On 13 September Lund University alumni gathered in Malmö for an After Work about “Sustainable Lifestyles”. We took the opportunity to ask some of our alumni how they try to live sustainably.
Name: Anna
Studies: Law, 2017
What do you do to live a sustainable life?
1. I try to repair broken things instead of throwing them away.
2. I don’t buy plastic bags.
3. I try to avoid dairy products (since I can’t say no to cheese and the occasional burger).
Name: Allisa
Studies: Media and Communications, 2017
What do you do to live a sustainable life?
1. Meal planning for the week so I buy the right amount of food.
2. Reduce plastic use.
3. Eat less meat.
Name: Jian
Studies: Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science, 2014
What do you do to live a sustainable life?
1. I don’t have a car. I usually use public transportation and if I need a car I use a car sharing service.
2. I only buy second hand clothes to my children.
3. Eat less meat.
Name: Amanda
Studies: Lund University employee, Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
What do you do to live a sustainable life?
1. I try to avoid the big impact things, like flying.
2. I don’t have a car.
3. Eat vegetarian.
Name: Andrei
Studies: Logistics, Service Management, 2015
What do you do to live a sustainable life?
1. I take the bike to work.
2. Use public transportation.
3. I try to limit my purchases, for example reducing the consumption of clothes.
Name: Robert
Studies: Bachelor of science in statistics, Bachelor of science in business and administration, as well as Masters of Science in Finance, 2015
What do you do to live a sustainable life?
1. During the summer-time, I always bike.
2. I use cotton bags when shopping and energy-saving lights.
3. I also make sure that I turn off the lights when leaving a room.
4. I never throw away my old clothes, but give them to charity instead. Before I give away the clothes, I always make sure to repair them.
Name: Georgia
Studies: Masters in Asian Studies. 2018
What do you do to live a sustainable life?
1. I bike a lot.
2. I have also consciously made the decision to eat less meat.
3. Making use of reusable mugs, cotton bags when shopping, and trying not to consume too much, are other things I do to live a sustainable lifestyle.
Name: Louise
Studies: Bachelors in Contemporary Swedish, Literature, Contemporary English and Media and Communications Studies
What do you do to live a sustainable life?
1. I actively take the train. A great adventure tip is to go interrailing in Europe as an adult; it is easy, fun and very rewarding.
2. I do not own a car, I never have, but for me this has never been a sacrifice. There are adequate car sharing alternatives.
3, Currently, I am studying to become a Sustainability Specialist. This has lead me to wonder how one should approach the subject of sustainable living to other people, without being perceived as ‘preachy’ and pretentious. Because it is not about being perfect, it is about tweaking your own behaviour to gradually become more aligned with the planetary boundaries that we all have to live within.