Blog by Michael
In a time when many students’ youth is marked by the ongoing climate and nature emergencies, we all need to think about how we can live more sustainably. Whilst many of the courses available here at SPS talk about the big, systematic solutions to the climate emergency, those can seem daunting, perhaps even out of reach.
So, to tackle some climate-anxiety and offer some interesting ideas on how to be a student here in the city, I’ve compiled some of my top eco-friendly tips for students.
Get involved in local sustainable initiatives!
Edinburgh is home to numerous initiatives that are tackling the climate emergency head-on, led by ordinary people in Edinburgh! Here are some of my favourites:
Dig-In Community Greengrocer: In the student-filled neighbourhood of Bruntsfield, Dig-In is a coop that focuses on providing healthy, locally-sourced food. Established 10 years ago after the last greengrocer in the area closed, it has a long legacy of positive climate work, from ensuring that food-miles are low by sourcing as local as possible, to it’s Reduced Basket that ensures as little food as possible is wasted.
SHRUB Coop: Set up in 2008 by students and local residents concerned about the emerging ‘throwaway culture’. At it’s Zero Waste Hub in the city centre the coop takes in pre-loved clothes, unsold food, offering a place for them to be sold at a steal of a price. Also, there’s even a vegan café! It also is a community space, famous for offering a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people and allowing volunteers to share skills like sewing and upholstery which reduce waste.
Edinburgh Remakery: In Sunny Leith, you can find this tech-lovers paradise, where old tech is refurbished and made ready to be used again. The social enterprise also puts on volunteer-led workshops where you can get your broken tech repaired or learn new repair skills!
Take action on campus
On campus, there are also various ways you can be more sustainable. One of my favourite, simple actions is bringing along my own reusable drinks containers to cafés. Did you know that many cafés, including those at the University of Edinburgh, offer a discount on hot drinks when you use a reusable container?
Here are some other tips on how to bring sustainability into campus life:
- Borrow books from the library: we’ve all bought a book and only read two pages. Edinburgh University is home to a ‘legal deposit’ library, which is a fancy way of saying it has (nearly) every book you could ever need. Save money and the planet, use the library!
- Learn about sustainability: take one of the Uni’s short courses on sustainability or research your course options to see which ones focus on the climate emergency.
University of Edinburgh Sustainability Short Courses
Whether or not you are someone who has lived more sustainably in the past, I would recommend having a go, as sustainable activities and lifestyle choices can be quite fun!
P.S. – you can find EVEN MORE sustainability tips at the University of Edinburgh student sustainability hub, here’s a link!
University of Edinburgh Student Sustainability Hub
