England: Stella Newman (Sustainability in London)

Sustainability in London 

Living in London has prompted me to partake in sustainable practices that I might otherwise not have. Like many European countries, air conditioning is scarce in London. Alternatively, people open up the windows at the cool points in the day/night and close them at peak heat. This allows rooms to be naturally cooled. As fall has approached we have begun to do the opposite to keep our rooms at warmer temperatures. We open the windows at peak heat and close them when night approaches. Although my family is conservative with heating and cooling by U.S standards it is not the norm to do this back in Wisconsin.

In an effort to save money, I have begun hand washing much more clothing and air drying just about everything. This is both sustainable because it uses less water and is an amazing money saver for someone on a budget. I have been an avid air dryer for many years but rarely hand-washed clothing in the past. I imagine that when I go back I will continue with this suitable practice.

As I could only bring a few suitcases to London I lacked many household items such as pen holders, organizers, and Tupperware. I have become very resourceful and up-cycle old boxes into closet organizers, soup cans into pencil holders, and pickle jars into Tupperware. Before
London, I often discarded items such as these into the trash, but now I see them as free organizers.

Both the British way of life and the tight budget of a college student have forced me to become more resourceful and sustainable. They have pushed me to become more sustainable in ways I may not have thought of before.

Stella Newman

Major: International Studies and Spanish

Hometown: Middleton, Wisconsin