With work, extracurriculars, and other responsibilities, thinking about environmental impact may be the least of a student’s worries. After all, many Stevens students do recycle, thrift their clothes, and (usually) remember to turn their lights off. Still, there are a few things that students do that aren’t the best for the planet.
1. Wasting Food
When you’re on a meal plan, it can be tempting to simply throw away one meal in exchange for another. We’ve all picked out something from the comfort station or placed an order at Yella’s before realizing that the texture is wrong, the taste is different than expected, or that we just don’t like the item. However, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the U.S., comprising 24 and 22 percent of landfilled and combusted municipal solid waste, respectively.” U.S. college campuses are responsible for much of that food waste, with students wasting around 3.6 million tons of food a year.
Instead of piling your plate with a bunch of foods you probably won’t touch, take a moment to really think about what you actually will eat. At Pierce Dining Hall, you can always ask for a smaller portion and go back for more if you end up enjoying it. At the UCC Marketplace, customize your order so you can avoid dissecting your meal.
2. Ordering a Stuber Instead of Walking
One of the highlights of Hoboken is its walkability. Although ordering a Stevens Shuttle (a.k.a. a Stuber) or even an Uber or Lyft may feel like an easier option, remember that you really can just take a walk. If walking isn’t something you enjoy, try walking with friends, listening to music on your route, or biking.
3. Dumping Dorm Furniture
May is approaching, signaling the end of the semester. During that time, students are trying to pack up their belongings to prepare for their move-out day. As you sit there wondering if it’s too late to become a minimalist, you may be planning which pieces of furniture you can throw out. Rather than dumping your perfectly good furniture in a landfill, consider reaching out to local thrift stores to see if they will take it off your hands. Other alternatives include reaching out to fellow students who are looking to furnish their apartments, selling it on Facebook Marketplace, or asking someone if they’d be willing to help you move it out.
4. Fast Fashion Hauls
According to Business Insider, “Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams.” The aim of fast fashion is to produce clothing as quickly as possible to keep up with trends. The issue is that companies use cheap materials like polyester that can take around 200 years to decompose. With fast fashion, once trends shift, consumers throw out their clothes, leaving 92 million tonnes of textile waste per year to sit in landfills for years to come.
If you have any clothes from Shein, Cider, or Fashion Nova sitting in your closet, don’t throw them away just yet. Keep rewearing them and donate them when you’re done. The next time you need a quick outfit for a themed party or special event, consider borrowing from a friend, checking out a local thrift store, or purchasing something you know you can wear again.
5. Using AI
There is no denying that AI has become more normalized, as demonstrated by its integration into so many apps and services we use. Still, AI usage has detrimental impacts on the environment, such as increasing greenhouse emissions and depleting water resources. Instead of using AI as a shortcut, manage your time better, seek help from your professors and TAs, and utilize other course resources such as textbooks and lecture notes. Although it feels like AI is everywhere, remember that you have the choice on whether or not you use it.
Sustainability may feel like the least of your worries, but we all must do our part to protect our planet. By reassessing our day-to-day activities, we can make changes to ensure we are not hurting the environment.
