Tips for Sustainable Living on Campus

When entering college life, our dorm rooms become our home away from home. These are places where we will study to better our education, engage with peers, recenter ourselves, and, most importantly, sleep. As these rooms are highly important and take approximately 10.86 hours of our time a day, our college or university dorm rooms should be treated with care.

Creating a sustainable dorm room is not an easy task, but it is necessary to maintain our human health while simultaneously aiding the environment around us. According to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), sustainable development can be defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In other words, to be sustainable, your actions, decisions, and purchases should not negatively impact the lifestyles of those in the future. While complicated, creating an eco-friendly and sustainable dormitory is possible. You just need to know what to look for.

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What to Purchase and “Why?”

Mattresses

Being a product that you spend several hours a day on, having an eco-friendly mattress can add wonders to the overall sustainability of your dorm room. Most mattresses consist of hazards, including flame-retardant chemicals and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which have been proven to cause hormonal disruption and, in some cases, cancer. While there is a wide selection of mattresses to choose from, it’s important to look for Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification when purchasing a mattress. Another thing to keep in mind is that latex mattresses tend to be a less toxic/healthier choice. While there are several businesses where one can purchase a sustainable mattress, the Avocado Green Mattress is a great place to find such a mattress.

Pillows

When it comes to pillows, a comfy product that our noses are only inches away from each day, it’s important to make sure that our pillows are sustainable and do not negatively impact our health. Some pillows, such as memory foam, can emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which are linked to organ damage and cancer. Thus, similar to mattresses, when looking for pillows ensure they are certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS).

Bedding

When looking for eco-friendly bedding, the “way to go” is to find recyclable antibacterial and sweat-absorbent bedding. Products containing organic cotton, linen, birch, bamboo, and eucalyptus tend to be the most sustainable and eco-friendly.

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Dressers, Bookcases and Other Wood Furniture

According to the EPA, the problem with these products lies mainly in the usage of engineered or composite wood such as hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, and particle board. As adhesives bind these types of wood, they tend to contain formaldehyde, which can lead to breathing problems, irritated eyes, and potentially cancer when in contact with humans. To avoid these harmful effects and create a more sustainable living experience, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry recommends products labeled with no VOC and/or Low VOC to limit the contents of formaldehyde in your bedroom products.

Carpets

Did you know that a common and comfy product for your feet can cause harm to both you and the environment? VOCs are emitted by the synthetic fibers, adhesives, padding, and chemical treatments present in our carpets. Furthermore, carpets can sink pollutants, collecting dust and allergens. When searching for a carpet, the EWG recommends purchasing carpets containing sustainable fibers such as wool, which is the best way to avoid health issues and environmental impacts, making your room a little more sustainable.

Natural Fragrances

While not necessary, people tend to enjoy living in spaces that smell “good”. That being said, it’s important to be mindful of artificial fragrances that are constructed from plug-in fresheners, sprays, and gels, as they can emit Phthalates, which can be absorbed into our bodies via our skin or breathing. Phthalates are harmful to human health. For example, they can cause reproductive issues. To keep your dorm smelling fresh while avoiding the emission of pollutants, try harnessing the power of essential oils with fragrances of peppermint, lavender, and citrus.

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“House” Plants

One of the most effective ways to make your room more environmentally friendly while still having a modern appeal is by using houseplants. Not only are these plants decorative, but they can be very helpful in human health as they filter harmful VOCs, which are highly prevalent in the many products previously discussed. Furthermore, house plants aid in air circulation/purification, leading to less energy being spent on natural fragrances and cooling systems such as fans and AC units. Some plants to consider are Birds Nest Ferns, Birds of Paradise, Neanthe Bella Palm, and Hoya Kentiana.

Eco-friendly Lighting

As brightening our room can not always be done solely through the power of natural lighting, it’s important to understand what types of lightbulbs you should use when purchasing lamps and other dorm room lights. Despite the wide variety of light bulbs one could use, ensuring the usage of LED lights is vital. LED lights take about 20 years before needing to be replaced after a daily usage of 8 hours; they are 80-90% more efficient than traditional light bulbs, contain 100% recyclable materials, and can operate in extreme temperatures. Therefore, these light bulbs are a prime product when it comes to creating a more eco-friendly and sustainable dorm, as they are highly efficient and, in most ways, reusable.

Saving Money While Being “Friendly”

While converting to a highly sustainable and eco-friendly living space can be economically challenging, there are many tricks and strategies for saving money while easing into a healthier lifestyle.

Using What You Have

Despite the possibility that you may not currently be using sustainable and eco-friendly products, make sure to completely use all products in your possession before purchasing other products. For example, if you already have a mattress that works, do not go out of your way to buy a more eco-friendly mattress until that mattress has been fully worn out.

Shopping Secondhand

One of the best ways to save money while being sustainable is by shopping secondhand, which means purchasing products that have already been used. For example, suppose you are looking for new clothing as you enter into this new life experience, college. In that case, you should try burying clothes from thrift stores and reusing clothes from people in your family who aren’t wearing all the clothes they own.

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Up-Cycling

Before purchasing new furniture and aesthetics for your room, take the time to upcycle products. Get creative with the materials in your home, that are not being used, to create alternative things that will invite a more comfortable and modern feeling in your dorm. For example, one could convert an old T-shirt into a hand towel.

Preserve

Without buying or purchasing products, preserving what you already have is a great way to save money while being eco-friendly. For example, if feasible, try using some of your toiletry products, such as toilet paper, shampoo, and conditioner, half your usual per week. That being said, one of the best things to preserve is water. To do so, you should limit your time showering, never leave the tap running, and always do full loads of laundry rather than sporadically.

If developing a sustainable and eco-friendly dorm was easy, then everyone would do it. However, by taking the time, energy, and resources to adopt such a lifestyle, you can benefit not only the green earth around you but also your health and well-being as a person and maybe even the roommate who may be living with you. While there are many ways of creating this ideal dorm, simply partaking in a few of these practices and purchasing more eco-friendly and sustainable products will positively impact the world. Even though I recommend adopting all the practices that have been written in this article, I only ask that you do or purchase one thing mentioned here so that the rolling snowball that is our solution to our environmental problems can continue to grow, so that as a society we can become more sustainable, and develop a healthier world for the future generations to come.