In honor of Earth Day, we recently held a contest asking you, our earth friendly readers, to share your tips for going green. We were shocked by all the amazing ideas you ladies shared with us so we thought we’d reduce, reuse and recycle them into a handy list for everyone to use.

If you’re looking for a way (or many ways!) to reduce your carbon footprint without making your life more difficult (or getting all tree huggy), here are a few easy ideas to get you started:

1. Walk. To class, up the stairs, to the grocery store….you’ll save gas and wasted electricity. Bonus: you’ll burn major calories.
2. Switch to energy efficient light bulbs. They are a tad more pricey, but they last FOREVER.
3. Instead of buying bottled water, invest in a cute, reusable bottle and a water filter for your fridge.
4. Unplug any electronics you’re not using – keeping them plugged in, even if they’re not on, still wastes electricity.
5. Bring your own mug to your favorite coffee shops – some places even give you a discount for being green!
6. Don’t throw out old clothes, furniture, or just stuff in general – donate it! Someone could always use what you have to give, and sharing it with someone else keeps it out of the landfills.
7. Use a recyclable shopping bag on your next run to the grocery store or even mall. In fact, keep one in your bag for any errands you might run on your way home or while you’re out.
8. Go for thrift stores! Vintage clothing means no new materials are being wasted. Plus, it’s affordable, fashionable, and one-of-a-kind.
9. Recycle newspapers, old books, or magazines to decorate notebooks, furniture, or make cool projects to spice up your dorm room.
10. Air dry your clothes! It saves a ton of electricity.
11. Instead of buying new sheets or dresses or comforters – try dyeing them to revamp their look!
12. Go paperless and pay your bills online.
13. Bike to class! Not only is it green, but it’s a great workout.

Oh, and don’t forget word-of-mouth! If you’re recycling, tell others and get them to join you. We all live on this earth and need to keep our planet and ourselves as healthy as can be. And when things are this easy, there’s no reason not to greenify your life.

It’s a stereotype that’s been pounded into our brains since we were old enough to spend our entire weekends watching Disney movies – your Prince Charming is going to be tall, dark, and handsome.  Sounds pretty good, right?  Sure…except for all those guys who don’t fit into that category.  Why not give a short guy a chance?  Here’s some reasons why you should date a short dude:

Clothes Swapping - Quality jeans are hard to come by and if your short dude has a sweet pair, then borrow those suckers!  The boyfriend jean look is totally in and if he wears a tighter, more tailored style then all the better for you!  Shirts, hats, scarves, etc.  You will be an adorable hipster couple with no awkward walk-of-shame incidents (because you can just borrow his clothes and make a fabulous outfit for your early-morning jog home!).

Portability - In case you were wondering, this doesn’t mean you can put your short dude in your purse and carry him around like a Designer Dog.  This means that because he’s probably around your height, he can go all the places you can go…and you can squeeze yourselves into compromising positions in places that a tall dude could never go (small closets, behind bushes, under the stairs, etc.).

Cuteness Factor – Short dudes are adorable. Period.  Also, what is cuter than being able to look eye-to-eye and kiss without straining your neck/back/legs to reach his lips?  Nothing, my friend.  Nothing.

The Green Option – Apparently, short people are more environmentally friendly because they are smaller (mostly) and require less resources.  Imagine if you two were living together and your house was solar powered and you recycled literally everything; you would have the most environmentally friendly relationship ever! Go green!  Date a short dude!

Long Term – Short guys live longer on average because they are smaller and have less cells to duplicate.  That means more time with your man!  Very good news if you feel like pulling a Beyonce and puttin’ a ring on it.  Of course, you still need to be healthy and exercise no matter your height; shouldn’t be too hard to find some ways to burn calories with your short dude, though!

These are only a few of the myriad of reasons to be with a short dude (the most important of which would be if you click or not).  The rest you’ll find out once you start dating them!

