Moving in with Sustainability in Mind
There’s no shortage of checklists, sponsored videos, and ads out there all about “college essentials.” Although some may make some good suggestions, at the end of the day, there are a lot of things on these lists that you just don't need. Our mission is to save your money, time, and the planet by providing a packing list tailored specifically to FSU.
Over the past 11 years, we have run a program called Chuck It for Charity which gives students the opportunity to donate their unwanted goods from the residence halls to charity. This past year, we collected 17 tons of unwanted items. Although we welcome the opportunity to give back to our community through Chuck It for Charity, we also recognize that waste reduction is the first step toward a sustainable campus. You can help us reduce waste by being a responsible consumer and using our checklist to guide your packing and purchasing for college.
What to Bring to FSU
Basics
- Copy of social security card
- Copy of birth certificate
- Insurance card
- Umbrella
- Prescription medications
- Seasonally appropriate clothing: Try bringing only the clothing you need for the season and swapping out over breaks
- Backpack: Consider using the same one from high school (it's completely fine!)
Bed and Bath
- Bed linens: Extra long sheets.
- Toiletries
- Towels: Take some from home. No need to buy new.
Electronics and Housewares
- Cell phone and charger
- Reusable water bottle: This is a must! Many locations on campus have water-bottle refilling stations with cold, filtered water.
- Reusable mug: Participate in FSU's Refillable Cup program for discounts on drinks!
- Reusable plates, bowls, and utensils
- Laundry bag or basket
- Headphones
What Not to Bring
Lastly, here are some items that you should leave at home. These include:
- Cooking equipment with an exposed heating coil (toaster ovens, hot plates, steam cookers, deep fryers, electric skillets, gas or charcoal grills, etc.)
- Halogen lamps
- Electric heaters
- Candles/incense
- Lighter fluid, charcoal, or propane canisters
- Live Christmas trees
- Ceiling fans
- TV wall mounts, HDTV wall mounts, wall mounted shelving, wall mounted mirrors
- Lofts or concrete blocks to elevate beds or other furniture
- Weapons of any kind (including handguns, rifles, shotguns, any firearms, knives, darts, archery equipment, B-B guns, air guns, pellet guns(metal or plastic), paintball guns, fireworks, etc.)
- Animals or pets (fish are the only pets allowed in an aquarium limited to a 30-gallon capacity)
- Alcoholic beverages, illegal substances or drug paraphernalia, empty alcoholic beverage containers or other prohibited decorative containers,
- Extra refrigerators
- Wireless routers
- Heavy winter coats/off-season clothes
- Kitchen appliances like microwaves
- Iron and ironing board
- Anything your roommate has that you can borrow
- Anything that FSU already provides for you (workout equipment, printers, gaming consoles, movies, etc.)
- Check out Sustainable Campus’ Un-Checklist for more ways to save space and time during move-in
Florida State University is committed to building a campus-wide culture of environmental care. The first step towards living a more sustainable life at FSU begins with move-in. Visit sustainablecampus.fsu.edu for more information or to get involved.