By Sarah Wilson
As my freshman year ends, I wanted to share my experiences with sustainability on campus. It’s been a very exciting year, and I wanted to write this blog post to reflect on my sustainable choices.
Going to UAB, I was very excited to learn about all the sustainable opportunities the university had to offer: UAB Sustainability, USGA Sustainability, and several environmentally conscious student organizations. This was much different from my small hometown in Tennessee, where my family did what they could to be sustainable: we recycled (even when curbside was inaccessible), grew our staff-coordinator vegetables, and we tried to reduce our waste. Nevertheless, I was excited to come to UAB and meet other people with similar passions as me. But what other opportunities were there for me to be environmentally conscious outside of my sustainable organisation?
| UAB Sustainability | USGA Sustainability | Green Initiative |
Structure | 3 full-time staffs, interns, and ambassadors | 1 coordinaotor in Executive cabinet | Student group with ~330 members |
Focus | Campus Facilities | Campus policies | Student activism, education, and service |
Infographic on the different sustainability organizations at UAB. Credit: Green Initiative
Eating and Cooking
Most non-local freshmen live on-campus their first year, usually in a dorm without a kitchen. I lived in Blazer Hall, where the “kitchen space” included a sink, counter space, and a large fridge. As someone who loves to cook, this was my biggest struggle. There was no stove, and many kitchen appliances, such as a hot plate, toaster, or pressure cooker, were not allowed in the dorms.
How I combated this:
Meal prepping! Whenever I went home (4 hours away), I brought a lot of frozen home-cooked food from my house to my dorm. Luckily, I was able to make rice in the dorm and store everything in small containers! This may sound tedious, but it can save you time and money in the long run! Additionally, you can eat foods you genuinely like and are home-cooked. I’ll be honest, my mom’s chana masala carried me through finals week. :)
If you absolutely need a kitchen to cook, there is a full kitchen in McMahon Hall! It is accessible to everyone, but you’ll need a resident to let you into the building. Furthermore, you’ll also have to bring your kitchenware. You can basically make any food you would like! Because I lived in Blazer Hall, this option was less convenient for me, but if you’re a McMahon resident, I recommend utilizing the kitchen space!
Don’t overbuy your food/groceries. Whenever you go to the grocery store, you may be tempted to purchase more goods than you were expecting. When buying perishable items, such as eggs, milk, and fruit, be knowledgeable about the expiration dates and how you plan to finish all your items! This will help decrease your food waste, and you’ll be getting more bang for your buck!
Buying School Supplies
Going into college, I did not anticipate the additional cost of school supplies and textbooks! I felt like I needed to buy my textbooks from the UAB Bookstore to have everything I needed for my classes. However, as a year wiser, I can tell you that you do not need to buy your textbooks from the UAB Bookstore.
A good option for textbooks is buying them secondhand. Many upperclassmen may have taken a class that you’re currently taking, so they may have a copy! There are also many GroupMe groups dedicated to selling old-school supplies and textbooks! In fact, Green Initiative has one called “Free, For Sale, Trade”. You can look at second-sale sites, such as ebay.com to buy your textbooks.
There are a few online options as well. Buying digital textbooks may be cheaper and better for the planet! Sites such as zlibrary.com have many free digital copies of textbooks to download!
A Few Other Need-to-Knows
A cardboard recycling bin is located behind the Commons! When moving in, you may want to put your boxes in this bin instead of the dumpster!
The Commons has a Green Box program, where students can pay a one-time $5 fee to get a reusable box! You can take this box into the Commons and take your food to go. You can also return your dirty to-go box for a clean one!
Instead of buying new gear for recreation sports, consider renting it from the UAB Recreation Center! They have boating equipment, camping equipment, bikes, and other outdoor activity rentals!
Well, that’s the end of my advice for living sustainably on-campus! I truly hope this article helped, and I am excited to see more sustainable initiatives from UAB!