Guide to Going Green
Taking care of our planet is a social responsibility that we all share. With every little step we take towards being kinder to the environment in our everyday lives, we make the world a better place and edge towards a brighter future.
As students, you’re sure to find yourself constantly on the go, juggling a full-on course with a busy social life. But green living can be low effort, enjoyable and will almost certainly save you money. So why not spend some time reading, make a few notes from our advice below and set a handful of goals you to work towards to make your time at Uni more eco-friendly? It’s not about being perfect and getting everything right, but about gradually becoming more conscious consumers and learning as you go.
A snap from the wonderful Flamingos Vintage in Cardiff, as featured in the Green edition of our Cwtch magazine
Shop Green
- Avoid plastic packaging and shop smart for essentials. Invest in reusable water bottles, coffee cups and notebooks made from recycled materials which come in minimal packaging. You can find these and more at Cardiff’s huge zero-waste shop Ripple Living - it’s the biggest one we’ve got, and not far at all from the main student areas.
- Get used to mending things yourselves rather than buying new, or if you can’t, add the next Repair Café Wales event to your calendar. Volunteers in Cathays will help fix your broken items and extend their lifespan rather than throwing them away, reducing the volume of raw materials and energy used to make new products and cutting CO2 emissions.
- Boycott fast fashion and make the most of the abundance of amazing shops we have in Cardiff selling vintage and pre-loved clothing. Did you know that 93% of blocked UK sewage pipes are caused by non-recyclable wet wipes? Opt for a reusable face cloth and natural cleanser; your skin will thank you for it as well!
At the end of each term, have a think about what you can donate or give away. When you finally move out, look into Love When You Leave, Cardiff’s annual end of term waste, recycling and charity collection scheme that leaves our communities clean and tidy.
Eat Green
- Meal prep isn’t just for fitness fanatics! The average person wastes £200 of food per year. Planning what you’ll eat for the week in advance will help you minimise food waste, save money and help keep your diet balanced and healthy. Make sure you only buy what you need and take note of ‘use by’ dates.
- Going fully vegan may not be for everyone, but it’s really worth thinking about the impact of the food we choose to eat. Cutting down on meat and incorporating a few vegan or veggie meals each week is one of the biggest ways you can reduce your carbon footprint. You could host a ‘Meat-free Monday’ evening with your housemates and make it a social event.
- Download the Too Good to Go app, which allows you to pick up food at really cheap prices from local Cardiff restaurants and cafes that would have otherwise been chucked out at the end of the day
- Limit takeaways which come with plastic containers, plastic bags and plastic utensils.
- If you have space, grow your own herbs and vegetables.
Buy things in bulk – cereal, coffee and sauces, as it often means less packaging and your house mates might want to split with you to save on costs too.
Live green
- Use ethical, eco-friendly cleaning products. Something that’s been happening more often recently is companies ‘greenwashing’ their products and advertising themselves as a lot kinder on the environment than they actually are as a business. There are a lot of sustainable brands who are proudly vegan and free from harmful substances. If you want to know more about this and see a list of sustainably cleaning brands, we recommend this blog post from ‘Sustainably Lazy’.
- To save water and energy, turn the tap off when you brush teeth, have shorter showers and only turn on the washing machine and dishwasher if they’re full.
- Save energy by investing in a clothes horse rather than using a tumble dryer, but make sure you put it in a well-ventilated room as you don’t want all the moisture from your clothes to hit the walls and cause condensation mould.
- Switch off lights when you don’t need them on (and when they’re on, opt for LED energy saving bulbs).
- Skip the Uber and walk where you can. Get your step count and fitness levels up and save your pennies!
- This one sounds strange, but a super simple thing you can do is ti clear your emails regularly! The more you have stored, the more energy they consume.
- Make sure you know exactly when bin day is and understand what you can and can’t recycle.
At CPS Homes, we pride ourselves on being passionate about the planet and operate with an eco-friendly approach. If you’re keen to hear more about the greenest places and spaces in Cardiff to eat, drink and shop, check out the local features in the special green edition of our student magazine, Cwtch.
The information contained within this article was correct at the date of publishing and is not guaranteed to remain correct in the present day.
