OPINION: Let’s tackle the barriers to adopting sustainable lifestyles

As college students, many of us are living on stiff budgets with limited free time and plenty of responsibilities. When it comes to our groceries and other purchases, we no doubt aim for lower prices and more convenient options.

At the same time, our demographic happens to be heavily influenced through social media, leading to rampant consumerism. We’re often guilty of buying into microtrends which pass quickly and result in massive amounts of discarded goods.

In other words, our natural instincts and learned habits make college students a sustainable lifestyle’s worst enemy — but only at first glance. 

A sustainable lifestyle involves making conscious decisions to minimize a person’s environmental footprint. From the food we buy to the energy we use, we make decisions every hour which impact the environment. We don’t have to kick every bad habit at once; however, we should be interested in reshaping our mindset, aiming to cultivate more eco-friendly lifestyles. 

The approach to spreading interest in these more sustainable habits has to be tactful. We typically don’t give our time and energy to things we don’t find value in. So, that's the angle we have to take when recruiting others to pull their weight and help to leave a healthier home behind for future generations. 

Each student's unique set of values make their environmental goals, or lack thereof, unique as well. In the general population, NC State faculty are conducting studies to analyze the feedback loops between infrastructure and human behavior as it relates to sustainability.

“If [individuals] are more economic focused, they would respond to an increase in their water bill, versus if they're more environmentally focused, then they'd respond to the comparison of your water bill to your neighbors,” said Emily Berglund, a professor in NC State’s Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Department. “If that's important to me, then I'm going to reduce my water use in response to that.” 

Before even considering new practices, take a look at the everyday things you often don’t think twice about: the plastic bags you get from the grocery store, the three minutes you leave your water running while you brush your teeth or the lights and fans you keep on in your apartment when you leave for class.

We may not have water bills that denote our neighbor’s usage like Berglund mentioned, but making the small adjustments to cut back on excess usage also cuts back on expenditures. We can all see our utility bills dwindle and feel good about it for more than one reason.

The best starting block is general awareness. It is the fuel that can drive compounding lifestyle changes. Just vocalizing what changes you are trying to make, or are interested in, can inspire someone else to do their own research. If it’s not in your wheelhouse to be starting the conversation, that's fine, but make it a point not to end the conversation either. 

Another barrier to getting people interested in pulling their weight is the joke that is made out of being eco-conscious. I’m not talking about a crack here and there. I’m talking about the use of humor to degrade people for having different goals and priorities. Not to mention, it diffuses how important the issue is and exempts others from feeling the need to care.

Not being that person is a contribution itself. 

A few simple habits I stick to are stocking my car with reusable bags for grocery trips, being intentional about recycling and keeping a reusable water bottle on me. If you're looking for inspiration or to find others with similar goals, check out student organizations such as Eco + Pack and NC State Sustainability Stewards.

You can start by taking a look at your weekly consumption and decide what can be minimized. Get creative in giving a second life to products that have served their original purpose. What’s arguably most important is to not become so overwhelmed with the task of sustainability that you can't even approach it. Start somewhere simple. Just be sure to hit the lights on your way out.