How to Live Sustainably as a Student in Wageningen
By Margaréta
Wageningen is a hub for living sustainably not only for the Netherlands, but the whole world. In fact, last year Wageningen University was proclaimed to be the most sustainable university in the world for seventh consecutive year! It goes without saying that we students also play a part in creating a sustainable community in Wageningen. In this blog, I would like to introduce you to some of the practices me and my fellow students do, to reduce our impact on the environment.
Mobility
Wageningen is a small town, which makes it very easy to get around on foot or by bike. Essentially everywhere is within a 15 minute cycle, so there is usually no need to drive a car or take a bus.
Public transport in the Netherlands is very efficient, so you generally don’t need a car even if you are travelling outside of Wageningen. For shorter trips around Wageningen you can also consider cycling – check out our day cycling trips ideas! I have personally lived in the Netherlands for over a year now and in that time I only sat in a car a handful of times.
Shopping
I have to admit that I love shopping. But since I am trying to be a conscious consumer, I am very careful about where I shop and what I buy. When choosing what to buy I try go for durable natural materials, such as wool, that will last me a lifetime. Finding these pieces can be tricky, but thankfully, Wageningen offers many second-hand and thrift shops where you can buy everything: from clothes to household items and bikes.
A trip to a thrift store can sometimes be weird and wonderful.
Another option is Wageningen Student Plaza, a Facebook group where students often advertise second-hand goods. You can also browse Facebook Marketplace, Marktplaats and Vinted. Before buying your textbooks, I would recommend you check out the university library, where you can borrow books for free.
Fun fact: Vinted was actually founded here in Wageningen!
Food
Food is very central to our lives here in Wageningen with so many of us studying food-related topics. When buying food, a lot of students opt for shopping at the local market that takes place every Wednesday and Saturday. Here you can buy fresh produce, cheese, bread and other delicious products. What is more, many of these are locally produced and minimally packaged. I would recommend that you bring along your own reusable shopping bags and containers to further reduce waste.
Market in Wageningen city centre.
There is also a zero-waste shop De Gieterij in the city centre. Here I purchase goods such as rice, beans and cleaning products by weight into my own containers.
Goodies purchased at the market (cat excluded 😂).
A lot of students also make use of the Too Good To Go app where local businesses post their surplus food.
Waste management
When thinking about my waste I always try to follow the 5 R’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot.
The biggest step is to not buy what you don’t need and refusing to buy wasteful products. Shopping at the local market and second-hand store reduces your waste and donating or selling your unwanted items gives them another lease of life. But what can you do about Recycling and Rotting?
Wageningen city has a very good waste management system where you separate paper, glass, plastic and organic waste. When done properly, you will be left with only a very small amount that goes into the regular bin.
The university also has separate bins for plastic, paper, organic and regular waste. Be mindful of the bins in bathrooms. The paper towels are composted and you should therefore only put paper in those bins!
So, this was my very short introduction into living sustainably in Wageningen. To learn more I highly recommend that you check out the The Ultimate Guide on How to live a sustainable life in Wageningen that was published by the Green Office Wageningen. You can also follow them on social media or read their blog for regular updates on their activities.
Happy and sustainable practice!
Cheers,
Margaréta