Given the sometimes large number of residents, college dormitories consume large amounts of water, electricity, and other natural resources every day while also producing a large amount of waste products due to the number of residents living in a small space.
However, there are ways for college students to live a green lifestyle without having to drastically alter the dorm lifestyle. With some simple changes and help from friends and residence life staff, it is possible to lessen the amount of environmental impact that a college dorm makes.
Watch Water Usage
College students consume a large number of gallons of water every day. Between drinking from water fountains, showering, washing clothes, using sinks, and cleaning purposes, one resident can use several gallons of water in the course of a couple of hours. Multiply that by the number of residence in one hall, and the number of gallons can skyrocket.
However, it is possible to save water and still live a clean, hydrated life. Taking shorter showers, turning off the water while brushing teeth, and using less water when washing dishes are a couple of ways that college students can save water. If shorter showers are out of the question, trying to reduce the number of showers taken throughout the day; on average, one ten minute shower can use four to five gallons of water at a time. Multiple showers a day add up to lots of water going down the drain.
Using Less Electricity in a College Dorm
It's hard to watch the amount of electricity in a dorm, especially when one room has little to no control over what residents in another room or on another floor are consuming.
However, there are simple ways to reduce the amount of electricity a student consumes. Turning off the lights before leaving for meals or class, unplugging unused electronics, and turning down the heat before going home for the weekend are good ways to reduce electricity without drastically changing one's lifestyle.
In addition, residents can reduce the amount of laundry done each week by only doing laundry when they have a full load of clothes, and by washing clothes in cold water. Cold water does not use as much electricity since it does not need to be warmed by a hot water tank, and fewer loads of laundry means that washers and dryers are in use less often, using less electricity. This is also a money-saver for students, as washing clothes less often saves money, and washing in cold water means that clothes are less likely to shrink.
Reusing and Recycling
Many colleges and universities are putting recycling bins in residence halls in an effort to create a greener living community. If these are available, students should follow school recycling procedures and encourage fellow residents to do the same. If recycling bins are not available, students should talk to the housing or residence life office about installing containers for recycling.
Students can reuse things they would normally throw away in a college dorm to save money and the environment. Refilling water bottles or using them to hold pens and pencils keeps the plastic bottles out of landfills and helps to reduce desk clutter. This also saves money by getting more use out of a case of bottled water.
To save paper, students can print assignments on both sides of a piece of paper, or reuse old flyers as scratch paper to take quick notes. Making lists on old pieces of paper, instead of getting a new piece, prolongs the life of a piece of paper and stretches a pack of paper so it is bought less often.
Getting Others Involved
Students who want to get others involved should talk to their dorm's residence life staff about establishing green programs throughout the building, such as a recycling contest among the floors or providing incentives for turning off water and lights.
Going green in a college dorm does not have to mean drastically altering one's lifestyle. With a couple of quick changes, it is possible for a college dorm resident to lessen their impact on the environment, and save some money while doing it.
GOG101
Ashley Anderson - Ashley is an Ohio-based writer and editor with specializations in higher education, writing, and social activism.
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