Living In The Green World

Every year, high school students applying to university (and their parents) lose sleep, time and hair worrying over which college will fulfill their academic, vocational, artistic and other ambitions. And those serious about their environmental concerns will be just as focused on the green credentials of the institution they'll be funding for four years. If they're lucky, they're headed to a school like the University of South Carolina, which is home to one of the world's few LEED-certified green residence halls, the Silver-rated Green West Quad.

Serving double duty as residence hall and educational medium, the Green Quad complex includes three residential buildings, which house around 500 undergrads, and the Learning Center for Sustainable Futures, a research and educational facility focused on environmentalism and community development.

"We wanted to make it like a green bubble for the campus and community," says David Whiteman, faculty principal of the Quad and director of the learning center. But, he says, "We're also trying to look holistically at the entire social economic system that needs to be in place to have a sustainable society," noting that, this fall, they'll start a community garden and host seminars on local food.

The complex is outfitted with features standard to most LEED-certified buildings: solar panels, recycled materials, a green roof and low-VOC paints and finishes. But it also has a few unique aspects, like a changing room to encourage bike commuting and a five-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell that generates a small portion of the complex's energy and is also used as a teaching tool for the university's chemical engineering program.

Green residence halls are slowly but surely spreading across the country, appearing on both coasts at Portland State in Oregon, the University of California-Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. Their rarity, while making them unique, can seem frustrating to college students looking for an eco oasis during those four stressful years.

Fortunately, the idea of a green dorm isn't limited to LEED certification or hydrogen-fuel electricity generators. What's more, you can create your own oasis without spending a ton of money. Just think used. Buying second-hand goods, or helping your parents unload their unwanted stuff (like that beanbag chair your brother wanted so badly but never sat in), is the greenest way to outfit a dorm room. If your family attic and basement come up empty, then frequent web sites like www.craigslist.org or www.freecycle.com where you can barter your way to a greener education.

If all your efforts at seeking used alternatives leave you with holes on your list, buy products like the following that can be reused as long as possible.

Bedding

Conventional cotton is responsible for up to 25 percent of the insecticides used worldwide, so look for 100 percent organic cotton or bamboo sheet sets. West Elm also sells affordable organic cotton sheets, which are colored with low-impact dyes to spruce up your room ($29-119; www.westelm.com), and Bed Bath & Beyond sells a bamboo twill set ($40-80; www.bedbathandbeyond.com). Pair those with an old quilt or blanket from home and a Natura Organic Cotton Comforter (call for discount pricing; www.natural-beds-pillows.com, 800-278-5004) and Greenfeet's recycled polyester-filled Eco-Basics pillow ($18.50; www.greenfeet.com).

Bath

If your dorm room is suite style, chances are you have your own bathroom. PEVA shower curtains by Ikea ($8.99; www.ikea.com) are affordable alternatives to shower curtains made with PVC vinyl, which not only contains hormone-disrupting phthalates but is also the most environmentally damaging plastic, releasing carcinogenic dioxin into the atmosphere during production. PEVA contains no chlorine (the source of dioxin) or phthalates.

You'll also want to keep a pair of shower shoes handy if you share your shower with other people in your room or on your floor. Try Simple Shoes' Toetami, made from rubber and PVC alternative, EVA ($28; www.simpleshoes.com). Before you shower, check out our Dirty Dozen Smart Shopper's Card to make sure the products you're using are free of nasty hormone disrupting and petroleum-based chemicals. Remember to cut that shower down to five minutes and dry off with an organic cotton terry towel set from Pottery Barn ($8-26; www.potterybarn.com).

Decoration

Get thrifty and decorate your room to fit your personality. Shop at local thrift and craft stores for unique frames and artwork, or scour online Web sites, like Wow Imports (www.wow-imports.com) or Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org), for items that are fairly traded. Or make your own wall decorations with pictures from old magazines to create collages! Tack up photos of family and friends and leave yourself reminders on The Container Store's 100 Percent Recycled Rubber Bulletin Board ($25-35; www.thecontainerstore.com). Again, keep your eyes open at home for things you'll want to take to school with you. An old flower pot can make a great pen holder with a fresh coat of paint.

Before plunking down tons of money on a brand new rug that will just end up covered in everything from mud to cookie crumbs, stop by some of the carpet stores in town (or check out Craigslist) and ask if they sell or give away discontinued-carpet samples. You can make a colorful area rug with rescued carpet tiles tacked to the floor with double-sided tape. An added bonus: it's easier to clean one stained tile than an entire rug. Otherwise, Abundant Earth sells affordable hemp area rugs in a variety of colors and sizes ($65.95 and up; www.abundantearth.com).

Electronics

Let's face it—we're a generation raised by technology, so naturally you'll be bringing a TV, DVD player and MP3 player, along with your computer and printer. Plug everything, including your cell phone charger, into power strips that you can turn off when you're gone. For your calculator, use NiMh rechargeable batteries ($7/4 mercury-free Pure Energy brand AAA rechargeable alkaline batteries; www.sundancesolar.com). Finally, to brighten up your room, replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs and reduce carbon emissions by nearly 150 pounds. Try Ikea or Wal-Mart for the lowest prices on CFLs and powerstrips.

If you're looking for a more eco-friendly TV or computer, see "Bigger Isn't Better: Choosing TVs and Computers."

Kitchen

Whether you're just getting back from work at your campus newspaper or a workout at the university's fitness center, nothing beats a good snack. Be sure to stock your Energy-Star-rated three-in-one refrigerator/freezer/microwave from MicroFridge ($389; www.microfridge.com) (which not only saves energy but also resources and less packaging than if you bought them separately) with lots of organic snacks from a local farmer's market. Find one at www.localharvest.org. Microwaves are better than toaster ovens, electric grills and electric frying pans because they concentrate heat, aren't big-time energy suckers and don't pose a fire hazard.

One other caveat: money will be tight, so don't waste it on bottled water when you can get clean, safe drinking water from the tap for free. Refill your SIGG stainless steel reusable water bottle ($20; www.mysigg.com) everywhere you go.

Storage

Lugging all your stuff to school is a pain, not to mention generates tons of waste. Borrow luggage and duffle bags from your family to haul your clothes, and if they'll let you, use them year round to store out-of-season items. If need be, pack in cardboard boxes that can easily be broken down and recycled rather than disposable plastic bags. Since cardboard can attract roaches and silverfish, it's not good for long-term storage, so look for PVC-free bags and containers. Not only is PVC an environmental scourge, it can discolor clothing and linens.

At the end of the year, instead of spewing unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions by renting a van or truck to bring everything back home, consider putting your belongings in a storage facility (check with your university's Residence Life office for a facility near you).

Once you lighten the eco footprint of your dorm room, you can focus your attention on greening the rest of your campus, like getting the administration to serve local, organic food in the dining hall or to switch to sweatshop-free college apparel. And, of course, you'll probably need to study for a few exams while you're at it.

Resources

Eco Checklist 2007: Green Gear for the Back-to-School Blues

Green Home Makeover Series

Energy Star: www.energystar.gov

Center for a New American Dream: www.newdream.org