[This story was originally posted by Katie - Michigan State University]

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While every college girl shares many of the same college experiences (selling books, sexiled, one shot too many), she also carves her own path and has her own unique adventure. Have you ever wondered what it’s like for other girls? What it’s like to be an engineer? To get married?! To play an NCAA sport? Well wonder no more. Our one-of-a-kind CollegeCandy writers (and readers!) are sharing their unique experiences and opening our eyes to different college worlds.

When you hear the word “environmentalist” or “activist” you probably get a picture of a dreadlocked, smelly tree hugger known for smoking marijuana, refusing to wear shoes and eating vegan.  However, in this day and age, many students across the country would consider themselves environmentalists and are engaged in political and environmental activism at the campus, local, national, and international level.   These students are not always hippies who won’t eat meat or refuse to shower.  In fact, most of them are normal, everyday students who just happen to have a passion for creating social change and empowering people.

I know this because I am one of them.

Climate change, the environment, and sustainability used to be fringe political issues that only the super liberal groups in society cared about.  While some people started organic farming (in both cities and rural areas) and using drying racks instead of electric dryers, the majority of the American population continued to move to the suburbs, buy more cars, and increase their energy consumption.  This created a country with the highest per capita carbon footprint in the world.  In the meantime, scientists, scholars, and politicians were beginning to take notice of global climate change and the Millenial Generation was busy waking up and getting engaged.  And it has forever impacted both the contemporary American university and its students.

Most colleges now offer degrees in Environmental Studies or something similar, and many require students to take at least one environmentally focused course in order to graduate. (At College of the Atlantic you can even get a scholarship for $10,000 a year if you have completed the Sierra Student Coalition’s environmental organizing training program!) Sustainability has become a buzz word both on campus and off, with magazines such as Time, Newsweek, and Sierra doing spotlights on different schools that are putting an emphasis on greening their campuses. And students across the nation are turning campus environmental clubs into powerful organizations that create lasting change.  Whether it is 12,000 youth attending PowerShift 2009 in Washington, DC or convincing college and university Presidents to sign the Presidents Climate Commitment, it is clear that the youth climate movement is powerful.

However, it’s not only changing colleges and universities; it’s changing the student as well.  Since I have become an activist, I have learned many things.  The first is that I will always struggle to balance being an activist and a student, and that there is just never enough time in the day.  Both require lots of time and energy and are extremely important to my future.  While I understand that academics are important and that getting good grades should be my first concern, I also know that good grades alone not very likely to get me a job.  My organizing experience, on the other hand, most likely will.  As an activist I have worked with world renowned environmental organizations such as Greenpeace and the Sierra Club, gotten published in multiple newspapers and learned skills that are in high demand with employers and look excellent on a resume.  Hopefully one day this will lead to me being gainfully employed.  In the meantime I am just try to learn how to get everything done.  For instance, as I write this article, I am thinking about the democratic theory term paper that really needs to be finished and the two flights I have to catch this weekend to take me to an environmental conference.  My life is devoid of all the free time most other college students enjoy, but the truth is that I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

While I don’t always get out to campus parties, am sometimes on conference calls while my friends are at the bar and am often away from campus doing activist work, I find that my social life is extremely rich.  I have dozens of amazing, inspirational friends on campus and around the world who are engaged in changing the world and living life, whether it’s by biking in a critical mass, hosting a vegan potluck, or having a sustainability themed dance party.  They are always available to talk to me when I feel overwhelmed and will welcome me into their homes at a moments notice.  Honestly, I don’t remember ever feeling more connected to a community before I became an activist.  Definitely makes all the late nights, hours spent in meetings and conference calls worth it.  My friends have taught me how to dumpster dive, fix my bike, live on very little money, and decrease my carbon footprint while enriching my life.  I have learned to love more and need less.

