Living on campus opens you up to different concepts and perspectives. And this will give you an opportunity to learn more about being sustainable and mindful about your lifestyle. Making eco-friendly choices in your lifestyle may be a small step in certain aspects but this can have a big impact on the environment.
When you are living in UQ on campus housing you will get to learn more about their sustainable programmes and initiatives. And one of the simplest ways you can save energy is by switching off lights and fans when they are not in use. It can be such a small thing to forget but if everyone keeps forgetting to do this, the cumulative energy use can be significant. You can practice this in your room as well as when you go out. If you see a fan working in an empty classroom, take the initiative to switch it off. And this is something that will become second nature to you as the days go by. Also, when you are replacing bulbs, look for energy efficient LED bulbs as these will consume less energy. They are also more durable so you will not need to replace them often.
Natural light and ventilation is to be used whenever possible.
There is something so freeing about being outside and getting a breath of fresh air. You can let the windows in your room open to let in some fresh air and you can study with the sunlight streaming into the room. This creates warmth and cosiness in your living space. And as a bonus, you are saving energy as well. When washing clothes, you can actually dry your laundry outside in the sunshine when possible. This way, you don’t need to use a dryer. Check the campus policy when it comes to this and where you can dry your clothes this way. This will save more energy as a dryer consumes a huge amount of electricity. And you will be able to breathe in the refreshing scent of sunshine on your clothes as well. You have learned about reducing, reusing and reclining items from a young age. And this is something you can stick to whenever possible even now.
When you are purchasing items, you have to be mindful of why you are making this purchase.
This is a great opportunity to differentiate your wants from needs. And in addition to helping the environment, you will also be able to save some money by not spending on unnecessary items. Try to reuse items as much as possible. If you have old glass jars, they can be repurposed into storage containers. And you can reduce the use of polythene as much as possible by using reusable bags made of cloth for shopping groceries. And check how you can recycle items on the school grounds. There will be recycling bins where you can dispose of plastic, paper, glass and metal. Learn more about the recycling programme of the campus so that you can contribute to it and reduce waste.
