#GOGREEN: How College Students Are Going Green!

College students from all around are finding more and more ways to make the transformation to a greener lifestyle.

Elon University, located in Elon, N.C., is big on sustainability and making sure that students have plenty of opportunities to lead an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Here are a few stories of students around the campus following the #gogreen trend.

Carolyn Fonzi, a senior at Elon, says her entire apartment is centered on being “green.” Fonzi works on being healthy by training for marathons, and on her days off taking a swim to stay in shape.

“I love running,” said Fonzi. “It gives you a goal and makes you feel ten times better when you exercise.”

Fonzi and her roommates also make weekly trips to the farmers market to buy organic and locally grown produce.

Zach Hollingsworth, a junior at Elon, tries to be as efficient as possible and is working on a project for sustainability around Elon’s campus. Hollingsworth keeps his house eco-friendly by using chemical-free cleaning products, recycling plastic ware and by using as much natural light as possible. Hollingsworth’s apartment also recycles and makes weekly trips to the local co-op to support local farmers.

“It’s an easy thing to do,” said Hollingsworth. “If it’s not difficult and it’s more beneficial for our environment, then there’s not reason not to do it.”

Ashley Stoddard, a senior at Elon, finds being environmentally friendly to be extremely important. Stoddard takes short showers, and turns off faucets when brushing her teeth and shaving to make sure she’s conserving as much water as possible. One of Stoddard’s biggest concerns is fuel.

“I try to carpool as much as I can,” said Stoddard. “ I’ll even ride my bike to the grocery store. Anything I can do to reduce my carbon footprint.”

Stoddard attends weekly Zumba classes on campus and always buys local produce from the Elon farmers market.

Dash Jepsen says that getting people to live a sustainable lifestyle is a significant thing to do. Jepsen and the rest of his housemates work to minimize chemicals in their household by using eco-friendly, multi-purpose cleaners. According to Jepsen, individuals need to make these small changes into sustainability.

“I think a big thing is that it’s not politically friendly to be sustainable,” said Jepsen. “As people, we need to tell public officials that it’s something we as people need and want to happen.”

Nicholas Stringfellow, a senior at Elon, goes to the local parks 3-5 times a week to keep in shape and work out in an outside setting. When feasible, Stringfellow tries to buy local, organic produce and make his own bottled drinks, rather than buying pre-packaged sodas and teas.

“I like to conserve water when I can,” said Stringfellow. “Our apartment never buys plastic bottles and we each have our own reusable bottle to use to cut down on waste.”

Students on every campus are following the “go green” trend. Let us know how your campus is going green by using the hash tag (#gogreen)!