Activism has not only enriched my social life, but my academic one as well.  As a result of running campaigns such as PowerVote and attending COP15 in Copenhagen, I have made a name for myself on campus and become close with professors, administrators, and even got featured on my college’s website.   I have brought my experiences into the classroom and found it extremely rewarding.  Last spring, I took a comparative politics classes titled “The Politics of Protest” where we studied social movement theory and got to write about and discuss my experiences with protest and activism.  Now I am working on my senior thesis focused on the emergence of a global grassroots climate movement, something that I find intensely fascinating and rewarding.  And in October I am traveling to Kansas City to give a presentation titled “Cross Currents of Environmentalism: Academics and Activism” at the National Collegiate Honors Conference. To say I’m making the most of my time on campus is a gross understatement.

Sure I may be sober more often, have a little more stress, and sleep a little less than most college students, but seeing what I’ve accomplished for both myself and the planet, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A big, hearty thank you to Chelsea of St. Mary’s College of Maryland for sharing her story….and saving our planet.

Did you know that the average college student produces 640 pounds of solid waste each year, including 500 disposable cups and 320 pounds of paper?  Or that North Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour?  I’ve got a choice expletive for those statistics, but will settle with a G-rated “well gosh!”

With summer officially upon us, I’ve been looking for ways to cut down on my carbon footprint while still maximizing my fun.  Truthfully, I was expecting an uphill battle in achieving Green Goddess status, but to my surprise it’s not all that hard to live in peace with Mother Nature.

I’ve set up a bag for my recyclables right next to my trash can, I’ve cut 5 minutes out of my morning showers and I even started reusing Ziploc bags – easy breezy. And this week, I’m tackling something even bigger: the summer BBQ. I’m pretty sure my weekly Sunday Funday BBQs with my friends contribute about 90% of the plastic cups being tossed into dumpsters each year. Not to mention all the plastic bottles, paper plates and – gah! – who knows what’s in those hot dog remnants?

So I’ve made it my goal to to bring the summer BBQ and this fine planet together harmoniously this summer with The “Green” Barbecue. Fear not, loyal readers.  I’ve seen the (CFL) light and I’m here to share the essentials for an enlightened cookout.

1.  Disposable and Renewable Picnic Ware
Complete with plates, cups, and cutlery that can be thrown away (praise God, no dishes to wash!).  This highly evolved take on traditional “use ‘em and toss ‘em” dinnerware is developed from sugarcane and is therefore 100% compostable and biodegradable.  Now beer pong championships can be guilt-free!

2.  EcoSafe Trash Bags
Step one in having a green BBQ is actually collecting all the trash before it blows away. Step two is collecting it in a bag that is good to Mama Nature. Like the plates and cups above, these bags are not made from true plastic, but rather non-petroleum based ingredients.  They, too, are compostable and biodegradable.  Buy the big box and keep them around post-barbecue for all your everyday trash.

3.  Spicy Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers
In researching my new eco-conscious lifestyle, I’ve read that a lot of people have a beef with beef.  From funky hormone injections and the cruel treatment of cows to the beef industry’s harmful impact on the planet, I’m completely overwhelmed and actively seeking out tasty alternatives.  Cue the black bean veggie burger- totally tasty, far fewer calories than ground beef, and super simple to grill up.  Shop organic markets for the easy-to-find ingredients and you’ll be hitting a home run for the planet and your health.

4.  GOOP Organic Chicken Salad
Who doesn’t love Gwyneth Paltrow and her GOOPy moniker/newsletter?  The Queen of Green herself published a beyond-heavenly recipe for chicken salad using all natural, fresh ingredients.  A new spin on an old classic, you better make double because this delicious side won’t stay on plates long.

5.  Solar Powered Radio
This radio is rugged and ready to go in emergency situations so you’ll never drop the beat.  It’s completely solar-powered making batteries a thing of the past.  We all know how bad those double As are for the environment; have you seen the nasty stuff that oozes out of old ones?  That’s potentially going in your drinking water, people.  I know, sick.  Added bonus: this nifty device transforms into a flashlight and wireless phone charger, too!

