November 2015 Green Tip: Have a Green Thanksgiving

Shop local and organic when it comes to groceries for Thanksgiving. This includes selecting a certified organic, pasture-raised turkey! Localharvest.org is an amazing resource to find places near you where food is grown and raised using sustainable practices! Also, avoid unnecessary food packaging by placing bulk-bin items such as rice or beans in your own reusable bags!

Avoid the use of beef in your Thanksgiving dishes. Not only does it require 1847 gallons of water per lb to produce, but also beef production releases five times the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as the average of other animal products and meats.

On Thanksgiving Day, carpool with friends or through zimride.com,  use public transportation, or ride your bike! Not only will this cut your overall gas consumption and carbon emissions, but you'll feel better about eating that last slice of pumpkin pie! During Thanksgiving dinner, remember to use cloth napkins, and if you don’t have enough dishes, go for the most eco-friendly option, like biodegradable plastic dishes!

Avoid wasting food by starting with small portions and taking as you need. If you’re hosting, ask your guests to bring their own Tupperware containers for leftovers to avoid using single plastics such as Ziploc bags or saran wrap. Start a composting bin and compost your food scraps!

April 2014 Green Tips: Sustainable Spring

Hey Slugs! It's Spring time and there is no better time to get sustainable! Here are a few ideas on how you can get extra sustainable this spring.

1. Start a garden or get involved in one

Spring is the perfect time to start a garden. Start planting tomatoes, zucchinis and strawberries and enjoy the fruits of your labor all summer! If you don't have access to a plot to grow a personal garden there are plenty of places to get involved in gardening on campus. Check out the Chadwick Garden, the Kresge Garden, the College Eight Garden, and more!

2. Thrift your new Spring wardrobe

When the sun starts shining a little brighter and the need for cozy sweaters and sweats becomes less and less we all start digging through our closets to find something more appropriate for the warmer weather. What we find leaves us unsatisfied. "How on Earth did I fit into this dress last year", "How did anyone let me out of the house wearing this bro tank?" When you start asking yourself these types of questions don't head down to Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters. Definitely don't start ordering online (all that packaging is so wasteful!). But hit up one of the local thrift stores. Crossroads, the Salvation Army, and Goodwill are all easily accessible in Downtown Santa Cruz.

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3. Take advantage of the weather

Gorgeous Spring weather means there are no longer excuses for driving or busing around campus. Pull out your bike, dust it off, ride it on into the bike co-op on campus, catch your breath and realize the lack of exercise you got this winter, get a tune up, and ride that baby to all your classes! If biking isn't an option for you, hop on your own two feet and enjoy the fresh air and the redwoods on your way to class.

4. Spring Cleaning

By the time Spring comes around all the junk can really pile up around your dorm or house. Now is the perfect time to reorganize and get clean. Make sure you recycle everything you can. Any papers you don't need from last quarter or the pile of red bull cans in the corner that are STILL sitting there from finals can all be put in recycling. Before you get rid of anything check and make sure one of your hall mates or housemates can't use it. One person's trash could be someone else's treasure!

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