Eco-tips for everyone who cares

When someone discusses the importance of protecting the environment, they typically refer to major initiatives such as international treaties, sustainable technologies, or political choices made by governments. However, as students at HSE, we may overlook the significance of our daily behaviors and habits within the university. The campus serves as a key space for developing our ecological practices, and our actions here can lead to enduring impacts.

A recent study by WCIOM, surveying youth in the age of 18-35 years across 77 Russian regions, reveals that the majority of young Russians (84%) express concern about environmental issues in their area. It means that it is important for the youth, and this fact is very gratifying.

As for HSE, only on Pokrovka campus there are approximately 3,500 students daily. Let's imagine how much waste they can leave. For example, coffee cups, packaging of sandwiches, also just remember how many students sit with their digital devices in coworking, library or in Atrium. I am trying to say, if we all are able to follow some simple rules, we will improve an ecological situation for our space.

I created a list with practical tips that can be useful for those who want to help to change the ecological situation. But firstly we will turn to some theory.

The concept of 3R

I think we all somewhen deal with the 3R rule in English student books in texts about ecology at school. But amazingly this is a really effective method. We have 3 "R": reduce, reuse, recycle. Below is a brief description of every element.

Reduce (= use less)

Buy only what you need. Be mindful when you choose what you buy.
Choose products with the least amount of packaging.
Don't let water run while washing dishes or when it is not in use. Switch off lights in empty rooms nearby.

Reuse (= use things again)

Do not throw away clothes/electronics/shoes and so on, but repair them.
Use reusable alternatives instead of single-use ones.
Use food cans/jars/bottles as organizers and containers.
If you no longer need some stuff that still works, share it with someone who needs it and can be useful for them. There are many people who need things that seem ordinary to us.
Create something new. For example, you can use a glass cutter to make some glasses out of glass bottles.

Recycle (= new life for materials)

Be aware of the nearest separate garbage collection and recycling points. And it is not only about plastic, glass and paper, but also about batteries, aluminium cans and lamps.
Recyclemap.ru is a nationwide map of locations for waste recycling points, allowing you to discover where to properly dispose of waste in your area.

Now let's refer to a list of little eco-tips.

Reduce whatever you can

This point is not only about materials such as paper that will be mentioned below, it is also about our usage of electricity. Unfortunately, electricity is not always eco-friendly.

Our lives at HSE are digital. Laptops, phones, tablets, projectors. We often think digital is eco, but it has a very real cost. Your first micro-action can be targeted by phantom load. The energy devices consume even when they are "off" but plugged in or use energy-saving alternatives. It is connected with the fact that our digital needs like working on laptop, usage of different lightnings are provided by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) or using electricity, which in turn is often generated from the same fossil or other sources (hydroelectric power plants, nuclear power plants, renewable energy sources).

As much as electricity, it is worth mentioning about the usage of water. Use it wisely even at home, reduce the time of taking a shower, turn off the water while you wash the dishes or brush your teeth. Sometimes you consume so much water that you can imagine. I am talking about all our household chores: toilet, shower, laundry, washing the dishes.

Even though most assignments at HSE are submitted online through SmartLMS or Google Forms, students still print a lot: drafts or lecture notes. A rule became simple: if it can be read on a screen, do not print it. For group work, we can use a shared Google Docs/Slides or Miro boards instead of circulating paper copies.

Another subject is transport. We all can imagine how much waste it throws out like gases and carbon footprints. Indeed, now in Moscow we can use electrobuses or electroscooters (but remember that electricity is not always the best way for the environment), but mostly we use metro or common buses. For reducing the usage of transport you can use this scheme: for any destination within a 30-minute walk, would not use any mode of transport. It would be useful both for the environment and for you due to the benefits of walking.

Finally, about food. We have all been in that situation when you bought much more food that you could eat. As a result, half-eaten plates of food are being cleared away. Here you have 2 steps to avoid this problem. Firstly, think with your brain, not only with your stomach. Definitely, sometimes it is hard, but strategic order here is the point. Secondly, start taking smaller portions and going back for seconds only if you are still hungry. Moreover, you can bring a lunchbox if you know you will take food away.

Reusing could be much pleasant than you think

Coffee and tea is a fuel for students' lives, it is a little ritual to bring your coffee in Jeffrey's or in Grusha before classes and then slowly drink it while studying. But disposable cups create mountains of waste.

You can start carrying your thermos, and many baristas on campus give discounts if you bring your own cup. And it may work outside the HSE. For example, in Surf Coffee you can get a 10% discount.

The same works with water bottles: instead of buying plastic ones, you can refill at water coolers around the campus. Hydration is important.

As for bags, shoppers are not just about fashion — they reduce the number of plastic bags used daily. Bring them when you go to the shop or buy a shopper with the HSE logo in the HSE book shop.

It is important to mention clothes. Every girl has such experience: she has a wardrobe full of clothes, but she does not know what to wear. And then she goes and buys the new one. And the cycle repeats. There are 2 different strategies that you can apply. Firstly, you should fettle your wardrobe with a clear-thinking perspective. Do not regret some clothes, be decisive. Next you can give some clothes to your friends or relatives or you can donate them to different organisations. For example, Dobrye Veshi where you can donate some useless stuff for you, but important for other people. This organisation helps people with disabilities, children without parental care, low-income families, large families.

Another strategy is buying clothes in second hands. Nowadays it is a quite popular trend due to the fact that you can afford unusual and vintage clothes. Also you can find some interesting clothes in Avito, there is a numerous selection of clothes.

All these actions are a direct rejection of the fast-fashion, fast-consumption model and the first step for sustainable consumption.

Recycling is a responsibility

You can easily notice HSE's eco-friendly efforts on campuses like Pokrovka, where separate bins for different types of waste have been installed. Even though they are not always used perfectly, they are a good initiative.

But remember that you should approach recycling wisely. It is not as simple as you think. You can observe some of the guides from Ozon and Cian with the rules of recycling.

When you throw everything in one bin and think: "Sorting is useless anyway. No one cares". If 1000 would think like this and other 200 think about our planet, the situation, unfortunately, would not be better. But you can always change your mind and convert these 200 into 1000.

Green HSE

If you feel that you are ready for more — you can join Green HSE. This HSE organisation is about ecology, saving our planet and community.

Here some of the projects that they are responsible for:

lectures and seminars about ecology
eco-festivals
clothes swapping
master classes connected with ecology

These tips are not so hard. Firstly, we can think that they are insignificant to our environment. But remember that all our even tiny actions and intelligent choices would help our planet.

References

Eco-tips for everyone who cares

The concept of 3R

Reduce (= use less)

Reuse (= use things again)

Recycle (= new life for materials)

Reduce whatever you can

Reusing could be much pleasant than you think

Recycling is a responsibility

Green HSE

Written by

Anastasia Zelenina

observing student life

Eco-tips for everyone who cares

The concept of 3R

Reduce (= use less)

Reuse (= use things again)

Recycle (= new life for materials)

Reduce whatever you can

Reusing could be much pleasant than you think

Recycling is a responsibility

Green HSE

Written by

Anastasia Zelenina