6. Flamedisk Charcoal Replacement
When you go to light up that grill, give a second thought to using traditional charcoal and lighter fluid.  That stuff is to the planet as a KFC Double Down is to your heart.  The Flamedisk uses renewable ethanol, generating 90% fewer pollutants than charcoal.  Even the aluminum casing is recyclable!  This eco-friendly alternative is a staple for the Greenest of barbecues.

Especially when Green is so chic!

Functional and fashionable, products are coming out all over the place, making it easier than ever to be sustainable and stylish. With stuff like this, the “green” movement is something we can all embrace. So, in honor of Earth Day, here are eight eco-friendly products that have stolen the heart of Mother Nature this season:

8. Little Kay Gardens Pre Seeded Gift Wrap: Looking to wrap up a gift for a graduate this May? Wrapping paper has never been this environmental before. Little Kay Gardens produces a flowered gift wrap, with seeds embedded in the tissue paper. After the gift is unwrapped, the giftee can plant the paper in the ground and sprout some beautiful flowers. Talk about a gift that keeps on giving.

7. John Masters Organics: There is no better feeling than the one a good skincare product can give, leaving your face feeling fresh and clean. Throw “eco-friendly” into the mix and a winning skin product comes to the forefront. John Masters Organics skincare has won several awards including Tree Hugger.com’s  2010 “Best Of Green Award.” With over 30 products, John Masters is prided on harvesting wild-crafted ingredients that give your skin a natural and beautiful look.

6) Scott and Gabs: Heading to the grocery store? Don’t you dare leave the dorm without your Scott and Gabs reusable bags. A personal favorite of mine, Scott and Gabs is revolutionizing the reusable bag trend with cute and compacted products. Shipped in packs of four and adorned with trendy designs, these bags prove that going green and having fun are meant to be in the same sentence. Purchase your bags over at www.ScottandGabs.com and make everyone else’s groceries jealous!

5) Fashion Ethic: Finding fashion that is stylish and sustainable can leave a girl Googling for hours at a time. Especially if she doesn’t want to wear something resembling a burlap sack. Fashion Ethic is a one-stop shop, giving designers and companies with a “green” approach the spotlight (or should I say green light?) they deserve. Fashion Ethic showcases merchants with an “ethical compass,” supplying shoppers with a fashion forward sense and a lesson in social responsibility.

4) Dropps: Guilty. That’s right, I am among the thousands of college students guilty of wasting when it comes to laundry detergent. Gone are the days of lugging an economy-size bottle of detergent and washing my delicates with unnecessary loads of liquid detergent. Dropps are innovative, convenient and mindful of the environment, all at the same time. Simply drop a Dropp pac into your load of laundry and pat yourself on the back for doing your part in making a smaller carbon footprint. I swear it’s a college student’s dream.

3) The 3 Sisters: Ever think about making old toys and games from your attic a part of your daily wardrobe? Well, you don’t have to do the crafting anymore; the 3 Sisters already thought of this cool and creative concept for you! Beginning with the transforming of Dominoes into wearable art, The 3 Sisters inserts edge and ecology into every piece of jewelry, from purses made out of vinyl records to bottle cap bracelets.

2) Boho Magazine: With the spring weather comes the pleasure of planting yourself on the campus lawn with a pair of shades, your closest girlfriends and a good fashion magazine. Boho is a green fashion-lifestyle magazine daring to make a difference and change the world we live in. The first magazine to be 100% recycled, Boho inspires readers to put a spin on this world and make it prettier while doing so. Find out more about subscriptions and what lies within the binding of Boho at www.bohomag.com.

1) Leanne Marshall: So we all know and love Leanne from Project Runway (Leanne-imal, rarrr), and what could be better than celebrating Earth Day a few days late than by splurging on some pieces from Leanne’s collection, available on her website on April 25? Her products are 100% eco-friendly and 110% fabulous. Up and coming and predicted to take the fashion world by storm, Leanne Marshall is certainly on the right path to making both fellow designers and Mother Nature proud.

