Hi All! Green Queens here! If you don’t already know, we are an RLC located in FBC on this beautiful campus. Our motivation for creating and applying to be an RLC was to show other college students that making simple and easy switches can help all of us to achieve more sustainability while living our college student lives. The following are our personal favorite simple switches we have made and integrated into our lives here at school since we’ve returned:
Manon: Living sustainably to me means making simple switches that I didn’t even know were possible before. Prior to doing our best to live a more sustainable lifestyle here on campus, I can admit that I didn’t know much. But, with the help of my friends and just a little bit of research I realized it doesn’t have to be so tough and intimidating. My favorite sustainable living hack has got to be reusing jars from around the house. Anything from pasta sauce jars to old mason jars you might find, cleaning them and peeling any label off gives you a new piece of sustainable and cute storage or decor for your living space.
Jen: Living sustainably to me means being conscious of how your lifestyle affects our planet. It means sacrificing convenience here and there to make switches that will benefit all of the people who will call this earth home after me. Making changes is not that hard once you realize how much of a difference you can make. My favorite sustainable living hack/change has been switching to solely reusable products to transport and store food and drinks. It used to be so instinctive to store items in plastic bags or purchase throw away travel cups. Now I have a whole set of glassware that makes things even more cost effective and way better for the planet.
Sam: Living sustainably for me is making switches that just make sense. After learning about the lack of recycling not just at school but around the world and the lack of care given to the planet we rely on I knew I personally had to make some changes. My goal for 2020 has been to eliminate using single use plastic. By doing this I have not only started to make switches that are more environmentally friendly but also save me money. My favorite switch I have made is bar shampoo and conditioner. Now not only am I now using products that completely cut out plastic but are healthier for my hair!
Haley: To me living sustainably is living with love and gratitude for the earth. It means helping to shape a community that will remain beautiful for decades to come. I work to live sustainably so I can continue to admire and share the beauties of our home. An easy sustainable living hack is to utilize thrift shopping as well as donating or multi-purposing clothes you don’t wear. One way you can do this is by cutting up old and stained shirts to use as rags around the house.
Molly: Living sustainably to me is living with the intention to preserve our community and our home. It is founded in love- love for one another, love for the earth, love for our future. It is making small changes in your life to better the lives of our future grandkids and their kids. In my life, I try to reduce the amount of plastic I use as much as possible. You can do this too by using reusable bags or taking your own cup to the cafe to have it filled with your favorite pick-me-up. Throughout the pandemic, I’ve found that plastic is sometimes the only option. If you cannot avoid plastic, you can almost always find a way to reuse it. Some ways include washing to go containers for next time or reusing plastic bags. As long as you have the tools you need, living sustainably is quite easy.
In addition to making simple switches such as these, we began collecting recycling among the FBC community and delivering it to the local recycling plant on our own time. What started out as collecting in front of our apartment quickly became a feat too large for us to handle alone! With the help of the student body becoming so invested in bringing their recycling to our doors, we attracted the attention of administration and physical plant, which led to us getting a dumpster dedicated to recycling in the FBC area (this sits behind L, fenced off, and closest to the O-Zone). Take a walk up to FBC sometime, to drop off your recyclables and say hi to us in B6! Keep up the amazing work Saint A’s, we are so proud to be bringing some form of sustainability back to our campus community!
Follow the Green Queens of B6 on Instagram: @saintasgreenqueens
The Hilltopper 