Sustainability is about looking after our planet for future generations. Student Ambassador, Luisa Göhmann has put together some suggestions of changes you can make to your lifestyle to become more sustainable. While these changes may be small, they can still have a big impact.

Being mindful of your impact on the environment will probably not be your first priority during your
studies here at UL. However, there are a few things you can easily integrate into your everyday life to
live more environmentally conscious. Here, you will find a list of easy but impactful actions you can
take – even if you are on a budget!
The first one is very simple:

Walk – or go by bike!

UL has a beautiful campus with tons of gorgeous paths that you will not get to see if you take the bus
or a taxi, so why not go by foot or by bike? Don’t worry if you don’t own a bike – if you live on campus, you can easily rent one at your village reception for free!
If you want to go into the city centre, simply cycle along the riverbank walk that follows the river
Shannon and it will take you to the city centre in just about 15 to 20 minutes. Besides gorgeous views
and the calming nature surrounding you, there also is public lighting and CCTV monitoring along this
way to improve safety.

Give your clothes a new life!

Your shirt doesn’t fit you anymore? You tidied up your closet and found jeans you haven’t worn in
years? Give them another life instead of throwing them away! Oxfam Limerick is an independent,
non-profit organisation and they run a charity shop in the city centre, so if you have clothes,
accessories, or even books you don’t need anymore, simply bring them to the shop and donate them.
Find out more here.

Join the UL Environmental Society!

With a ton of projects and events, the UL Environmental Society raises awareness for climate change
and encourages environmentally sustainable practices! In the past, they have run recycling
awareness competitions, set up a thrift shop on-campus and hosted repair cafés, and there’s still
more to come in the future.
So if you want to get involved and actively make a change, join the EnviroSoc and share your ideas!
You can find out more on their website.

Make sustainable choices!

Whenever possible, try to shop environmentally conscious. This could include bringing your own tote
bag or simply re-use the plastic or paper bags you got from another shopping trip.
For grocery shopping in general, make sure to check out The Urban Co-op in Limerick City – they offer
local produce, are vegetarian and vegan friendly and aim to promote a zero waste lifestyle!
Look at their website here.

Buy/bring your own reusable cup or bottle!

Although disposable cups are becoming more and more sustainable, it is still a lot better to avoid
them (and the waste they produce) altogether! Sure, remembering to bring your own cup might
seem tedious, but it’s definitely worth it: In a lot of cafés on and off-campus, you get a discount if you
bring your own cup!
You can get your own at almost every café, grocery store or home appliance store in Limerick or even
get a UL cup from the University Shop!

Try vegetarian and vegan options!

Restaurants and Cafés in Limerick City and on campus are very open towards vegetarian and vegan
diet, so you don’t have to search far and wide to find something that suits your needs!
Almost all cafés on campus offer different kinds of plant milk for your coffee and a variety of vegetarian
snacks. (Be sure to check out the Plaza Café in the Glucksman Library – they make delicious veggie
paninis!)
If you would rather eat out, countless restaurants in Limerick City offer vegan and vegetarian options
on their menu, regardless of whether you want to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner! (My personal
favourites include The Cornstore, Coqbull Limerick, House Limerick, and Off The Bone).

The University of Limerick as an organisation works towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
(read more about UL’s sustainability projects here). Together with more than 16,000 students here at
UL, we can make a big difference.
Every small step counts, so let’s tackle this together!

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