School is a Waste

In the fall semester of 2018, 19.9 million students enrolled in universities across the nation.* Now take that number and consider the books purchased, the notebooks used, the pencils lost, and the number of Starbucks cups thrown into landfills. On average, professors at the U of A print out 50 syllabuses (depending on class size), each with 3-7 pages, per class they teach. As class sizes grow, so does the amount of waste created at each university.

In addition, printed textbooks are a scam to everyone but the author and publisher. The printing of new editions, which render older additions useless, is a HUGE waste of paper. Universities often make an effort to use rental programs, which is a great way to reduce the chance of paper ending up in landfills. If your textbook isn't offered online and your only option is to buy a hard copy, check out Amazon.com or www.discoverbooks.com.

On average, schools use more than $6 billion in energy, and 25% of that is wasted due to inefficiencies.* If you're a business student at the University of Arizona, you know that McClelland Hall (aka Eller) is ~wastefully~ cold, even in the winter. If a classroom or building is too cold, don't be afraid to bring it up to an administrator. It may spark interest in reducing energy expenditures!

On the brighter side of things, universities like, the U of A, have embraced online platforms for exams, announcements, and assignments. This shift has saved an unfathomable amount of waste in terms of paper (no paper tests, no print textbooks), gas/emissions (no need to commute to an online class), and plastic (reduced use of pens/pencils).

Here are a couple ideas that could save you money and reduce your waste:

- Keep track of your mechanical pencils. If you treat pencils like hair ties, they'll disappear to live with the lost single socks and bobby pins, and you'll have to buy yet another pack.

- Reuse old notebooks for your next class. There's no need for using a new notebook for each class. If you're haunted by past subjects, rip out and recycle those used pages.

- Decomposition books are a couple more dollars than other composition books, but they are made with post-consumer, recycled materials - we love it!

- As mentioned above, online textbooks caused a big shift in paper use. If you find online reading exhausting for your eyes or mind, try to find a used copy of the book or share with a friend!

- Online lectures can reduce your commute time, cut your gas bill, and save the atmosphere from even more CO2 emissions. By reducing the amount of times I had to drive to campus, I filled up my gas tank 29% less.

*The Green Book by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen