Our Top Sustainable Study Must-Haves

Studying for upcoming exams can be nail-bitingly stressful - it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself, not to mention the planet. 

Instead of ordering fast food and buying all the colorful sticky notes, we’ve thought of some eco-friendly tips and tricks to ensure a productive study sesh. One that is student-budget-friendly and supports the environment. 🌱

And don’t worry! You don’t have to stress yourself out further by adding “become a full-on eco-warrior” to your long to-do list. With these small daily changes and sustainable study must-haves, doing what you can as an eco-friendly student will be a breeze. Our planet thanks you!

Healthy Fuel for a Healthy You and Happy Planet

When you’re deep into a study sesh, it’s important to keep well-fuelled with food and drinks. Thinking more sustainably when it comes to food time can go a long way.

Here are some of our sustainable study must-haves when it comes to tasty treats!

• Make sure you always have a few meals or snacks on hand in your dorm room, so that you don’t turn to fast food, a major polluter of harmful planet-warming methane and plastic litter. 
• Choose the healthier snacks. Yes, nothing feels better than chocolate or a bag of chips when you’re stressing. However, your body will thank you in the long run when you have dark chocolate or homemade kale chips instead. Your immune system lowers during stressful periods so you want to make sure to nourish your body as much as possible. What’s worse than finals? Taking them when you’re sick. 🤒
• Put all that tasty food in reusable containers you can bring to campus - even better if they’re glass, metal or BPA-free plastic. You’ll also get the added bonus of saving some money!
• Caffeine is the student’s savior, but getting your caffeine fix doesn’t have to be detrimental to Mother Earth. Start bringing your own coffee cup to school and refill it. That way there is less single use coffee cups going in the landfill. Bonus tip: tons of coffee shops offer you a discount if you bring your own cup. Score. Speaking of coffee… you can also try using reusable coffee filters.
• Water is super important to maximize your brain power. Plastic water bottles, however, are a huge problem for sustainability. Choose to drink straight from the water fountain or faucet. It’s also a great idea to bring a reusable bottle with you everywhere you go.

Time for a Supplies Party 🥳

Now let’s get down to some ways you can make even your study sessions more eco-friendly. Here are some of our favorite sustainable study must-haves for a productive student life.

• When you need new supplies, see if there are any second-hand or vintage options available. Check out Facebook Marketplace. If you have stationery and books that you no longer need, then exchange them using things like online textbook exchanges at your university or in your neighborhood.
• Use sustainable student productivity apps like the Flora App. It’s an awesome app because it monitors your study progress, and if you meet your goals, Flora plants trees in the real world as a reward for your efforts! 🌳
• Buy supplies made of recycled materials. Look for eco-friendly shops in your area, or check out online platforms like the ones listed in this article.

Support Our Leafy Pals - Go Digital!

• Go digital as much as you can. Avoid dependence on paper by using note-taking platforms like OneNote.
• Instead of using traditional search engines, use one that’s committed to green causes. Ecosia is a great option as they plant trees as you use their services!

Step Together Step 👟

Alongside all these sustainable study must-haves, we think travel should be top of the list of priorities for any student that’s serious about protecting the environment as transportation is a top contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. 

When getting around campus, either grab a bike or get your sneakers on and get to stepping. You’ll feel so good when you close those rings and you may just work through some study questions while you’re getting some fresh air! If you need to go further afield, opt for local public transportation or carpool with your fellow Yugoers. 

International students inevitably have to travel longer distances, and more frequently so avoid inefficient flights where possible. Some airports or airlines have environmental projects, like carbon-offsetting programs, so if you can, shop around before buying a plane ticket.

Also, consider staying behind with classmates and Yugo roommates during a few of the school breaks to compensate for long journeys made. You’ll get to enjoy the quiet campus and save some cash!

Live, Laugh, Love the Planet

It’s not just study supplies and food you should keep in mind when you’re thinking about sustainable study must-haves.

There are a few day-to-day life hacks that take very little effort but go a long way to reducing your carbon footprint.

• Use energy-efficient lightbulbs in your student apartment. The most eco-friendly options are LEDs, as they consume less energy and last much longer and consume less energy. 
• If you want to buy a new electrical appliance for your dorm room, make sure you look out for the Energy Star label. That label is a sure indicator that the appliance saves energy. Even better, ask around to see if you can borrow or share an appliance with fellow Yugo residents. Sharing is caring! 
• Get involved in eco-friendly activities with the YugoEco teams at your student residence.

So there you have our list of sustainable study must-haves, designed to facilitate your greener, healthier, student budget-friendly lifestyle while studying and living at your modern Yugo student accommodation. And don’t forget to share this list with your Yugomates and friends so they too can have an eco-friendly finals study sesh.