Students Should Care About Saving The Planet: Ways To Help

BY KATE lARSON

Being a student is a tough job. Very often, school work is enough to keep you busy all year long, and it’s complicated to find time for other things. That’s why it’s so easy to forget about saving the planet and leave it to less busy and more motivated people. But saving the planet isn’t just for people who don’t have better things to do; it concerns everyone, especially students.

Regardless of your busy schedule, you should still make time to see how you can help the environment simply because you live here. In a few decades from now, the earth’s problems will be your problems, and it’s better to get a head start on them. Luckily, you don’t have to tear yourself away from your work to research how you can save the planet because we have compiled a list of five things you can do as a student.

Go Solar

Did you know that up to 25% of air pollution is from coal emissions in power plants? Worse still is the fact that the emissions don’t seem to be slowing down. We need to get ahead of the problem and reduce our carbon emissions. Going solar can help tackle this problem head-on. Solar energy is 100% renewable, which means that we can use it for as long as we want, and we’d never add any pollutants to the environment. Solar systems set up by companies like Natural Solar are one of the most significant ways we can save the planet

Use Reusable Bags

When people hear of simple initiatives like this, they often roll their eyes; and for a good reason. What can the use of one single plastic bag do for the planet earth? But think about it. If you use one plastic bag for your groceries twice every week, that’s over 100 plastic bags generated by you alone in a single year. And those bags never decay; they just sit in a landfill for years, causing damage to the environment. Switching to reusable bags will reduce how much non-biodegradable waste you produce, which will reduce the burden on the environment.

Print As Little As Necessary

You already know that paper is gotten from trees and that the more paper we use, the more trees die. Trees are essential to our ecosystem because they convert CO2 to oxygen. And with the amount of C02 our cars are producing, we definitely need all the trees we can get. By using as little paper as possible, you can make sure that you reduce the demand for more paper and the death of more trees. As a student, it’s very unreasonable to ask you to stop using paper. However, by reducing the amount you use, you can have a significant impact on the environment in the long run.

Buy From Sustainable Companies

Another way you can use paper to save the planet is to only buy from companies that have sustainable harvesting methods. Several paper companies replant trees after they fell them to make sure that they leave a minimal footprint. Since you need paper for assignments and projects, you should buy paper that comes from trees you know are being replaced.

Get A Bike, Or At Least Carpool When You Can

Earlier, we mentioned how C02 emissions are bad for the environment.  But as a student, you need to get around on campus, and you can’t exactly walk everywhere. However, getting a bike can help you get around while still keeping your contributions to environmental pollution low. Plus, it’s excellent exercise. If you don’t want to take a bike, you can also carpool. When you and your friends take the same car, you can reduce your carbon emissions to one vehicle, and limit your impact on the environment.

Conclusion

It’s easy to think that saving the environment doesn’t really concern you at the moment. But that’s just not true.  Little things like using solar panels or using minimal amounts of paper can help in ensuring the health of our planet.

Kate Larson is a college student and aspiring blogger, who has a strong interest in the environment and personal well-being. She enjoys travelling and reading, as well as writing novels.