* Reserve a room at a “green” hotel: The Green Hotels Association (www.greenhotels.com) has a list of hotels in every state that have implemented programs to conserve resources and reduce waste. During check-in, request that sheets and towels be changed only if they’re left on the floor and leave a note for the housekeeping staff asking that the air conditioning be turned off when you’re not in the room.

* Planes, trains or automobiles? Make the right choice: Carpooling in a fuel-efficient vehicle has the least impact on the environment (ask car rental companies about hybrid vehicles). On longer trips, consider taking the train instead of flying. A transcontinental flight generates 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions; train travel creates between 4 and 15 percent of the CO2 emissions (depending on the length of the trip). Bonus: You can avoid long lines at the airport and get a glimpse of parts of the country you could never see from the air.

* Pack light: Excess weight in the trunk of the car (or in the cargo hold on the plane) will decrease your gas mileage. In the car, every 100 pounds of cargo decreases fuel efficiency by 2 percent. It might not sound like much but it adds up on a round-trip to the beach, so only pack the essentials.

* Slather on biodegradable sunscreen: Sunscreen is essential for summer vacation but the same ingredients that help protect against UV exposure might be harming marine life. Scientists have found a link between dying coral reefs and the estimated 6,000 tons of sunscreen that wash off of swimmers every year. Biodegradable sunscreens are made with ingredients that break down in seawater and won’t harm marine life.

The Green Year (December 2008, $14.95, ISBN: 9781592578290, Alpha Books), provides 365 simple and inexpensive eco-friendly ideas for each day of the year. Organized by date, the green living tips suggest small changes and environmentally friendly ideas that make a big green impact. The Green Year is more than a calendar.  It offers practical, affordable and engaging activities that help make going green a blessing rather than a burden.

About the Author
Jodi Helmer is a freelance writer who specializes in writing about eco-friendly topics. Her work has appeared in Plenty, Yoga Journal, Women’s Health, Natural Solutions, Backpacker, Woman’s Day, Family Circle and American Way. She is the co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Careers and a professional speaker who offers workshops on green issues. Helmer also maintains a website, www.green-year.com. She lives in Charlotte, NC.

Anyway, Halloween costumes and parties are a great opportunity to have fun with friends, find some ridiculous costumes to wear, and just let loose. So, I bring to you, 10 Great Halloween Costumes for College Students. All of these costumes can be purchased at Prank Place. Order soon to make sure you get your costume by Halloween!

Choke The Chicken Costume

Rub the Genie In A Bottle

Giant Boob Costume

His & Her Plug & Socket Costume

Breathalyzer - Blow Here Costume

The Shocker Costume

Rock Out with Your Cock Out Costume

Hung Like A Horse Costume

Wet T-Shirt Contest Winner Costume

Spin and Win Roulette Costume

Again, you can order from Prank Place if you are interested in any of these Halloween Costumes.

Sell Water

It was a boiling day, and cafes were absolutely packed out, the thing I wanted most was a bottle of water. Seriously, I would have paid good money to have a drink I could carry round with me…it is a long walk from the car to the dorms! Buy big multi-packs, walk round with some kind of “cooler bag” and charge 2.5x the price you got it for!

Carry My Stuff

You could easily make good money by transporting various stuff for parents. I know they would prefer to be taking it easy carrying cushions up five flights of stairs, rather than radios, stationary and other annoying items. Which is where you come in. Added bonus: you get a nice start to your college workout plan. Chris had a great post about this topic in July.

Sell those “little extras”

Students are always going to forget things. The little things you never remember, like light bulbs, computer accessories (Many will forget the wire for the internet), toothpaste and other odd bits. If you are there with the right products at the right time, then there may be a nice little profit to be made.

Guided tours of the area

I don’t know about you, but moving into a new place is a bit daunting. So why not offer some kind of tour around the local area? This idea will need some working on, to get the logistics sorted, but essentially you could have some kind of tour taking in the main areas that students need, shops etc.

Food on order

For those people moving into self catered accommodation, getting your food sorted for the first week is a hassle. You could order it before, and take it up with you, but that is a lot of food to keep cool and a lot of space that is wasted. You could buy it when you get there, but it is still a lot of hassle getting everything sorted while you’re trying to move in, the shops are bound to be packed anyway, so why not make life easier for you and everyone else with you? You could set up a service where you take orders and buy the food before they get there, Charge a for storage and logistics, and a bit on top, and you could come out with a tidy sum.

So, there you go! A few ideas to help you take advantage of moving in day…some of these ideas are small scale, and some may require a lot more planning, some of the ideas need refining, some are ready made and some are ready to go. I hope at the very least they have acted as a spring board, but there is always an opportunity somewhere so keep looking out for it! I hope these ideas have got you thinking about the next academic year!

Hope you enjoyed the post, have you made any money on moving in day? Leave your ideas and experiences in the comment box below!

Sophie

I think it is interesting how closely golf in the workplace can be compared to drinking and partying in college. Being on the golf course with clients, potential clients, or co-workers allows for a great networking opportunity that you probably can not get anywhere else. The 3-4 solid hours that you are with someone will allow for all kinds of discussions beyond anything you would get in the workplace, over the phone, or via email. The social interaction that comes from golfing with co-workers, people you spend most of your day with, allows for you to make better connections with them as well as build great friendships.

On top of networking, it is a time to cut loose and have some fun out of the office. Golf can be a relaxing activity for some or it can be just as bad as working. It depends on how competitive you are and who you are playing with. I’m playing with a couple co-workers as well as my managers boss (in otherwords, my top boss). They are all experienced golfers, enjoy it, and like to win. I like to win but I have no experience, this will lead to a good time I hope.

All of the advantages that come with playing golf (mainly networking, social activities, and a release from the office) can be directly compared to that of drinking and partying at college. Students make some of their best friends at college parties. In classes, you may work with people in a group, but never hang out with them until you all of the sudden see them doing a keg stand in the closet at an apartment. Your network can increase exponentially at a single party and keep multiplying throughout the full school year. I even liked to talk business at parties. It is great because people are more loose due to the alcohol and willing to open up more – it really allows for more interaction and real conversation. On top of that, partying is a way to release the stress of classes, projects, and tests just like golf is a way to get away from work for a couple hours.

The difference between the two? Your head will probably hurt a little more the day after partying then after playing golf.

Hopefully I’ll be able to find out the difference between a 9 iron and a wedge before hitting the course. I guess I don’t have enough time to read a Golf for Dummies book, do I? Google can only help me for a few minutes this time. Thank god we are playing best ball, so it does not really matter how far or where I hit mine.

Here goes nothing – time to hit the range…FOUR!

It comes down to this one reason – did I decide on the right major? More and more I wonder if going the “business degree route” was the right decision. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love business and am happy that I did it. However, I am wondering if it I should have tried to do something else as well.

I know I have had a lot of great experiences related to everything I did in college and am extremely grateful for them; however, I wonder…could I have done more? Should I have done more? Damn it…I hate when this happens. I hate second guessing decisions especially when they have been over for a while or when they cost a lot of money, like a college education. A lot of students switch majors in the middle of school or even during their last year, but I knew I couldn’t do that.

Anyone else feel like that? I’m curious how many other people second guess the position that they are in right now in their life – right after you have graduated from college and right before you start “the real world”. I am in the awkward position of not knowing what I really want to do and wondering if what I am going to start doing is what I want to do at all.

Sorry for the rant! Just trying to think about it out loud!