ecoaspirations: How to make a green dorm room

Although it might seem difficult to stay green when living at school, there are some easy ways to stay green. This blog post offers ideas on how to reduce your carbon footprint while living at school.

1. Reusable water bottles: Buying a filter can provide a convenient way to get clean water.

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2. Power strips are an efficient way to organize your cords, protect your devices from surges, and reduce your environmental impact. It is really easy to turn on and off power strips and save lots of energy when not charging your devices.

3. Get some plants! Plants also make rooms look much better. Indoor air pollution can greatly affect your health and plants are great for filtering air.

4. Use eco friendly soap and toothpaste. Look for products free of fluoride, gluten, sodium sulfites, and preservatives. Not only will this make you healthier, but it will also help the planet by reducing the amount of pollution in our water system.

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5. Cook your own meals or eat in the dining hall instead of ordering takeout. Cooking for yourself is a great way to be healthier, save money, and reduce your carbon footprint. It is also a fun activity to do with friends.

6. Buy local, green, or second hand material. An example would be purchasing second-hand textbooks from former students.

Ideas for college housing:

1. Bike to school if you live off campus. This is a great way to get exercise, reduce your carbon emissions, and have fun.

2. Buying second hand furniture. This is also a great way to save money.

3. Use organic fabrics. This means that the material was grown according to organic standards. More information on sustainable cotton can be found here.

4. Use rugs to insulate instead of heating. There are many companies which sell carpets free of formaldehyde, benzene, and other toxins.

Check out these brands which offer eco-friendly fabric:

Mohawk Everstrand

Nature's Carpet

5. Share appliances. Examples of this could be a shared fridge, printer, or microwave. Even doing communal laundry can save lots of water, electricity, and most importantly time.

Dorm project ideas:

1. Monitor lights and create a habit of turning off the lights when leaving a room. Reducing light use during sleeping hours could also save power.

2. Start a recycling program.

3. Modernize facilities. This can be replacing old toilets with efficient ones during a renovation.

4. Create a model dorm room to show others how to create a similar setup.
Check out this Duke University model room: http://sustainability.duke.edu/campus_initiatives/buildings/GrnDrmRm.html [1]

A similar idea would be to make signs which educated about the environment near appliances.

This one is positioned next to a printer: