EAT GREEN WHILE AT CNU • The food at CNU is exceptionally good! Encourage your students to try it out before purchasing additional food. Our dining halls have vegan and vegetarian options for all meals. • Shop for food the day of move in. This decreases the likelihood of buying food your student will not eat, limiting food waste generated and is less for you to haul from home. • Invest in reusable bags for your student’s grocery trips.These are much easier to carry inside and will decrease the amount of plastic bags laying around your student’s room. • Send your Captain to campus with several microwave safe food containers made of glass or silicone. This decreases food waste, limits exposure to potentially harmful compounds that can leach from plastics when they are heated and allows for safe food storage. • Purchase reusable dishes and silverware for your students. These items are often less expensive than continually purchasing single use items. A good on-the-go reusable utensil kit and a quality reusable water bottle made of stainless steel or glass are also essential!
MOVING IN • Invest in durable plastic totes - You're going to be moving your Captain at least once a year for at least the next four years. Reusable plastic tubs will keep their stuff safe and dry and make it easier to get it in and out of your new space. You can even save space and offer to bring them back with you when you leave campus. • Empty, flatten and recycle boxes - Your next best bet for a greener move-in container is a cardboard box. Students can even keep them under their bed or in the closet for when you're moving out. When you're ready to dispose of both cardboard boxes and the boxes of any new items come in, empty all contents, including foam, packing paper, plastic bags and flatten your boxes. You can take them to the trash rooms for recycling. • Get thrifty - Many of the items your student will need for residence hall living don't need to be brand new, so think about stocking up at a local thrift store. When you buy here in Newport News it's less for you to bring from home, which lightens your load and your carbon footprint! CNU has some great thrift stores just down the road that will have many of the things you're looking for and at a bargain.
For more information on sustainable living at CNU, check out the Student Sustainable Living Guide by scanning this QR code and/or visit us at cnu.edu/sustainability.
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