8 ways to be environmentally friendly at Miami and at home

Buy a Sustain Sticker for $1. (Photo provided by campus services)

By Bradley Mason, campus services

We’ve put together eight tips to help you become more environmentally friendly at Miami and at home.

Purchase a Sustain Sticker for your reusable cup

Show off your commitment to a cleaner environment by purchasing a Sustain Sticker for $1. By adding the sticker to your reusable cup, you will save 10% on all future 16-ounce drip coffee orders. You are also helping to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, waterways or seas.

You can use it at Market Street at MacCracken, King Café, Dividends, Café Lux, Toasted Bagel, Garden Market, Bell Tower Market and Pulley Diner.

Minimize your waste in the dining commons

One easy way to reduce food waste is to reduce the amount of food you put on your plate in the dining commons. Sometimes we take more than what we can actually eat, but one easy way to prevent this is to only take the amount of food we actually think we will eat.

Miami Dining has portion size information in all the dining commons, so you not only end up eating healthier for you but also healthier for the environment. While we recommend taking the amount of food you will eat, you are more than welcome to take as many trips necessary back to the buffet line.

Use reusable flatware and cups

It can be really easy and convenient to use plastic forks, knives or spoons, but it is extremely harmful to the environment. Instead of using the plastic silverware, try and use metal or reusable silverware.

Walk or bike

Instead of driving a car, try to walk or bike to your destination. If you can’t walk or bike there, try to carpool with some friends.

Avoid water waste

While taking a shower, brushing your teeth, washing dishes, doing laundry or anything else that involves water, be sure to not use too much. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and while you aren’t washing the dishes and try to take shorter showers and do fewer loads of laundry.

Use cloth instead of paper

When drying your dishes or hands, try to use cloth instead of paper towels. You can reuse the cloth, but you can’t necessarily reuse the paper.

Use reusable or paper bags

When buying groceries, ask for paper bags or, even better, bring your own bags. Plastic cannot be broken down once it goes to the landfill, severely harming the environment.

Unplug your chargers and cords

Even when your phone isn’t plugged into the charge, energy is still being generated and used. Make sure to unplug your chargers and cords when you aren’t using them to help cut down on energy waste.