How to Live a Sustainable Life as a Study Abroad Student: Advice from Elisa Checcacci 

Written and Interviewed by Olivia Horne and Alejandra Pabon 

There are many things you have to focus on when you’re studying abroad. Cooking and cleaning for yourself, keeping track of your spending habits, and of course, actually studying. With all these responsibilities, finding time to help the environment may sound difficult. But Elisa Checcacci, our academic advisor, thinks otherwise.     

Growing up Ms. Checcacci was always conscious of how her actions affected the environment. But it wasn’t until 2017, when she watched the documentary “Re-love-ution” that she became dedicated to living a more sustainable life.  

In fact, she has given us a lot of advice on how we can be more sustainable, just by doing these few things.

• 1. Think about the way you travel 

Changing the way we travel is one of the easiest ways to reduce our carbon footprint, as flying has the highest footprint of all transportation methods. The temptation to take regular flights to European destinations is high and understandable, Europe giving students access to so many different countries and cultures, and budget airline flights being so cheap. But the cost we don’t pay in cash, we pay through the damage that climate change is causing and will increasingly cause. 

Choosing to travel around Italy or its neighboring countries as much as possible, and doing so by train or bus instead of flying, is a great way to reduce our carbon footprint without giving up on the fun and growth opportunities that exploring new places offer. Moreover, travelling becomes part of the journey, not a limbo in which you just need to make sure you get from A to B; you slowly see differences in the landscape and have time to process the journey you are going through.  

Ms. Checcacci says that people are always very impressed when she tells them that she is trying to go everywhere in Europe by train, and talks about the incredible experiences and discoveries this is opening up for her. She says that she never receives that same level of interest when she says that she took a flight to Berlin or other European capitals.  

• 2. Eat Less Meat

This may upset any meat-lovers reading, but eating less meat has proven to be effective in helping the environment. Specifically, eating less red meat is quite effective.   

We breed a lot of cows on our planet to keep up with the amount of beef and dairy people consume. But cows produce a lot of methane gas as a byproduct of their high-fiber diet (in less scientific terms, they fart a lot). And that gas is responsible for a lot of air pollution.   

Eating less beef and dairy would lower the demand and need for cows, meaning fewer cows would be bred, and less methane gas would be released.   

It can be difficult to do this when Italian culture is very centered on meat in their food. When Ms. Checcacci told her family she wanted to be a vegetarian to help the environment, her mother begged her to change her mind. But there are plenty of delicious meat-free foods in Italian cuisine, and Florence is filled with vegetarian and vegan restaurants.   

• 3. Recycle (Obviously)  

When you think about helping the environment, recycling is the first thing to come to mind. And fortunately, it’s on Italy’s mind as well. Italy, and the rest of the EU, are very focused on implementing effective methods to reduce pollution and better the environment. That’s why we have a multi-bin recycling system, where different substances have different bins. It’s far better than the U.S.’ recycling system where most things end up dumped into one place.  

Even though it’s difficult sorting through everything and deciding what goes into which bin, the extra few minutes are definitely worth the reduction of waste ending up in the streets.  

Or, better yet, try and use less single-use plastics. Plastic isn’t biodegradable and can stay polluting the Earth for thousands of years. So instead of using plastic bags while shopping, bring tote bags or reuse one from a previous shopping trip. Instead of packing your food in plastic bags, pack it in washable Tupperware. Little things like this can make a big difference.   

• 4. Shop Smarter

Humans are big consumers. Actually, we’re over consumers. We make more things than we need, and whatever doesn’t get bought gets dumped. That’s why reusing is so important. 

Gen Z is already one step ahead with their love for thrifting. Thrift shopping is a great way to prevent clothes and other items from being thrown away, just because they’ve already been used. And of course, with the number of popular thrift shops in Florence and the cheap prices of thrifted clothes, it’s the perfect option for study abroad students. 

There’s more to do beyond thrifting, though. When we get items delivered, a lot of transportation is involved. From having the packing driven from the store to the post office, to the plane flying the package hundreds of miles, to the package being driven to another post office, and then being driven to your house. So much carbon dioxide is emitted from those vehicles moving around. Choosing to shop locally removes all that transportation. Or, if you do need something delivered, picking it up at the post office still reduces the transportation when the package doesn’t have to be driven to your home. 

Photos from Sustainability Night with Elisa Checcacci, organized by Sustainability Leader, Erin Gage. Students viewed documentaries centered around sustainability while eating vegan!

One Last Thing 

It’s easy to suggest all these things, and easy to say you’ll do these things, but it’s difficult to actually act on them. But trying is a good start.  

With everything going on in the world, it may feel like the things we do don’t matter. It may feel like we can’t do anything to help our planet with so many big corporations in charge. 

But Ms. Checcacci told us, “…We are powerful because if we stop wanting something, (these corporations) have to adjust to what we want. We do determine the way things go with our consumption. The more we make choices that are sustainable, the more that at a higher level, they’ll see that they need to change in order to continue selling.” 

The environment is driven by our economy, but our economy is driven by us. Making little changes like these can do wonders for the environment, but only if we start changing ourselves.