Eco-Friendly Tips To Implement for Earth Day and Beyond

Atlanta, GA — Being environmentally conscious may appear to some as a difficult transition, but there are a few things that anyone, including busy college students, can do to help save the planet. 

Here are five sustainability recommendations to help you live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

1. While masks aren't required in many situations, if you do decide to wear one, choose a fabric mask whenever possible. "1.56 billion face masks will have reached the waters in 2020," according to Oceanasia.org. If you must use a disposable mask, remember to tear off the ear loops before discarding them to prevent marine life from becoming tangled in them.

2. Using a reusable bottle can help the environment by saving hundreds of plastic water bottles each year. Water bottles in good quality and at a reasonable price can be obtained at Walmart, Target, Ross, and Burlington; be sure they are BPA-free. If you do happen to use plastic water bottles, look for a recycling site near you. Recycling bottles can also be a good method to get some money.

3. When you are not using an appliance, such as a phone charger or a coffee machine, try to unplug it; being plugged in uses standby power. Also, wherever possible, try to turn off the lights. This trick can help you save not only energy but also money on your power bill.

4. Many grocery stores charge for plastic bags; bringing your own reusable bags is one method to avoid this and save the environment. They also have reusable bags that can be shrunk to fit on key chains. If you must use plastic bags, at the very least try to repurpose them as garbage bags.

5. Consider taking notes digitally on your phone, iPad or computer to save paper. They even have notebooks that you can reuse, which can be found on Amazon. If this is not an option for you, no problem; just try to use all of your notebooks until the last page. Also, look into recycled paper notebooks or just using scrap paper whenever you can.

Being a student can be difficult sometimes, but being eco-friendly doesn't have to be a burden. Just start doing what you can, then slowly think about ways you can do more. Following eco-friendly influencers on Tiktok and Instagram can also allow you to be exposed to more easy ways you can be Earth's hero.