Sustainability has become part of our everyday life. The concept is to go net-zero emission by 2030; this goal is becoming more and more a reality for us all. April is dedicated to bringing awareness and setting ourselves a sustainable goal to bring forward throughout the year and onwards.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates.

Students and young adults are the first in line when advocating a more sustainable lifestyle; especially while they are on university campuses and accommodation facilities, they all try to do some good daily.

As bad as it might sound, participating in sustainable activities has also become trendy. Students posting about eco-clean ups, planting trees, or volunteering for sustainable organisations is very diffuse and helps this global crisis gain awareness and become part of the education of our children and us young adults.

The theme of Earth Day 2022 is #InvestInOurPlanet

Let us take you through 6 ways to have a more sustainable lifestyle and be more green on campus during Earth Month:

• Eco-Clean Ups: Your accommodation or campus might have communal areas or parks surrounding the location where you live. Organise with your fellow students a clean-up to pick up litter and make your communal spaces plastic-free. You can also participate in a general clean-up in your city by looking at the official website of EarthDay.org, find it at the link below: https://www.earthday.org/campaign/cleanup/
• Plant a Tree: Organise a tree planting initiative with your student affairs or the accommodation staff to make your communal space greener. Planting trees helps the local communities absorb carbon dioxide emissions that drive global heating. To help the environment on a worldwide scale, the “Canopy Project” helps distribute no more than £1 trees all over the globe. Find all the information about the project at the link below: https://www.earthday.org/campaign/the-canopy-project/
• Follow the 3 RS: Look for ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle: Learn from the people around you and learn from your peers about the best ways to help the environment. Organise a submission page where all your fellow students can share their ideas and have a dedicated night in your communal space to discuss the best actions to put in place in your accommodation.
• Shop Locally: Why is it essential to support our local shops? All local businesses help support our community as a whole. They give our neighbourhood diversity, and they employ our locals. They invest and support our community by stocking and supplying others’ local products and services. If you are shopping locally, you save your carbon footprint, and your food miles is reduced.
• Invest in Eco-Friendly Fashion Brands: Become conscious of how and where your t-shirt is being produced. What we call the “fast fashion” industry ruins earth’s resources and uses slave labour to deliver a lower price to the end consumer. This earth month, pledge to change the way you shop your clothing. Choose sustainable or local fashion brands or consider buying second-hand clothing to stay faithful to the rule of the three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Here you can find a list of great fashion brands to help you get started: https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/fair-trade-clothing-available-in-uk
• Introduce sustainable habits to your routine: Sometimes, the little things make the difference and change for the bigger picture. Brainstorm your usual daily habits and pin down the actions you can change to reduce your waste. For example, if you are one of those people that like to take extra long showers, consider cutting down or using cooler water. It could help reduce your utility bill and also save water.

We can all do something small to achieve a bigger goal. Ask questions, be curious, and get involved for the greater good, for a greener future.