It’s never been more important to consider the environmental effects of our actions. Businesses across the world are starting eco-friendly initiatives, governments are putting policies into place, and individuals are increasingly concerned with the impact their decisions have on the environment.

If you’re considering a greener way to gain a new qualification, a campus-based degree might not be the best option. When you factor in travel to lectures and print-outs of course materials,

In fact, a study showed that studying online reduces energy consumption by 90% and CO2 emissions by 85%, compared to traditional face-to-face teaching.

Here are some ideas for other ways to be environmentally-conscious while working towards your degree.

 

Use your computer efficiently

Remember to turn off your PC when you’re not using it, set it to “go to sleep” any time you’re away from the keyboard for a few minutes, and refrain from using a screensaver. You can also normally change the settings so that your laptop is using less power in return for a slightly dimmer screen.

 

Take notes digitally

Rather than using pen and paper, try using a digital tool to take notes from your lecturecasts and live Q&As. Tools such as OneNote and Evernote can help you organise your thoughts by module, or you could just stick to a word processing tool.

 

Refrain from printing off course materials

Rather than pressing that print button straight away, consider what value you actually get out of printing all of your course notes. Could you just print out the summaries? Or take screenshots and paste them into your digital notes?

 

Recycle your old notes

When you are finished with a module, or your whole course, dispose of any paper notes you took in an environmentally responsible way. Who knows – one day, another Essex Online student could be taking notes on paper recycled from your old notepads!

 

If all of our students studied in an energy-efficient way, we could make a real difference to the impact we have on the environment.

 

To learn more about which courses are available, download a free copy of our prospectus. Alternatively, contact our friendly Admissions team who are on hand to help guide you through the next steps.