With Earth Day coming up (cue the Al Gore/whales/rainbows/wind technology montage) I took it upon myself to make a few Green changes in my life. I’ve swapped my regular lightbulbs for CFLs, picked up a few reusable grocery bags and started unplugging my electronics/appliances when I’m not using them. These are teensy little changes to my everyday life that are proven to have a very big impact on the planet. Go me.

I started looking around for more ideas of things I could do for the plant and came across a ton of student groups and entire universities that have dedicated themselves to Going Green. After realizing how awful my own school is when it comes to the planet (we’d be better off shipping students off to burn entire rain forests), I was totally inspired by a few colleges that have taken “Going Green” into their own hands. Seeing what these students can do makes me want to do so much more.

Evergreen State College
Evergreen State College in Washington has one of the most successful sustainable organic farms in the country.  After providing the school with food, the money from the surplus has gone on to pay for most of the farm’s equipment, including greenhouses, a cooler, and a compost shed.  The extra crops are either given to food shelters, sold, or composted.  They also use green energy in the form of wind power.  Badass.

Middlebury
A student group called MiddShift called for the school to be carbon neutral by 2016 and got the Board of Trustees behind them.  But that’s not all!  Students are consistently doing their part around campus, leading energy-saving contests in dorms, advocating for public transportation, and in 2007, they put together the Step it Up 2007 campaign, a national movement to fight climate change.

California State University
In 2009, CSU was one of the winners of the National Wildlife Federation’s Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming contest.  They won by working with SunEdison to bring solar energy to the California State University System with installations that are estimated to “cut 9,485 metric tons of carbon dioxide.”  Whoa there.

Oberlin College
Oberlin was one of the other winners of the Chill Out contest by working not only with students and faculty, but locals as well to “green” their area.  They offset 13% of their greenhouse gas emissions.  They helped save $715,000 in utility bills, and hosted light bulb exchanges (regular bulbs to CFLs) to save energy.  The Lightbulb Brigade, as they called it, cut about 6,400 tons of carbon dioxide over the life of the bulbs.  Yay!

College of the Atlantic
This Maine college is so green it only has one major: Human Ecology.  They describe Human Ecology as the “study of our relationship with our environment.”  Since they are so in touch with their relationship with the environment, they were the first college to pledge carbon neutrality in 2006.  Since they did it, 270 colleges AND COUNTING have pledged to do the same.  Who would have guessed that a tiny college in Maine would be such a trendsetter?

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!

Gifts that Don’t Need Wrapping: Avoid the clichéd box of chocolates or the gifts that require tons of wasteful wrapping paper. Instead, give your love a sensual massage or set up a romantic bubble bath for two (saves on the water!). If you are really feeling green, take this holiday and donate to an environmental cause. It may not have the romantic Valentine’s Day feel, but it will make you feel good inside.

Going Green for V-Day is easy and actually quite appealing. Now if only I had someone to share it (and a bath) with…

"I take 10 minute showers! I'm killing the planet!"

For the past few months I’ve been talking your ear off about why the earth is in trouble and how you can go green to save our environment.  And while it’s great to do whatever you can to protect the planet, there is such a thing as caring a little too much. According to the New York Times, there has been an increasing amount of people that report anxiety and stress because they feel like they are never as green as they would like to be.  And, believe it or not, such anxious thoughts about the environment can have negative impacts on your emotional state, your health, and your relationships.

How do you know if you’re just a concerned citizen or full-blown green stress case?  Read on for the answer and for ways to manage if you’re glowing green just a little too brightly.

Are you green stressed? There’s a huge difference between being concerned and being down right obsessed.  Before you go any further, ask yourself a few questions:  Are you happy with your efforts to help the environment?  Do you feel like you’re doing enough to go green?  Are you willing to give up your green efforts to preserve some of your favorite activities?  If you answered yes to all of these questions, then congrats!  You are helping in a way that is both healthy for the environment and healthy for your well-being.

