Instead of racking up big bills at chain stores, students at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., kick off the new school year with a Re-Use Fair.
Bargains include small appliances, furniture and clothes donated by dorm-dwellers upon leaving school last spring. The items are stored in trailers loaned by a local business. Fair proceeds pay for the student-run program.
The university is a model for campus sustainability. Students get free refills on beverages, saving countless disposable cups and lessening the landfill load. They can check out bikes, like books, from the library. And they trade energy-saving tips like their GPAs depend on it.
“A lot of students come in with tons of bottled water, [but] the tap water here is fine!” said Nigel Fellman Greene, returning from Medfield, Mass. Another alternative to the expense and space demands of stacks of bottled water: a water purification filter. This, Greene notes, will reduce the number of plastic bottles ending up in landfills.
Instead of cruising chain stores, Greene suggests: “Buy local, whatever the purchase.” Patronizing indie merchants “helps you connect with local vendors and people.”
“I was blown away by the number of ways that students can reduce their energy use,” said Abigail Rose, who hails from Sausalito, Calif. “For example, unplugging all your chargers, surge protectors, computers, TVs can save loads of energy.”
Families with school-aged children will spend an average of $594.24 on back-to-school purchases, according to a National Retail Federation survey. Here’s an educated guess: Green-minded students will spend a whole lot less.
Going Green 101
» Carry a reusable mug for hot and cold beverages.
» Bring reusable cloth bags to carry groceries and other purchases.
» Share appliances. If you must buy, those with Energy Star certification use 10 to 50 percent less energy. Or go pre-owned; Production of new stuff consumes resources and adds to carbon emissions.
» Unplug electronics and chargers when not in use. Use a power strip with an on-off switch.
» Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. They consume 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.
» Save water. Take shorter showers, wash full loads of laundry, and don’t let faucets run when brushing teeth.
» Eat lower on the food chain. United Nations data show that intensive livestock production does more environmental damage than all forms of transportation combined.
» Pick sheets, rugs and curtains produced without toxic chemicals. Cool choices include hemp and bamboo fiber.
» Bring a bicycle.
» Buy used textbooks. Visit half.com and textbooks.com.
Robin Tierney is a freelancer who writes about health and environment issues. She can be reached at [email protected].
