“Going green,” the practice of living an eco-friendly lifestyle, has been a hot topic for the past two years. With rising gas prices and worry about dwindling natural resources, it’s become hard to open an issue of Newsweek or visit a national news Web site without seeing a new push for how to live green.

Comic by Caitlin Cook
“We’re so green that we even recycle comics!”

While I don’t think most people underestimate the importance of protecting the earth, many college students may be worried that it’s not a plausible philosophy for them to practice.

Most college student don’t have the money to buy a hybrid vehicle or even to go and purchase energy efficient lightbulbs for their residences. But even on a tiny budget, there are a few small things that can be done to make an impact, and many of them don’t cost a dime.

My first suggestion is an obvious one, but it’s also one of the easiest to let slip. Recycle everything you can. Nothing is more bewildering than watching someone take a plastic bottle and throw it into a garbage can when there’s a recycling receptacle right next to it. All of the residence halls have the means for students to recycle, and the rest of the campus is pretty well equipped with recycling receptacles. They can be found near, most if not all, of the vending machines, and in many of the more well trafficked areas, like the Pioneer Student Center and many of the academic buildings.

My next suggestion is one that many people have probably never thought about. When you buy something at the store, if you don’t need a bag, don’t get one. Let the cashier know that you don’t need a bag and that you will carry your item(s) yourself. This seems fairly trivial, but if these stores don’t have to provide bags for smaller purchases, they aren’t going to order as many, and if they don’t order as many, less will have to be produced.

My final suggestion is something that I remember learning when I was in elementary school, and then taking the time to gradually forget as I grew older and my attentions went elsewhere. It seems a bit silly, but it’s something that has a real effect on our world, and that’s water conservation. Take shorter showers, turn off the faucet when you’re brushing your teeth, and just generally don’t waste water.

These are just a few of the smaller ways that students can help save the earth without having to sacrifice what little cash they have. None of these acts on their own are going to save the planet or have anything of that magnitude, but every little thing that a single person does contributes to the bigger picture, which is why living green is such an issue in the first place.