Making College Campuses More Sustainable

College campuses are a prime place to work on implementing far-reaching sustainability measures. They encompass a lot of land and they have millions of young people who are ready and willing to help. Increasing sustainability on college campuses will benefit the country and the planet at large if it’s done well.

Here are some sustainability upgrades college campuses can start with:

1. Adding Recycling Stations:

One of the easiest and most foolproof methods of reducing environmental impact is to begin recycling more. If college campuses began widely using single-stream recycling collection next to each trash bin on campus, it would save space in landfills and also save resources. Paper, glass, and plastic could be easily collected to be recycled with more access to recycling bins on campus.

2. Putting Things In Biking Or Walking Distance:

Reducing greenhouse gases has been shown to have a significant impact on hindering the negative effects of climate change. College campuses can be a part of the reduction efforts by making important areas easily accessible to students via either walking or biking. For example, universities can place package lockers for college within walking distance of dorms. When students are able to easily walk or bike to where they need to go, there will be less usage of cars or other greenhouse gas-producing transportation methods.

3. Implementing a Bike Rental Program:

In the same vein of focusing on greenhouse gas reduction, college campuses may decide to implement rent-a-bike programs. Giving students access to bikes will let them have the option to choose the healthier and more environmentally-conscious transportation option. Students can improve their fitness and health, reduce emissions significantly, and the rental fees can go toward other campus upgrades.

4. Starting A Compost Initiative:

Composting can be a wonderful option to encourage sustainability. Colleges have many cafeterias and eateries. Putting the food waste to good use can save space in landfills and has numerous other benefits, too. Some college campuses have even begun to use biodegradable utensils and plates to they can be composted along with the food waste produced.

5. Starting A Campus Community Garden:

Some colleges are beginning to let students plant community gardens on campus. Having a garden can be vital to food sustainability. The colleges could either use the produce grown in their own cafeterias and eateries or they can donate it to food shelves to help those in need access nutritious food. Locally grown and sourced fresh produce is a wonderful, sustainable gift to the students and the whole community.

6. Doing Donation Drives Upon Move Out:

When it’s time for students to move out, they will inevitably have a lot of things they need to get rid of. If colleges widely implemented donation drives that got those goods to people who want and need them, they could reduce the amount of trash in landfills as well as help other people receive items that will benefit them. Various local charities will be able to assist more people and students can know that their items went to a good cause by doing donation drives.

College campuses fully embracing sustainability efforts can set the tone for the rest of the country to follow. Once the students leave, they can take these ideas with them and find ways to apply them in their communities. These changes will add up and truly benefit the planet.