Journey To Zero Waste #23 🌱💚

low waste tips: student edition

choosing a low waste lifestyle can seem an impossible extra thing to juggle when you already have friends, assignments, exams etc. to manage. hopefully this post will inspire you to make some eco-friendly swaps and show you how easy it can be to live more mindfully

1. food shop with friends. food waste is one of the biggest ways we can create waste. shopping and cooking with friends is not only really fun but almost always works out cheaper and you’ll use up all your ingredients rather than having food left over. save leftovers for lunch the next day! 

2. go digital. if you have the option to type your notes and submit essays electornically then do so! you’ll save loads of paper. however, some people with learning difficulties find it easier to read with hard copies rather than on a laptop, and that is fine. just make sure you print double sided and recycle those print-outs after

3. ditch the car. travelling to and from uni via train is much better than using a car, if you can’t avoid the car then offer to car share. while at uni try and cycle, walk or use public transport as much as possible rather than driving (or ubering) short journeys. you’ll save money and the planet

4. second hand shopping/clothes swaps. there’s lots of pressure in student environments to wear the coolest clothes and to wear different things all the time. choose second hand rather than fast fashion.

5. sell your old clothes. selling your unused clothes on ebay or depop is a great way to earn a little extra cash. don’t let your old clothes be part of the 98% that are burned or go to landfill

6. borrow. there are always one-off events that you need a fancy dress/suit for. try and borrow or rent those items instead of buying something you’ll only wear once. 

7. choose your stationery wisely. do you really need 5 notebooks? could you use a wooden pencil instead of a plastic pen? can you find recycled paper? little choices added together make a big difference

8. choose your drinks. drinking culture is everywhere at university and what you drink and how much is a personal choice. try and opt for drinks that come in aluminium cans (beer or cider) or glass bottles (spirits or wine). mixers are hard to find without plastic

9. refuse the straw. when you’re out this is a simple way to save the environment. just say no

10. find the university’s eco societies. surrounding yourself with and learning from environmentally-minded people is a great way to make low waste living easy. they will also be able to give you university-specific advice (e.g. where to find plastic-free veg and which cafes give you a discount for bringing your own cup)

and all the usual low/zero waste bits still apply to students too:

have a look at this post for ideas for zero/low waste swaps

low waste living is great for a student budget too! have a look at this post to find out more

Homemade vegan pesto pizza don’t mind if I do 😍😍😍

I have arrived in Peru and if there is one thing I have learned this week it is that zero waste and traveling to not always go together. Last minute shopping, eating out, medications and bottled water have set me back in my waste goals. However, all hope is not lost as I still have found some ways to back on waste that additionally make traveling easier!

Solid shampoo, conditioner, soap, face wash and perfume

Benefits

No spilling in your suitcase

Able to take through security in your carryon 

Virtually no waste

Lasts a lot longer since it is concentrated 

Takes up much less space then full sized liquid products 

Cons

None? (I really love all these products!)

Water bottle

Benefits

Can refill once you’ve gone past security at the airport (no $7 bottles of water at the airport)

Keeps water cold for hot days 

Can buy bottled water in bulk and pour into reusable bottle to take with you instead of many small bottles in places where you can not drink the tap water

Cons

You must carry it around with you even when it’s empty 

Coconut oil and fabric scraps (used for makeup removal)

Benefits 

Extremely cheap

Very effective in removing makeup (the best thing in my opinion)

Natural and very low waste

Cons

Very messy to travel with (high risk of spilling and staining clothing)

Must wash the fabric scraps (difficult to do if you do not have access to a washing machine)

Overall I am glad I was able to cut down on at least some waste in my travel while also making my move easier! If anyone has any other tips for reducing waste when you travel I would love to hear them! :) 

not to get all fake deep about the state of manufacturing rn but a piece of a plastic bottle is literally gonna outlive the memory of us by dozens of generations

how do u actually save bees?

low waste walmart grocery haul :) 

i just love how by being vegan i am helping mother earth a little bit every day with every meal i take <3

If every working-class person in the world decided this afternoon to install solar panels on their roofs and started biking instead of driving, the ice caps would still melt and the human race would still die off. It simply isn’t possible to end climate change while working within a system that sends all your products overseas in massive supertankers wrapped in unrecycled plastic that will be thrown in a landfill the moment it hits land - and practices like that aren’t going to go away because of your purchasing habits.

Nor are we gonna hit some magical point where using clean energy and reducing waste are suddenly the cheapest or most profitable option and so all the world’s big companies fall over each other to switch over. That has never been the case and never will be - the “free market” isn’t going to save us.

The fact of the matter is, this system needs to be torn down if our species is to survive. We don’t have time to delay the revolution anymore. Capitalism is extinction. 

I’m just so terrified that my children will never be able to experience nature as it is with all the animals and diversity and plants and insects and forests and snow because this generation didn’t wake up.