By Mia Jackson

An average residence hall room at FSU probably consists of these things: two XL twin beds, a packed mini fridge, a microwave that smells notoriously like burnt popcorn, and maybe some carefully strewn fairy lights. An FSU residence hall room might also contain a flat of bottled water that needs to be re-purchased every week, more than one green Starbucks straw laying with misplaced hopefulness in the recycling bin, and the paper and plastic remains of a Denny’s take-out burger. And while there’s not much you can change about a roommate that doesn’t know how to cook popcorn, I can tell you there’s more than a few ways to make sustainable choices while living on campus.

As someone who’s always trying to be conscientious about the environment, I spent a good portion of my freshman year finding ways to reduce the negative impacts of my choices while eating on a dining plan. If you’re in the same position for the fall semester, then here’s a few ways you might be able to follow in my carbon-minimizing footprint.

Use a Brita filter.

If you live in any of the FSU residence halls, you’ll often see people carrying heavy flats of water down the street from the CVS or their cars, all the way up to their rooms. Not only is it a hassle to lug and store bottled water in an already tight space, but it means frequent trips to the store so you never run out of water to bring to class. This can easily be replaced by buying a small, 10 cup Brita pitcher or filling up straight from the tap. Just fill up a glass or metal reusable water bottle, and you’ve reduced a ton of recurrent plastic waste and saved money. I liked to keep my Brita filter near the sink, where I could easily refill it.

Choose to Reuse at Suwannee and Seminole Café.

Ever seen students carrying green plastic to-go boxes around campus? If you’re on the dining plan, the Choose to Reuse program offers a lifetime of reusable packaging for food that allows you to take that pizza home on a night in for a one-time fee of $5. And if you’re worried having to wash it yourself, you can just bring it back on your next trip to Suwannee, and swap it out at the front desk for a clean one. Using reusable packaging + washing in bulk means a lot less plastic and water waste. Plus, if you’re taking food home for later and can’t quite make it all fit in the box, the dining halls offer to-go soup containers (made from recycled and biodegradable material). I often used the soup containers for added parts of my meal, like a side salad or slice of cake.

“Flex” at any retail location with your reusable cup.

Along with the Choose to Reuse to-go box, on campus dining now offers a refillable cup program. For $8.99, you can use a refillable cup at any retail location on campus and receive a 25-cent discount. Not only will this help your FlexBucks stretch that much further, but it reduces a lot of plastic and paper waste. Starbucks also offers reusable hot and cold cups, for just $2 and $3 each. When you start studying in Strozier on the regular, you’ll realize just how many Starbucks cups you can save.

Conserve dishware while dining in.

A common habit I saw at Suwannee during my time as a dining plan member was the use of four, five, or upwards of six plates just by one person. Instead of taking multiple trips to the buffet and putting every food item onto a different plate, consolidate your use of dishware into just one or two plates and one set of silverware. This means less space taken up in Suwanee’s dish washers, which means less frequent loads being done and an eventual reduction in water and energy usage.

Choose to eat more plant-based meals.

This is the skill I worked the hardest on last year, but is also one of the most important. Consuming meat contributes to increased levels of methane gas in the atmosphere, runoff pollution from fertilizer use, and freshwater depletion. Choosing to eat just a few meals a week without meat can help reduce a lot of the negative impacts of agriculture on the environment. Look for menu identifiers at campus dining halls to eat food sourced locally, or food marked Vegan/Vegetarian. If you’re using your meal swipe at a retail location, you can always look for vegetarian alternatives on the menu – I liked to order my Pollo Tropical TropiChop bowl with black beans as a protein, for instance. I also used a habit tracking app to keep tabs on how much meat I’d eaten that week.

FSU has a lot of programs and options available that make it possible for any student to reduce their plastic, energy, and water waste as well as meat consumption. Eating sustainably is just a matter of knowing how to responsibly use those swipes.

FSU Sustainable Campus seeks to have our campus serve as a living model of sustainability, providing learning experiences that students, faculty and staff may develop, apply and practice at FSU and in their extended communities. Stay up to date with FSU Sustainable Campus and the programs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sign up for the newsletter here.

Mia Jackson is an FSU student and guest contributor for the Sustainable Campus blog. If you are interested in contributing, please reach out to Michelle Presley at mpresley2@fsu.edu.