When you hear the phrase “Don’t be trashy,” you’re probably thinking more along the lines of “Don’t be a hot mess” or “Don’t be slutty.” While keeping it classy and not trashy is certainly a good motto to live by, try thinking about it in the more literal sense. DoSomething.org and Nestlé Waters launched a recycling campaign on December 23 called Don’t Be Trashy to make information about recycling more accessible to people our age and to give us more ways to get involved. Their interactive website provides an outlet to share recycling project ideas.

Here are some recycling facts:

• The average person throws out four pounds of trash per day
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that while 75% of solid waste is recyclable, only about 30% is actually recycled
• Recycling saves 3 to 5 times the energy generated by waste-to-energy plants, even without counting the wasted energy in the burned materials
• All teens involved are eligible for a free movie ticket (while supplies last) and a $500 college scholarship

You can visit www.dosomething.org/trashy or text “TRASHY” to 38383 to get involved!

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!

1. Bye-bye, trays!
You might have noticed that your cafeteria is devoid of lunch trays. Annoying, right? I remember when my school did it; I was furious! How on earth am I supposed to carry all the plates, bowls, and drinks without a tray? And why would they take them away in the first place? Were they trying to make my life more difficult? Answer: no. Eliminating trays cuts down on two major sources of waste in colleges: the wasted food from all of us students taking way more than we needed and all the water it takes to wash the thousands of trays daily.

2. Go carbon neutrality!
More and more colleges are signing a comprehensive agreement to go ‘carbon neutral,’ which essentially means either A) not emitting greenhouse gases or B) offsetting their greenhouse emissions through tree-planting or buying “offsets” from companies that support alternative energy projects. Greenhouse gases are slowly chipping away at our atmosphere and it’s important that we slow down this process (or eventually stop it altogether). So if you notice more trees on your campus, you can rest easy knowing your school is doing what it can to be carbon neutral…while also giving you a lovely place to study in the fall and spring!

3. Reducing energy usage!
College campuses use a lot of electricity. Just think of all the things powered by electricity: building lights, the kitchens, the computer labs, and virtually everything else on campus. However, colleges are now trying to enact rules to shut down lights and computer labs after a certain time in order to minimize energy loss. While this might put a damper on those all-nighters some students pull, computer labs use a lot of electricity that could otherwise be saved during those late hours. And who knows? Maybe helping the planet will also do wonders on your study habits and GPA.

4. Recycling bins!
This seems obvious, right? Of course everyone should recycle! But now colleges are being more aggressive about it. Most college campuses now have more recycling bins than garbage bins. Plus, a lot of colleges are now differentiating between all the different types of materials you can recycle. For instance, my own college has separate bins for paper and bottles. And since these bins are virtually everywhere on campus, most students have no problem recycling because it’s almost easier to recycle than to track down a garbage bin.

5. Public Transportation!
A lot of students have their own cars on campus because it’s just so much easier to get around when you have a car. However, campuses are making it harder to bring your car, either by charging semester fees to keep it or allowing parking passes only to upperclassmen. I know this sounds terrible in theory, but using the bus means two things: one, you’re really cutting down on your own personal carbon footprint, and two, you’re saving money! Gas prices are ridiculous. Free bus rides are heavenly things on a college budget.

6. Green housing options!
I know on several campuses, including my own, there are now green housing options. Not all of the residence halls are green, but a lot of colleges are giving students the choice to live in a green environment. I bet you’re asking yourself what the cons are of living in a green building. And there really aren’t any! Yes, you have to recycle and take shorter showers, but it’s all things that add up to reducing your carbon waste and saving the environment around you. Plus, these green buildings are always super high-tech which means they’re pretty beautiful buildings. And they’re new! It’s a wonderful housing option, if you ask me.

7. Organic gardens!
Yes. College campuses are now growing their own food. Organically! For example, Yale University has a student-run organic garden that supplies food to the campus food services, the local community, and students and faculty. Go Yale!

8. Low-water-volume bathrooms!
You might not think of it, but showers and toilets use up a lot of water. (A 10-minute shower uses 25 gallons of water!) To minimize this water waste, almost all college campuses now utilize low-water-volume showerheads, faucets, and toilets in order to cut down on the amount of waste.

9. Sustainability 101!
Not only are universities making changes to reduce their carbon footprint now, but more and more schools are offering classes and entire programs dedicated to sustainability that will allow students to continue to have an impact in the future. And that’s the most important thing because there is so much we still need to do to reduce our negative impact on the planet and who better to lead that charge than those of us learning and preparing for the real world?

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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?

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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!

