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Carolyn Hogg 

Staff Writer

Ceh5530@psu.edu 

As society at large continues the shift into greater environmental awareness, individuals may be wondering what role they can play in improving the overall wellbeing of the earth and its communities.  

Thankfully, there are numerous eco-friendly habits that one can easily adopt into their lifestyle to better the world they live in. One useful rule of thumb to keep in mind is that if something disposable can be replaced with something reusable or recyclable, then it’s likely a beneficial switch to make! Following are a few examples of simple and eco-friendly alternatives that can contribute to a healthier planet:  

1) Firstly, one effortless way to minimize waste at Behrend is to either invest in an inexpensive cutlery set or start reusing the eating utensils provided at Dobbin’s. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the dining hall is currently only offering plastic cutlery for student use. Considering how many students dine at Dobbins each day, a significant amount of plastic waste is occurring just at mealtime. Fortunately, this can be easily combated by bringing your own reusable cutlery. Personal cutlery sets are both affordable and portable and are a great alternative to plastic-ware. However, if you’d rather not spend any money at all, consider saving the eating utensils used at meals and reusing them as much as possible to reduce waste. Just remember to clean them between uses.  

2) Another simple way to minimize waste is to bring your own reusable cups/bottles to the Dobbins drink machines. The disposable cups provided at Dobbins are great for grabbing on-the-go drinks, but they, unfortunately, produce a significant amount of unnecessary trash. Making the switch to a reusable cup alternative (which most students already possess) can be a significant way to contribute to a healthier planet. If you can’t avoid the disposable cups, however, consider at least skipping out on the straw or utilizing a reusable one.  

3) While purchasing new clothing online may be an effortless way to dress oneself, shopping at local secondhand stores is a fun and effective way to lessen one’s negative impact on the environment. And it’s cheaper! Take a trip to some of the various thrift/consignment shops around Erie and have fun exploring the vast array of clothing available. And when you bring your new wardrobe home, consider washing it in cold water (rather than warm) to further maximize your positive impact on the environment.  

4) Lastly, when buying food and household products, it is far more environmentally friendly to not only buy in bulk sizes but also to opt for non-plastic containers whenever possible. Buying in bulk often reduces the amount of wasteful packaging involved in storing products and is usually cheaper as an added bonus. And while countless items are stored in plastic wraps/containers, there are usually plenty of non-plastic alternatives – such as glass or metal – to choose from. Containers made of these materials make less of a negative impact on the environment and can be perfect additions to both your storage container supply and DIY project materials.