Sustainable Living in Sheffield: Helpful Advice for Students

Sustainable living isn’t just for eco activists or science majors. If you’re a student in Sheffield, whether you’re international, commuting, mature, or starting fresh, there are simple, budget friendly ways to live greener while saving money and boosting your wellbeing.

Why Is Sustainable Living Important?

You’ll have long heard the stories promoting sustainable living for students around the UK, but the part that gets missed is that is can actually make your life easier. By this we mean that you could enjoy lower bills, fewer bad smelling bins to take out, healthier meals, and improved focus on your your work.

The challenges are also clear though. University life is a busy time, and making sure to keep an eye on your sustainability among lectures, part time jobs, and socialising can be an issue. Who really has time to research eco hacks regularly?

This is why we’ve decided to compile this simple guide to sustainable lifestyles that will help Sheffield students make informed decisions without sacrificing your every day routine.

Small Changes, Big Savings

You don’t need to change everything you do as a student, but simple alterations such as using a bamboo toothbrush can help both your wallet and the planet.

Easy Swaps: 

• Energy efficient lightbulbs are more expensive to buy, but last five times longer than halogen alternatives, and use up to 80% less energy on average.
• Using drying racks over tumble dryers offer a cheaper option to dry wet clothes, and can leave your room smelling fresher.
• Batch cooking can save energy and money.

Set a monthly budget and see how much you save by using these small swaps. You might be surprised how sustainable equals sensible.

Explore Sheffield’s Green Scene

Despite it steel making heritage, Sheffield is one of the UK’s greenest cities. Featuring over 250 parks, gardens, and woodland spaces. Living sustainably in Sheffield is a built in element of your student experience.

There’s plenty of great places to discover, each with a different offering for students. At Endcliffe Park you can take your studying supplies and enjoy the fresh air while you learn. Meanwhile, your friend could be checking out the Regather Co-Op, a unique local hub that sells organic food and hists regular sustainability events.

If you’re in search of a longer day in nature, try the Sheffield Round Walk. It includes 15 miles of parks, woods, and public footpaths. A truly great way to explore the city that’s also a brilliant path for runners or cyclists to build into their training regime.

Eat Smarter and Waste Less

One of the biggest problems within student accommodation is food waste, but it doesn’t need to be. A few new habits can reduce your rubbish pile massively and make mealtimes a more enjoyable experience.

Add a few of these simple steps into your daily routine and you’ll be able to see your environmental impact diminish:

• Visit a local green grocer, butcher, or delicatessen to buy loose produce. This means you buy and cook what you need and reduce the amount of plastic packaging you dispose of.
•  Download Too Good to Go and you’ll be able to visualise your savings. Restaurants across Sheffield are involved in the scheme, so you could secure your favourites at a fraction of the price.
• Order your fridge and cupboards so that you always use the items going out of date first. This means nothing ends up going off at the back of the shelf for months on end.

The average UK household wastes around 4.5 million tonnes of food per year. That’s enough to fill Wembley Stadium over four times. Small changes matter.

Green Travel = Free Exercise

Going to the gym is expensive, and Sheffield is no exception to this rule. Thankfully, the Steel City is one of the most walkable in the country. It is also bike friendly and has a good public transport network that allow you to cut out the notion of taking a car to university.

Sheffield City Council offer a range of handy cycle maps that’ll help you get around the city without risking riding on busy roads.

For those needing to travel slightly longer distance quickly, research the offers that the local bus companies have for students. Many across the UK allow students to travel at a reduced rate.

Buy Less and Share More

Living lightly is all about being smarter with what you buy. Sheffield has a growing network of sharing groups that make it easier to get what you need without buying things new.

For example:

• You could borrow books from the library instead of ordering them online.
• Join a clothes swapping group so that you aren’t buying a new outfit for every trip into town.
• Social Media groups can help you locate second hand items quickly.

Need kitchen gear for just one term? Post on your course group or use student community boards. You’ll often find departing students giving away items they no longer need. A lot of the time, it’s stuff they’ve barely used.

Know Where to Get Help and Information

Sustainability isn’t just about stuff, it’s about support. Whether you’re new to Sheffield or uni life in general, there are services that can help you live sustainably without doing it all on your own.

Useful resources and ideas:

• Sheffield City Council recycling and waste info
• Environmentally focussed student societies.
• Your university’s sustainability team.

Think you’re ready to embark on your own student experience in Sheffield, read our dedicated city page and explore your options.

Time to Live Smarter in Sheffield

When you begin you journey towards being a more sustainability aware student, you won’t be perfect. What matters is that you’re making conscious decisions to help the planet and save yourself some money on the way.

You might create a spreadsheet to track you progress, or just wing it with the knowledge that you’re doing your best to help. Try one tip, then maybe some more, and see how it feels to live a more eco-friendly life in Sheffield.

We’ll see you out there, bike bells ringing and refillable water bottle in hand.