Got something awesome everyone needs to know about? Email your “The Know” ideas to Jill@collegecandy.com and I’ll pass them along to everyone right here, right now. Everyone’s got something to share..

Biodegradable Trash Bags:
Did you know that those white plastic bags currently housing beer cans and so-dirty-and-covered-in-dust-bunnies-that-they-can’t-be-salvaged beer pong balls take a thousand years to biodegrade, if ever? Didn’t think so. Lord knows I’m not thinking about how long my trash bag will hang out with Mother Earth when I’m throwing up in it on a hungover Sunday morning.

Well now you can puke with a green conscience. Green Genius has come up with a line of garbage bags that are edible by microbes. The (green) geniuses realized that combining plastic with an additive that bonds organic nutrients to the plastic’s molecular structure miraculously turns the evil material into sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids while it sits in the landfill.

And in English that means one thing: these bags are better for Mama Earth.

iPod/iPhone gloves:
For all you iPhone/touch phone users, I know walking and texting/online shopping/scrolling through your music until you find something you actually like is addicting.  (I get it, but please, for the love of my un-scraped heels, watch where you’re going!) But with winter, well, here, no text is worth frostbite on that finger of yours. After all, after they amputate it texting will be a hell of a lot more difficult (even if your manicure is suddenly cheaper…). While tons of companies are now making gloves where you can peel bag the fingers to allow for phone manipulation, that’s not good enough for me. Thankfully, Tavo has created these gloves that have traction on the actual glove tips so that you can keep keep your hands inside the toasty gloves and text your bff about the totes awk encounter you just had w/ ur ex! They may not be as cute as those gray wool mittens you’ve been eying at Target, but, let’s be real, there’s nothing cute about missing fingers.

Gap Cozy Slipper Booties:
If there’s one thing you should know about this winter, it’s these. In approximately three weeks you will find me on my couch (assuming you know where I live…) watching every season of Gossip Girl (I’m so behind, I know!) in comfy sweats and these bad boys. And not leaving for DAYS. Once you’ve slipped into a pair, you’ll be more than happy I told you about them.

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.

Christmas lights go LED: Not only to LED lights use less energy to run, but they also last longer so you don’t have to keep throwing away burnt out bulbs.  Plus, some energy companies like PG&E offer a rebate for using LED Christmas lights instead of the regular ones.  Be sure that you still use the LED ones responsibly by only turning them on at night time and turning them off before you go to sleep.  And so you know, there’s no need to keep burning them after New Years, so convince Dad to get out the ladder come January 1^st.

Say no to fake Christmas trees: Although fake Christmas trees don’t shed and can add for years, they still have a large environmental impact.  Most are produced overseas, made from plastic, and eventually end up in a landfill.  Instead, opt for the real thing – they’re renewable, natural, and biodegradable.  If you still feel a little guilty about wasting a tree, you can look into a rent-a-tree program.  These programs give you the tree when it’s still living and then pick it up after the holidays to reuse it the following year.

Mac’s Back To Mac Program
Return six Mac primary packaging containers to the Mac counter at your local department store or via mail, and you’ll get a free lipstick of your choice! For more information, click here.

Origins’ Return to Origins Program
Origins accepts empty cosmetics tubes, bottles, jars, etc. from any brand (regardless of manufacturer) at all of their retail stores and department store counters. In return, they’ll give you a free sample of your choice of an Origins

Kiehl’s Recycle and Be Rewarded Program
Bring your empty Kiehl’s jars and tubes to the store nearest you and you’ll get a card to collect stamps for each container you recycle. For three containers, get a free tube of lip balm. When you return five, you’ll get a free item from the Travel Collection. And when you reach 10, choose one regular sized product valued at $25 or less! To find a Kiehl’s store near you, visit kiehls.com.<

Tarte Customer Recycling Incentive Program
Tarte offers discounts when you send in your empty cosmetic containers. Send in your Clean Slate Primer or Smooth Operator SPF 20 foundation and you’ll get 15 percent off your next complexion purchase. Send in an empty Slide Tin Lip Balm and Tarte will give you 15 percent off any lip product. And send in an empty cheek stain and you’ll get 15 percent off the next cheek stain! For more information, click here.

Want to make recycling make up easier? Buy brands that use recyclable materials for packaging. Josie Maran sells biodegradable plastic compacts that can be composted (after you remove the mirror), and SpaRitual nail polishes come in recyclable glass bottles. If you shop at Lush, you can buy slices of soap and bars of shampoo sans-packaging (bring your own bag or buy a recyclable aluminum tin to store yours in), and their plastic bottles can be recycled along with drinking bottles and caps returned to the store to be re-used.

[For more fashion and beauty fabulosity, visit StyleBakery.com.]