on keeping these buildings lit for students and faculty.
Add Compost Bins
Composting requires you to dispose of organic waste for later use; most people use compost when gardening. Talk to the college administration about placing compost bins around campus, and suggest using the organic waste for the community garden. Place the bins outside dorms, the library, and any other places with high foot traffic where a passing student with food scraps may need to dispose of them.
Encourage PDFs Instead of Printing
Colleges are among the top institutions that use paper. Printing documents, essays, and assignments creates an unending flow of used paper. Even though paper is recyclable, that doesn’t stop trees from getting cut down. Encourage your friends and classmates to use PDFs instead of printing in order to make your college greener.
Most assignments are submittable through an online system that staff and students use, and in most cases, they prefer doing it all online. Place signs above printers that explain the importance of reducing paper waste, and ask your professors if they’re willing to go paperless. You may receive some pushback, but it’s worth trying to make the campus more sustainable.
Green initiatives are important, and these changes at your college will help the campus become more environmentally friendly. Use these ideas to help your college, or start the initiative yourself and wait for others to join the eco-friendly fun.
