/>
This Saturday, April 22nd, is Earth Day, which marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement. It serves as a focal point to highlight the importance of looking after our planet and changing our behaviour at a local, national and global scale.
As a student living in Leeds, you may think that it’s impossible for an individual to make any noticeable difference. But if we all committed to making small changes, it would make a big impact.
With that in mind, let’s talk about how it’s possible to make positive changes in your student home in Leeds. Whether it’s meat-free days or clearing out your email inbox, our sustainability tips for students are easily achievable and will help to make a difference. Let’s take a look.
Switch off
We hate to sound like your parents, but it’s like Blackpool Illuminations in here!
Turning off lights when you leave a room could save you up to 20p per day. Most student homes in Leeds will have low-energy LED bulbs, but if they don’t, making the switch will save you 90% more energy than standard bulbs.
TVs, laptops, games consoles, phone chargers and broadband routers all continue to draw power unless switched off, so get into the habit of turning off unused appliances at the switch to cut down on your energy use.
Enjoy some meat-free days
Animal agriculture is one of the largest contributors to climate change, with cows and other farm animals responsible for around 14% of human-induced climate emissions. Not to mention the huge amounts of water and land it requires.
By choosing to enjoy regular meat-free days, you can lessen the impact your diet has on the environment. If you have vegan or vegetarian housemates, ask them about their favourite recipes. Or why not take it in turns to cook veggie meals for each other.
Be aware that other animal products such as cheese, eggs, butter and milk also have high carbon emissions, so limit these as well if you can.
Think about how you cook food
Make friends with your microwave. It’s by far the most energy-efficient way of cooking, cutting down on both your energy bills and the impact on the planet. Pressure and slow cookers also have a low carbon footprint and can be used to cook a whole host of dishes – from curries to casseroles and paella.
Next comes cooking on the hob, whether that’s steaming, boiling or frying.
The oven comes in last, as it not only uses energy to heat the food but the area surrounding it.
That doesn’t mean you need to forgo your Sunday roasts. Try and use more energy-efficient means of cooking for most of the week and save the oven for when it’s really necessary.
One great way to save energy is to batch cook. Freeze your creations into individual portions, then reheat in the microwave when required.
Eschew fast fashion
We’re all aware of the environmental impact of fast fashion (the industry is responsible for 10% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions annually), but sometimes that cheap top or pair of trousers is hard to resist. But there are lots of different ways to get your fashion fix, without buying something destined for landfill in a few months.
One of the great things about student living in Leeds is that there are so many brilliant second-hand shops and vintage sales. Keep an eye out for the vintage kilo sales that are held at places such as Left Bank Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall and Kirkgate Market.
Or why not get together with friends and organise a clothes swap? You can get rid of things you no longer wear in return for a cool new wardrobe, without buying anything new or sending anything to landfill.
Consolidate your washing
If you’re on intimate-enough terms with your housemates, why not pool your washing? So, rather than wasting a full cycle on a handful of your darks, you can wash everyone’s darks together, saving you all time and energy.
Invest in some mesh laundry bags for each housemate and you can even do a communal socks and pants wash without getting it all muddled up.
However, if you’re one of those people that throws everything in together and hopes for the best, then carry on!
Downsize your data
It’s easy to overlook the environmental impact of data storage as it doesn’t seem tangible. But the reality is that our data has a heavy carbon footprint.
Every saved photo, email, message and document can contribute to up to 10.6kg of CO2 emissions per person annually.
By the time you get to uni, you’ll have racked up a considerable amount of stored data and shaving it down might seem like an insurmountable task.
However, there are some hacks you can use to speed the process up, such as deleting duplicate photos on your iPhone and using software like maelstrom or Cleanfox to clear up your email inbox. Once done, stay on top of it with a weekly or monthly clear-out.
We hope our sustainability tips for students have inspired you to play your part towards keeping our planet safe for future generations.
To browse our student homes in Leeds, simply visit our properties page.