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Final exam week is around the corner and it can be a stressful time. Amid pages of reading, endless facts to memorize and papers to write, it might seem impossible to fit in some time for the environment.
Luckily, this hectic time at the end of the semester contains opportunities for you to successfully study in an eco-friendly way. In a light-hearted response to the chaotic study sessions soon to ensue, here are some tips to green-up finals week.
Hold off on index cards
For fill-in-the-blank, identification or multiple-choice tests, flashcards are the study tool of choice. These types of exams involve memorizing a lot of information or being able to recall facts by just seeing a word or two. This usually means buying a plastic-packaged pile of index cards to assist in this task.
Instead of opting for the index cards, look for scrap paper that you can use. Cutting strips and folding them in half so that both sides are blank will save paper, plastic and money. If the test is not cumulative, there are probably old handouts that otherwise would have gotten little use for the final exam.
Choose your caffeine wisely
Caffeine is a college student's best friend. Whether it be coffee, soft drinks or energy drinks, we all have used a caffeine kick to get a few extra hours of studying done when we feel our eyelids getting heavy.
When it comes to coffee, there are many shops that offer fair trade coffee. A lot of them are locally owned as well, so you are supporting the local economy as well as fair wages for the farmers who harvested the coffee beans. For energy drinks, make sure the refreshment comes in an aluminum can because it is most efficient of all drink containers when recycled.
Go easy on the printer
There's nothing more frustrating than having to print out 30-page articles in order to study for a test, and it can get costly and wasteful. Each page costs money to print at the library, and printing from home means buying paper and ink cartridges. Often, after highlighting the important information, it's evident that a fraction of those pages are actually important for studying.
One solution is to read online and take notes on a piece of scrap paper. Not only are you eliminating the excessive paper use, but you're rewriting notes and retaining information, which can be more beneficial than highlighting your notes.
If highlighting is your method of choice, read the notes and print out the pages that have necessary information. You're retaining information by re-reading it, and you can be sure all paper you use has important information.
Take some time to relax
Spending hours upon hours reading and going through notes without a break doesn't give your brain time to rest and process information. For at least 15 minutes every hour or so, take a breather and do something calming. Hit up a yoga class or go for a stroll around campus and enjoy the outdoors. Becoming hooked on video games or "America's Next Top Model" marathons will waste energy while also slowing down your own productivity.
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