Sustainability in university residence: how to reduce your environmental impact

Living in a university residence or college isn’t just a time for studying and living together: it can also be an opportunity to adopt more responsible habits for the planet. At Olarain, we believe that sustainability is built every day, with small gestures and collective initiatives that multiply the positive impact.

In this article, we’ll tell you how we put this into practice at our residence and what you can do to reduce your environmental footprint while living here.

Olarain Nature: Sustainability as a way of life

Sustainability is part of our DNA. That’s why we created Olarain Nature, a program that combines ecological awareness with everyday, collective actions that promote a more sustainable lifestyle.

As part of our commitment to personal and academic growth, in addition to personalized attention and support, we want to be a place where you can engage with the world. We promote initiatives for environmental care and sustainability, through local and responsible consumption, making our space more sustainable and participating in actions to protect nature.

We are not talking about specific activities, but rather about a shared culture, in which from the dining room to the laundry room, including energy and mobility, we seek to live in a more environmentally friendly way.

Furthermore, all this is framed within our Environmental Plan, which helps us organize, measure and continuously improve our impact.We integrate sustainability into every aspect of our accommodation, seeking to achieve minimal waste, emissions and pollution.. Because taking care of the environment and people is our vocation.

Renewable energy and efficiency

As a key step towards self-consumption and emissions reduction, we have installed solar panels on the rooftops. Thanks to this initiative, we generate renewable energy that powers Olarain.

100% of the energy is guaranteed to be of GdO origin thanks to the photovoltaic panels. This has also helped us reduce our CO2 footprint, and the financial savings are considerable.

Beyond the numbers, it’s a way of leading by example: sustainability can’t just be a value; it has to be translated into real action.

Responsible food consumption and sustainable dining

The dining room is one of the spaces where our commitment is most clearly reflected:

• He 50% of the menusThey are prepared with organic, local or nearby products (Km0).
• We have minimized the use of single-dose and single-use packaging.
• We control the food waste with a daily weigh-in.
• Consumption is encouraged seasonal foods
• Jaso ta Jan Program: We facilitate the consumption of daily menu in briefcases reusable, instead of disposable material, when they cannot consume it in the dining room.
• We participated in the initiative Zero Plastic From Donostia – San Sebastián: we provide water in jugs.

The result is tangible: in 2024 we managed to reduce 18% food waste compared to the previous year, thanks to the awareness and involvement of residents.

Sustainable habits in everyday life

Small gestures also count, and a lot:

Eco-friendly and efficient laundry

At Olarain, we believe that sustainability is also built into the most everyday activities, like doing laundry.

That’s why, in our self-service laundry we use eco-certified detergents ‘Ecolabel’ and water-soluble capsules, which guarantee an effective cleaning with a lower environmental impact This system avoids single-use plastics, reduces packaging waste, and optimizes water and energy consumption.

In addition, we have a grease decanter which protects groundwater, preventing polluting leaks.

The implementation of this sustainable laundry model has allowed us to achieve very specific benefits:

• Waste reduction by eliminating plastic packaging and using recycled and recyclable products.
  
• Resource optimization thanks to the use of highly concentrated products, which require less transportation and storage.
  
• Smaller carbon footprint, a result of choosing ‘Climate Neutral?’ products, reducing packaging, and optimizing transportation.

Responsible urban mobility

We promote sustainable mobility Walking, cycling, carpooling, and public transport are all ways to reduce emissions and protect the environment. 

We promote environmentally friendly alternatives, with an electric car charger, parking so you can store your bike, and a rental service if you don’t have one.

Solidarity and awareness actions

We launched and participated in cleanup actions on beaches and mountains to take care of our natural environment. And in our daily lives, we promote small gestures towards a more environmentally responsible accommodation: 

• water consumption control
• responsible use of electricity and air conditioning
• waste management: We reduce, classify, and manage waste using biodegradable and continuous bags.

Every conscious daily action counts, and together we can create real change.

A measurable commitment

Good intentions alone aren’t enough to move forward. That’s why we’ve taken firm steps, such as:

• Get the EU Ecolabel seal, which certifies that our management meets high environmental standards.
• Get the stampI reduce from the Ministry for Decarbonization.
• Reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and offset them through Naturklima Voluntary Carbon Fund.
• Rigorously calculate our carbon footprint (scope 3).
  

This is how we ensure that our actions have a real and measurable impact. Sustainability isn’t a trend; it’s a purpose embedded in our DNA.

What can you do as a resident?

In addition to joining collective initiatives, you can adopt simple habits in your daily life. Here are some ideas:

• Serve yourself only what you are going to eat and avoid waste.
• Limit endless showers and control water consumption.
• Turn off the lights and unplug devices when not in use.
• Use air conditioning responsibly: If the air is on, do not leave the window open.
• Separate and recycle responsibly.
• Treat the residence as if it were your own home.
• Choose options whenever possible for sustainable mobility: bike, public transport, car sharing. 

At Olarain, living in a university residence also means being part of a community committed to the planet. We are committed to sustainability that goes beyond mere words, but rather becomes a shared lifestyle.

Because reducing environmental impact, in addition to being a responsibility, is an opportunity to learn, live together, and grow with awareness.