Jaime Hebel | Head of Illustration

Have you been cursing the 80-degree weather of late October? Are you dreaming of a white Christmas?

Our bizarrely warm weather definitely has its perks — just ask the gaggles of people enjoying Mudd Field in November. However, between the sounds of frisbee’s whooshing by and students gabbing in the wooden reclining chairs, there’s also been a concerned chatter.

Conversations of “I can’t believe it is so hot outside this time of year!” have inhabited the same fields and chairs. If you, too, are weary of the implications of this hot weather, or you’re just finally ready to bring out your cozy warm sweaters, this article is for you.

Living on WashU’s campus can make it difficult to take initiative to be more environmentally conscious. Environmental consciousness/sustainability does not mean making your carbon footprint a perfect zero; rather, it’s about being more aware of how your practices and habits affect the environment, and about taking steps of any size to reduce this impact. Here are a four ways that you can easily make your actions more sustainable:

Limit Single-Use Plastic

Single-use plastic is any kind of plastic product that you automatically dispose of after use. The dangers of single-use plastics start from their creation, as they require huge amounts of energy and water consumption but are only used for a couple of minutes. After they are disposed of, single-use plastics pollute our water and land. About 33 billion pounds of plastic enter our oceans every year, which equals two garbage truck’s worth of plastic entering our waters every minute. That’s about 10 garbage truck’s worth by the time you finish reading this article. 

Having no control over what kinds of cups you are handed at Cherry Tree or Cafe Bergson can easily promote a defeatist attitude, leading students to give up entirely on minimizing their plastic use. Nevertheless, it is vital to remember that the repetition of small actions can lead to big impacts. 

One of the easiest ways to reduce single-use plastic is by always opting for reusable containers and utensils. Trekking to put away your dishes on the conveyor belt may seem daunting, but it will be worth it for the planet in the long run.

Another obvious but commonly overlooked option is to stop taking plastic straws. Instead, you can buy a cheap pack of metal straws to bring around with you, or be brave and risk the possibility of a small coffee spill. For iced-coffee addicts like me, these small amounts of single-use plastic items quickly add up.

Reduce Unnecessary Consumerism

There are many environmental dangers of fast fashion, but a less-popularly-discussed issue is the carbon emissions that come from shipping consumer items. In 2020, shipping and returns of products accounted for 37% of greenhouse gasses. It’s unrealistic to suggest that everyone stop doing any kind of online shopping. However, WashU has some great resources that can help students limit their unnecessary consumerism. 

SWAP — our completely free, second-hand clothing store located on the South 40 — is a great option if you want to spruce up your closet at absolutely no cost. If SWAP doesn’t have what you’re looking for, our campus is walking distance from some great thrift stores on the Delmar Loop. Found Vintage and Avalon Exchange are both no more than a 20-minute walk away.

Next time you’re in the mood for a closet revamp or in need of a new sweater or jacket, take a look at one of these sustainable options, and help minimize unnecessary consumerism!

Be Aware of Energy Use

Power at home is a leading drain on our natural resources. Because we, as students, do not receive an energy bill, it is extremely easy to forget about the effect of overusing energy that comes from leaving our lights on all day or leaving outlets plugged in. Staying conscious of these things is an effective and quick way to reduce your carbon footprint. 

Try getting into the habit of turning off your lights when you leave the room. This is a great example of a small action that, if we all work together to complete, can make a great change. Turning off your lights is also a great way to decrease light pollution, which can make the beautiful stars in our night sky even more visible! 

A commonly overlooked use of energy is known as vampire power, which is the electricity that gadgets and appliances use up by just being plugged in. This unnecessary power consumption accounts for 25% of electricity used by average homes. Unplugging your chargers from their outlets is a very easy way to minimize your energy use. 

Reduce Meat Consumption

One of the best ways for college students to make a real impact on the environment is to reduce their meat consumption. Animal agriculture accounts for at least 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than cars, trains, and airplanes combined. Meat production requires a huge amount of water and land, which creates extreme pollution. 

Beef has the worst impact of all meats: The average greenhouse gas impact of 50 grams of beef is 17.7 kilograms of carbon dioxide, which is almost double the effect of lamb, the next-most-impactful meat on the list. 

In order to combat the greenhouse gas emissions from meat production, you do not need to become vegan and stop eating all kinds of animal products (though kudos to you if you want to!). If the average American replaced only a third of their beef intake with a vegetable or other type of meat, their food-related emissions would fall by 13%. 

Taking sustainable steps towards slowly reducing your meat intake is extremely valuable. Try to challenge yourself this week to eat at least one vegetarian meal a day. Explore all of the different places to get food on campus, and look for your favorite vegetarian meal from each place. (My favorite is the black-bean burger from Bear’s Den.)

No one person can reverse our existing environmental footprint. However, any action — big or small — is important in helping to preserve our environment. As students, we are in a pivotal position where the habits we establish now will affect the rest of our lives and generations to come. I urge you all to take this time to make these simple practices concrete in your everyday lives. Together, WashU can make the world a more sustainable place.