With Earth Day happening tomorrow, we at CollegeCandy have been thinking a lot about our carbon footprint and the many ways we can reduce it. Since there are only a few of us up in here, it’s easy to make small changes that will have a big impact. Like reusing coffee cups and water bottles. And printing on both sides of the paper. And keeping the window closed when the heat or A/C is on.

See? Easy breezy.

But then we think about all our college ladies out there and the campuses you live on with thousands of other students. And all that waste. Between the electricity, food, water, and everything else college students use and toss, colleges waste a lot. Just think of all the lights that are constantly on in every building or the cafeteria food that doesn’t get eaten at the end of the day. There are so many wasted resources on college campuses and until recently, that was just the name of the game. But in the past few years tons of colleges have found ways to combat that, reduce their carbon footprint and be more earth friendly.

Here are just a few things your college might be doing to make Mother Nature proud! Read More »

The following post is courtesy of our gal pals over at CollegeFashion.net. Check them out for all your fashion and beauty needs!

It’s undeniable: the eco-friendly fashion movement is growing stronger every day. From Harry Potter’s resident fashionista Emma Watson designing her own collection of magical duds for British brand People Tree to Seattle’s hosting of the first ever Eco-Chic Expo in April, sustainable style is spreading like wildfire. (Oops–bad metaphor for an eco-friendly fashion post?)

Whether you’re new to eco-fashion or just want some tips on greening your wardrobe, never fear: I’ve boiled down the basic lingo & facts you need to know into a quick, easy-to-understand guide. Read this, and you’ll be ready to embark on your first green shopping trip in no time!

Green Fashion Terms to Know Before You Shop:

Sustainable: A sustainable product has the ability to be produced (over & over & over again) without doing much harm to the environment.
Renew-ability: Renewable resources are derived from something living (plant, animal, ecosystem) that can regenerate.
Cruelty-free: Cruelty-free companies do not test on or use animals in their products.
Carbon Footprint: A carbon footprint is a measurement of the impact human activities have on the environment. In terms of fashion, a clothing’s carbon or ecological footprint is the impact the piece of clothing has had on the environment from start to finish. Read More »

Valentine’s Day usually includes a whole lotta red. But why not make it a little Green this year? If you’re still looking for the perfect gift idea or V-Day plan – or if your original plan upped your Carbon Footprint by, like, 10 tons – try these earth friendly ideas on for size.

Send an Earth Friendly Card: One billion cards are sent every Valentine’s Day. Lay those puppies down side by side and you could circle the earth five times! Instead of heading to your local Hallmark and taking part in the clearing of unnecessary trees, why not send a card on recycled paper? Or, better yet, a plantable card; when V-Day is long past, your special someone can just pop that card in the ground and watch your love blossom. (That was just too easy.)

Cook Dinner At Home: No need to waste precious gas by driving to a restaurant. Try something different – and far more romantic – and cook a candlelit dinner at home. Getting your produce and meat from a Farmer’s Market is a great idea as everything is locally grown, usually without those pesky pesticides. And those romantic candles will set the mood and eliminate the energy wasted by overhead lighting!

Read More »

Winter is one of my favorite seasons.  Even though I live in snowless California, I still love cozying up at home during the cold winter months.  The only downside to the winter wonderland lifestyle is the negative eco-side effects that are often associated with high thermostat levels and twinkle lights.  Here are a few ways to cut your carbon footprint while still enjoying your favorite wintertime traditions.

Ditch the wood-burning fireplace: Everybody loves to cozy up next to their beau in front of a cozy fire.  Unfortunately, burning all of that wood can end up leaving quite the carbon footprint.  But don’t worry, you don’t have to give up your fantasy of the perfect winter fire; just be sure that you’re using a natural gas fireplace.  According to the Sierra Club, burning natural gas instead of wood will reduce your carbon footprint and pollution contribution.

Cozy up in Patagonia: Patagonia is one of the best names out there when it comes to winter wear.  Not only do they make high quality stuff, but they make it with environmentally responsible materials such as recycled soda bottles and organic cotton.  Right now I am loving the Women’s R1Pullover.  It makes me wish I was freezing my a** off just so that I could curl up in one. Read More »

With Thanksgiving around the corner, there is no doubt that most of us are more than ready for the holidays.  Although you’re taking a mental break from school, be sure to stay mindful when it comes to your environmental impact.

