Climate change is on everyone’s mind, even students. So, what can we do? How can we help?

Well, new studies have shown that cutting meat and dairy out of your diet can make a massive difference as meat eaters are responsible for twice as many dietary greenhouse gas emissions than vegetarians and 2.5 times more than vegans.

For students on a budget, cheap food such as rice, lentils, pasta, and tinned beans are all versatile and can make many different vegan meals. As plant-based foods have become more popular over the past few years supermarkets such as Iceland has introduced 13 vegan meat options at affordable prices that can all be frozen.

Another way to help combat climate change is recycling using the different bins provided at your student accommodation. Also using no -waste shops, in which you take your own reusable containers such as jars and tubs to fill with basic foods such as cereals and fruits. Sheffield has many to choose from such as Unwrapped in Crookes, Our Zero Waste located at the University of Sheffield, The Bare Alternative on Abbeydale Road and a delivery service that supplies household and personal items called Bower Collective.

Another way you can help with plastic waste is taking your own reusable bags and choosing foods from supermarkets that are loose and not packaged in plastic. This will also help reduce the amount of waste at your accommodation.

The University of Sheffield has also committed to teaching students about the effects of climate change in hope of educating the next generation of students. This also works towards Sheffield’s target to become zero-carbon by the end of the next decade.

Students can help reach this goal by walking or cycling when exploring the city or commuting to and from their student accommodation.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our blog, ‘Climate Change: How Can Students Help?’ If we can help in any way with your student accommodation in Sheffield please don’t hesitate to contact us.