Didn’t pass the test? Then you may have some anxiety issues related to going green. With all of the information out there, it’s hard to feel like you’re ever doing enough to counteract the rest of the world’s indifference.  Before you start ripping your hair out, realize that this is more of a psychological issue than an environmental issue.  An obsession with going green is just the same as an obsession with losing weight or making money – you never feel like you’re doing enough.

So how do you fix it? Unless your stress is very severe, a quick reality check is just the ticket to snap you out of it.  First of all, think about all of the things you already do to help the environment.  Do you recycle?  Turn off the lights and water when you’re not using it?  Bike or walk to work or school?  Believe it or not, most people don’t do any of these; you’re way ahead of the game!  On a similar note, don’t compare your efforts to those of others!  Not all environmentally friendly methods are compatible with everyone’s lifestyle.  Pick your favorites and make a pledge to stick to those.  As time goes on, slowly try to incorporate other changes into your routine if it works.  Which brings me to my last point…

What is important to you? We already know that the environment is high on your priority list, but think about the other things you enjoy doing.  Personally, I love to go out, drink a few beers, and hang out with my friends.  I’m not going to let the fact that I’m wasting a few aluminum beer cans ruin my night.  Going green is all about protecting your passion, so be sure that you protect all your other ones as well!

Whether you’re a seasoned snowboarder or a bunny-slope warrior, the ski slopes have something to offer us all (even if it is only hot chocolate in the lodge cafeteria).  Surprisingly though, considering I kiss the snow every 5 feet, skiing isn’t always the most environmentally friendly activity. Between the lifts and the plows and the resort hot tubs running all night long, skiing can leave quite a mark on Mother Earth. But it doesn’t have to.

If you’ve got plans to hit the slopes this season, keep nature and a few of these things in mind:

Are the slopes graded or cleared?
This one’s tricky because it’s a little hard to tell whether you’re skiing on a graded or cleared slope.  A cleared slope is created by cutting down trees and shrubs to make a smooth downhill run.  A graded slope is like a cleared slope on steroids.  Bulldozers are brought in to scrape off the top layers of the soil to make the run unnaturally smooth and hence, boring.  This leaves that particular ecosystem in ruins, causing erosion and decreasing plant biodiversity.  Plus, it takes a lot more resources to maintain because the natural infrastructure isn’t in place to maintain itself.  When you have the choice, ski on a cleared slope to challenge yourself and save the environment.

Ski on real snow.
Early on in the season, many resorts bring in huge snow making machines that guzzle water and energy just to attract the early birds.  The best way to decrease this practice is to wait until it’s actually snowing to hit the slopes.  Moreover, many resorts use graded ski slopes just to open the runs a week early, so give ‘em a double whammy by waiting until it’s actually ski season to make your trek to the mountains.

Ski cross country or choose chair lifts wisely.
Cross country skiing is one of the most energy intensive exercises, burning up to 500 calories per hour depending on weight.  What’s more, that energy you burn translates into energy you save by not using a chair lift.  If you’re a pansy like me and can’t handle cross-country, don’t fret, just try to find lifts powered by renewable resources.  Aspen in Colorado, Crystal Mountain in Wisconsin, and Heavenly Ski Resort in California all have made efforts to find cleaner ways to power their ski lifts.

Rent your equipment.
This one’s pretty much a no-brainer.  Sharing equipment with other people means that you buy less and thus, fewer resources are needed to manufacture ski and snowboard gear.  If you have to buy your own skis or snowboard,  be sure that you sell it or give it away when you’re finished so somebody else can have some fun!

Check your resort before you go.
The Ski Area Citizens Coalition has an amazing website that gives every resort a grade based on its efforts to be environmentally friendly.  If you don’t have a regular ski spot, find your new favorite by checking out the Top Ten on the SACC homepage.  Otherwise, check your local resorts by selecting your state and ski area.

Happy skiing and snowboarding!