How to Make Your Dorm Room Green

Posted on Dec 10, 2012 in Sustainable Living & Sustainable Lifestyle by Contributing Writer 0 Comments

College is a chance to try a lot of experiences for the first time: you are responsible for making (or finding) your own dinner, getting yourself to classes, and meeting new people in an unfamiliar environment. You might also find yourself with the opportunity, for the first time ever, to decorate your room – in this case, your dorm room. Though the college or university may have some rules about what you are allowed to do – no painting, no candles etc. – you will have a lot of freedom to make the space your own. There are many ways that you can personalize your dorm room and be environmentally friendly at the same time. Learning how to make your dorm room green is simple and even better for students, most can be done on a small budget.

College Students Can Save Money with Recycled Furniture

Furnish with used, vintage, refurbished or even cardboard furniture! Salvation Army, Goodwill, and the little thrift shop on the corner should always be your first stops when looking for furniture for your dorm room. Buying something that has already been loved and used means that you are saving it from a landfill, not to mention that by buying locally you are not using any fossil fuels for transport. There is nothing greener than conservation, and that includes using something instead of letting it get thrown away! (Hand-me-downs from your parents are also a green option!)

Become Energy Efficient

Turn off the lights and the air conditioner when you leave the room. Most likely, you are not paying the electricity bills for your dorm room and so you might not see the value in saving energy. But leaving lights on or A/C blasting uses energy and hurts the planet. So on your way out the door, flip the switch and save the earth.

Flooring Can Make the Difference

Decorate your floors depending on your local weather. When it’s hot outside you want the room to be cool and when it’s cold you want it to be warm and toasty. How can your flooring affect this? Easy. Tiles keep the room cold, so if that is what you have and you are in a warm environment, don’t put too many area rugs on the floor. Alternatively, if you live somewhere cold, rugs can act as insulation and keep the heat inside.

A Lesson in Economics and Art

Think of your wall hangings as investments, so that you will not throw them away and be wasteful. It’s fairly typical for college students to plaster their walls with posters, and then at the end of the year or semester, rip them down and throw them away. Break away from the pack and put a little bit of money into buying some basic poster frames so that the posters will be protected and last longer. And if you get sick of them, find a new home for them instead of throwing them away. (You’ll probably find it’s easier to do this when they are nicely framed.)

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle that Paper

Print on recycled paper and use both sides of the page! You will doubtless have papers to write, and you will want them printed in hard copy so you can review and edit them. But once you have printed out the final copy, take the draft pages, flip them over, and stick them back in the printer for a second use. Even if you’re not paying for the paper, you will benefit from a greener planet if you use both sides.

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About the Author: Thomas reviews green pest control solutions, like bird deterrent spikes. When he’s not doing that, he’s working on his greywater system!