5 Green Packing Tips for College-Bound Students

College students tend to be a fairly liberal and idealistic lot. An abundance of energy, an open mind, and a freedom from the personal baggage that weighs people down later in life allows you to exude the vim and vigor needed to change the world – just as soon as you earn your degree. And you can start making your mark (or reducing it, as the case may be) before you ever set foot on campus. By paying attention to your packing you can find all kinds of ways to cut your carbon footprint when it comes to preparing to head off to the halls of higher education. Here are just a few steps you might take to make your packing efforts a little greener than the average student.

1. Upcycle clothing

You might be tempted to run out and get a whole new wardrobe for college, but you don’t have to blow a ton of dough on newly-manufactured clothing in order to make a good impression on professors, peers, and perhaps even prospective employers. This is not to say that your grungy tees and ripped jeans from high school will serve you well in the collegiate environment; you’re probably going to want an upgrade. But instead of buying new, think about how you can take used items and make them work for you. For example, you can hit up estate sales, yard sales, and thrift/vintage stores in search of gently used items (Buffalo Exchange, in particular, caters to teens and young adults). Since you’ll get them at a discount you can spend a few extra bucks on tailoring. You’ll support a local service provider (a seamstress or tailor), say no to new manufacturing, and get a new-to-you wardrobe in the process.

2. Shop second-hand

You’ll no doubt need a lot of new items for your dorm room. And aside from bedding, which you may prefer to purchase new (go organic!), there are plenty of things you can get second-hand, such as storage bins, suitcases, and so on. Better yet, buy what you need when you arrive. This will save you on gas or shipping and show support for the local economy. It might not seem like much, but every little bit counts.

3. Opt for reusable

Since most college students are operating on a pretty tight budget, it’s rather surprising that they use so many disposable items, from pens, pencils, and notebooks to toiletries like tissues, cotton swabs, and plastic razors. If you want to go green and save some money in the process, take notes on your tablet, use a washable hankie and washcloths rather than disposable products, and think about less wasteful options for hair removal.

4. Forget the appliances

It can be tempting to haul a mini-fridge, a microwave, a toaster oven, a hair dryer and other small appliances with you to campus. But if you truly want to go green, leave these energy-guzzling appliances at home.

5. Pack a portable library

Whether you’ve got your heart set on a bachelor’s degree in costume design or you’ve set your sights on the best healthcare MBA degree, you’re going to need a lot of books along the way. And unless you like the idea of denuding forests in the process you might want to consider alternatives to traditional paper literature. Luckily, technology has provided modern students will all kinds of way to store and peruse their library in a digital format. So purchase some cloud storage or get an external hard drive and punch up all of your reading on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone. It will not only decrease your heavy load, but it will also help to stop deforestation.