Though the month of April reserves surprising snowy and rainy days, the spring season is here! And, the summer won’t take long to cherish us with its warm sun! Who’s not excited? From an eco-friendly perspective, a lot could be done over the frigid winter, but the spring offers us a wider array of choices, particularly outdoor activities. As we are transitioning to this new season, here are some suggestions for your green to-do list:
Grow plants. Since outdoor activities are now favored, you should definitely take advantage of it. Go outside, and plant trees in your backyard when you go home for summer break. Staying on-campus? No problem. EcoReps will be designing an elegant permaculture garden near the Gilbert Residential Hall and you are more than welcomed to help. You can visit the Gilbert Community Garden website for plant documentations and updates about the project.
Bike more. A lot of cities are today encouraging clean transportation through improved bike share programs. Here in Rochester, you can use the Pace (formerly Zagster) bike program to commute over the spring and the summer. With bike rack stations on River Campus, the Medical Center, and other places in downtown, this program is a great way to exercise and reduce your carbon footprint if you don’t own a personal bicycle. Pace even offers half-price rides until May 25 with the promotional code RUR1850.
Donate your unwanted items. Are you graduating in May or leaving for abroad studies? Embarrassed with tons of items in your room? You can donate appliances, clothes and food to either Dump & Run or Move-out Cleanout, two special programs implemented to collect unwanted items for charities at the end of the semester. You will not only make someone’s day, but also mitigate your footprint on the planet!
Refuse single-use plastic bags. The academic year is getting to its end, but it’s not to late for adopting new responsible habits. EcoReps recently revamped a plastic-less program, in which they encourage students to eliminate plastic bags from their lifestyle by shopping with reusable bags. The reasons to avoid plastic bags double with the exclusive discount offered by Hillside market when you refuse them.
Written by Kelly Jean, Class of 2021
Image source: Unsplash.com