The In(Finite) Earth Team is incredibly excited to have guest blogger Jessie Wile, owner of The Green Degree: Sustainable Living on a Student Budget, share some of her insightful content with us. Check out this post and more of her great content here!
EXAM SEASON: A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING WHEN YOU’RE FAILING ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
It’s beginning to become everyone’s favorite time of year again, exam season. Getting up at the crack of dawn to get a seat at the library, and consuming your body weight in coffee takes a toll on your mental and physical health, but that doesn’t mean that it has to affect your relationship with the environment. It may seem like you have absolutely no time, and that the only option is to order Uber Eats when you get hungry during your study session. However, with a few simple changes, you’ll be able to have a more sustainable day while also saving money.
At this point in the game, almost everyone I know has a metal straw; it’s just a matter of remembering to pack it when you leave your house for the day. What I like to do is bring one in a reusable produce bag, along with a knife and fork. Don’t have any of these things? Metal straws can be purchased at many different places in Kingston, and if you’re looking for a different alternative to metal, they sell bamboo straws in the Grocery Checkout. If you don’t have any knives or forks though… I don’t really know what to tell you.
In terms of actual food, it’s always best to make things the night before so that you don’t have to rush around in the morning. Personally, I like to make something healthy and filling, like a stir fry or avocado toast. Whatever your preference, you can bring it with you in your bag by putting it in a glass container. I have two glass containers that I like to rotate, and each one cost me less than five dollars at the dollar store downtown.
Everyone knows that it’s impossible to study without the proper snacks, and if you haven’t heard of the bulk snack section in the grocery checkout, then you’re probably living under a rock. They have everything from trail mix to candy, with the only problem being the use of plastic bags. Luckily though, there are reusable bags available in the same location for only 99 cents apiece. You can also go more on the healthy side and go for a piece of fruit, which is very cheap and doesn’t require any packaging at all.
Finally, there’s no way you’ll be able to do any of this unless you have your 100 daily cups of coffee, so you’ll have to make sure you’re prepared by having a nice reusable coffee cup. Unfortunately, these can be pretty pricey, so I prefer to get mine either from Starbucks, where they cost about 2 dollars, or go to winners if I want one with a bit higher quality. If you can’t afford the 2 dollars though, you’re in luck because Cogro has completely compostable coffee cups.
About the Author
"Hi there! My name is Jessie Wile and I’m a third-year biotech student at Queen’s University. Like many people my age, I am worried about how environmental change will affect me and my children in the years to come. However, also like many people my age, I haven’t really gotten the hang of the whole ‘adulting’ thing, which makes living a sustainable lifestyle a little bit harder. Because of this, I was inspired to make this blog in order to help out my fellow university students, and give my tips and tricks on how I live sustainably while being a broke, full-time student at the same time."
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