There are some easy ways to stay green over the holidays without having to ruin your traditional Turkey Day.  Take charge of your family’s eco-responsibility and convince your family green up their holiday.  Hey, you may even get Grandma Doris talking about something other than the fact that you “still” don’t have a boyfriend.

Getting home
If you drive: Carpool with friends to save on gas money and minimize pollution.  Be sure you all time your travels so that you don’t hit traffic and waste unnecessary gas in gridlock.  Leave with plenty of time so you or the driver doesn’t have to speed down the freeway.  Reducing your speed from just 70 to 60 MPH can severely reduce the amount of money and gas your trip guzzles.

If you fly:  Pay the extra money for a direct flight, as takeoff and landing require the most fuel of any other part of the flight.  If you have the resources, buy carbon offset credits along with your flight in order to reduce your footprint.  Many companies, such as Continental, allow you to easily purchase carbon offset credits online before your flight.

Eating Dinner
Buying the bird:  If you just can’t bear a tofurky, you can still buy a real turkey that is relatively environmentally friendly.  All you have to do is buy from a local farmer.  Go to this site to find a turkey farmer in your area.  If for some reason local just doesn’t work for you, look for the labels mentioned in my last post such as grass-fed, cage free, or free range to slightly improve your turkey decision. Read More »

Are you committed to living green?  Are you committed enough to work at making your school devoted to becoming green, as well? Do you like moolah?

Keep on reading, ladies. Keep on reading.

There is a new contest on the block and we want everyone to get involved. America’s Greenest Campus, running from now until October, is aimed at college students nationwide in an effort to reduce their school’s carbon footprint.

In order to participate, you have to sign up with any .edu e-mail address and then encourage your friends, classmates, and professors to sign up as well… and commit. Commit to what? To making your campus a greener and more earth-friendly place to live and learn. Read More »

In this country we tend to take everything for granted. Blaming everyone else when something goes wrong rather than take responsibility ourselves is not the way to go about solving the problem. It is time to stop blaming the politicians and big corporations and take a stand. Don’t buy another gas automobile. If you are like me, out shopping for your first non-mom-and-dad purchased car, now is the time to grow up.

If Americans really cared about the war in the Middle East, global warming and our enormous foreign trade deficit, than now is the time to stop buying new automobiles until they produce an alternative car to fossil fuel. This is a matter of simple economics (one of the few classes I dominated).

This simple action would put a huge dent in the three issues mentioned above. Americans currently use over 15 million barrels a day of crude oil, over 9 million is gasoline. Blame whatever Texan you like, but the reality is that this money will largely go to countries who hate us. If we all stood together and refused to purchase any new cars unless they ran on non-fossil fuel engines, we could make a real difference.

The phrase “bigger is better” does not just apply in the bedroom, it applies to American culture. Bigger homes, bigger meals, and bigger cars….so is the world really ready to downsize, travel less or make the effort to use alternative fuel? There are a lot of alternative fuel options, some vehicles use electric, others can run on water, hydrogen and even types of grass, but how accessible are these methods to the American public? How many people do you actually know who drive a car that runs on an alternative fuel method? Read More »

Think it takes too much effort or is too expensive to be Green while slaving away in class, writing papers, and living it up at school?

Don’t be so lazy! There are so many ways an individual can have a large effect on the environment and it can start by simply changing your lightbulb. It takes a lot less effort than you’d think!

A compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) is that funny-looking swirl that fits into a standard socket. It costs three to five times as much as a conventional incandescent bulb, yet uses one-quarter the electricity and lasts several years longer. There are many other ways you can contribute if you knew.

I believe Shipwreck said it best, after episode 39 of GI Joe, when he said,

“Knowing how to impact the environment is half the battle, following through on that knowledge is what will make a difference. ”

We haven’t really even begun to scratch the surface of conservation because many people don’t know what they can do to play their part in the Green Movement.

The other half of society thinks that being Green is some taboo activity for hippies and the state of Vermont. A lot of people don’t even realize what their affect on the environment is. Read More »

More important than finding the color of your aura or analyzing your handwriting, the Carbon Footprint calculator is an online test that actually means something.Sponsored by Live Earth, which is set to take the global stage on July 7 with a slough of powerful entertainers giving concerts, the calculator tabulates your “footprint” based on things like your electricity bill, your use of energy – efficient lighting, modes of transportation and dedication to recycling, plus more.

I scored a 220 (not having a car finally works in my favor!). The average American score is 325. You might be surprised by your score, but even more surprised by how easy it is to reduce the force of your tread.