Mindful living for college students
In our fast-paced world, where technology, convenience, and economic growth often take center stage, it’s easy to overlook the environmental impact of our daily choices. With rising global temperatures and increasing pressure on natural resources, small changes in our routines can make a big difference. Whether you’re a college student or a worker, here are some easy ways to be more mindful of waste without disrupting your busy schedule:
1. Clothing Purchases
Before heading to fast fashion brands like Shein or Forever 21, consider the environmental impact. On top of exploitative working conditions, poor wages, and exposure to toxic chemicals, the fashion industry produces 60 billion discarded garments each year, contributing to pollution, habitat disruption, and greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, fabric production is one of the biggest consumers of freshwater globally (Quantis International 2018 Report).
A great alternative is building a capsule wardrobe–a collection of versatile, staple pieces you truly enjoy. If you’re shopping for something new, check out sustainable brands like EthiCAL Apparel, which are transparent about their environmental impact. Also, thrifting or doing clothing swaps with friends are fun ways to refresh your style while reducing waste.
2. Meat Consumption
Meat production, especially beef and dairy, is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. While going fully vegetarian isn’t for everyone, small changes, like swapping one or two meals a week for plant-based or chicken options, can make a real difference.
Awareness and education are the first steps toward making eco-friendly choices. If you’re curious about your personal impact, try taking this short quiz (“What is your Ecological Footprint?”) to see how many Earths would be needed to sustain your lifestyle.
3. Bathroom Water Usage
Out of all household appliances, the bathroom unsurprisingly holds the most water usage. A 8-minute shower utilizes over 16 gallons of water (EPA WaterSense). Imagine the 60 gallons of water used in 30-minute showers!
To help, you can use shorter showers or switch to a showerhead that sprays lesser gallons-per-minute. Additionally, you can remember to turn the faucet off when not in use when brushing your teeth or washing dishes by the sink.
4. Talking to AI Chatbots
A simple search on Chat-GPT couldn’t hurt, right? Every time you generate text with an AI chatbot like GPT-4, data centers use energy and water to keep their systems running. Asking GPT-4 to draft a 100-word email once a week consumes 27 liters of water (UC Riverside)! While AI can be a great tool, being mindful of how often we rely on it can help conserve the amount of energy required to build, train, and generate the models.
When possible, try using resources like Google Scholar, JSTOR, academic websites (.edu), or physical books for research. Not only does this reduce environmental impact, but it can also lead to more reliable information.
Making sustainable decisions doesn’t have to be time-consuming; little by little, we can take steps to reduce our carbon footprint and water usage. If you’re interested in getting involved, consider joining us in volunteering with The Watershed Project to help protect our local water resources!
