Blog: Hanna's top tips for becoming more eco-friendly
Written by Student Content Shaper Hanna Khalil
Our planet is in urgent need of attention. So how about we show her some love and do our part with some top tips to make your life a little bit more eco-friendly.
Tip 1: Dear wardrobe…
Did you know that 92 million tonnes of clothing end up in landfills every year? We can help this by shopping in an eco-friendlier way - I love charity shopping and thankfully, Harborne’s high street is lined with charity shops where you can find great second-hand items (the Cancer Research UK charity shop being my personal favourite) for a cheap price. Harborne High Street is a 23-minute walk from the university, so not only can you shop, but you also get your steps in!
How about donating the clothes you don’t wear to charity (hello Harborne High Street!) or selling them on clothing apps like Vinted or Depop? You can even try the one-in-one-out rule, where you swap an item that you just bought with another already purchased item that you don’t wear anymore. That way your wardrobe doesn’t fill up, and you can earn some extra money if you decide to sell that item. It's giving student-friendly budgeting...
Tip 2: Mindful Travel
I’m in love with cycling. If you see a girl on a red bike cycling around campus, know that that is me! I cycle everywhere (except to the bullring because that’s too scary), because not only is it fun and great exercise, but cycling is also a great eco-friendly method of transportation. Need to do a food shop at Aldi? Cycle. Fancy a vegan sausage roll from Greggs at Selly Oak’s shopping park? Cycle. Cycling, as well as walking, is much more sustainable than taking the bus because you reduce your carbon footprint; Mother Earth is smiling so brightly right now!
Tip 3: Meatless Mondays
If you haven’t read one already, here is your sad-but-true fact of the day: the meat industry accounts for nearly 60% of greenhouse gas emissions. The production of meat also causes a loss in biodiversity and widespread deforestation. If you’re reading this whilst eating chicken nuggets, sorry if I’m making you feel bad! But we students can do our part to reduce this greenhouse gas issue by going meatless on Mondays! You can go meatless on Tuesdays too, don’t worry.
Ditch your medium rare steak one day of the week for a meatless meal option, like vegetarian lasagne – so good - or vegetable curry. Better yet, you can use an alternative source of protein like tofu to have in your meals. Don't know where to start? Watch Student Content Shaper Marcus’ Instagram Reel on plant-based options.
Tip 4: Bye bye plastic cups!
Attention coffee addicts!
As uni students, sometimes - or a lot of the time - we rely on caffeine to keep us going with our studies. But instead of buying your drink of choice in a plastic cup that will end up in a landfill and degrade in a thousand years … bring a reusable cup with you. You might even get rewards by bringing your reusable cup. For example, In Costa, if you bring your reusable cup, they'll give you an extra bean for free (a stamp on your loyalty card). So next time you leave your home to go to a café, think about bringing your reusable cup with you.
I hope my top eco-friendly tips are useful to you, and help you change your life a little to become more eco-friendly! Remember, we can all do our part to look after the planet.