From advice on what seasonal produce to buy and how to cut electricity bills, to ideas for eco-holidays in the UK and abroad, via the latest gadget for siphoning your bath water into your garden, author Kate Aydin offers a vast array of ways in which cash-strapped students can save money and time while striding towards a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle.
The guide includes simple and frank explanations of the environmental state of affairs, including a chapter highlighting the scarcity of clean water - something Britons rarely realise is a problem in the UK - and introducing the concept of ‘water footprints'.
Practical suggestions come in categories of "light green" simple tips for the busier student to a stronger "call to action" for those prepared to lobby influential figures.
While Aydin does not pretend the solutions are perfect, statistics such as ‘18,000 students unplugging their chargers when their phones have charged would save enough electricity to light 31 houses for one year' give inspiration that thinking outside the non-degradable polystyrene burger box really is worth it in terms of planet-saving.
By counting energy use in pounds as well as kg of CO2, this book will coax even the least green student into making changes by appealing to their overdrafts, and many readers will find attainable ideas that will stay with them for life, even beyond their loan repayments.
How to Save the Planet on a Student Budget by Kate Aydin (£6.99 Oneworld)
