How to Be a Green College Student

College is perhaps one of the most “non-green” opportunities a student must take advantage of. Because having a college degree can determine whether or not a company chooses to hire an individual, it is important to take the step in obtaining that shiny piece of paper. But for those who are interested in creating a better world for our children, college can be a hard place to start.

For instance, all college classes will require students to write numerous papers. These papers have to be printed and handed in to the teacher on the due date and sometimes they will need to be revised several times before it is finally accepted for a grade. That’s a lot of paper.

Another instance is the use of cars on campus. Many students opt to save money by living at home. Instead of living in a dorm, they commute every morning for classes, traveling up to an hour every day. This can eat a lot of that money supposedly being saved but worst off it eats at the atmosphere.

There are, however, a couple of actions a student can take in order to make a greener world than the current one.

1. Unplug electronic devices from the socket when you aren’t using them, e.g. your computer. Even though the computer is not in use, it is still pulling electricity from the socket.

2. Invest in a solar panel charger. Even though there are days when the sun is not out, there will be plenty of days where the sun will be shining brightly. A solar panel charger will be able to charge a cell phone or MP3 player easily.

3. Start a recycling program if your school hasn’t already. There will be plenty of cans to recycle.

4. Talk to the dean about implementing an email policy instead of printing countless pages. There are many online tools classes can utilize that don’t use printers including Google Docs and Dropbox.

5. Run errands in one day instead of multiple days throughout the week. Often students will need to drive their cars to pay bills or buy groceries. Making one trip saves energy. Also carpool with other students so they won’t have to drive (or you won’t have to drive).

6. Complete online education. Many schools have an on-line university that students can use to complete online courses to fit with their busy schedules. On-line school is also the greenest way to obtain a college degree. Students can participate full time in on-line universities if they would prefer not to commute.

Though going to college is one of the most “non-green” things a student can do, it is also one of the most important things a student can do. And as long as the student follows these steps, he or she can make their college experience a much greener one.