Online learning is a new trend that’s taken over education in both Asian countries and around the globe. Learning online has a vast number of benefits; in many countries the tuition fees are less than those paid to study in a traditional classroom setting, and learning from home with only a laptop and internet connection allows many students to get degrees from top universities that they may not have been able to attend otherwise, with many gaining degrees from institutions overseas. We look at how online education will improve the environment as it gains popularity.

Less Carbon Emissions

With less students traveling to college or university, and instead completing MSN programs online from home, there is likely to be less traffic on the road, leading to a reduction in carbon emissions and road pollution. Since students are one of the groups of people most likely to be using public transport rather than having their own vehicle, the need for public transportation may decrease in popular student cities, reducing the number of vehicles on the road and encouraging cleaner air.

Reducing Energy Use

As students increasingly choose to study from home rather than attend classes, the amount of energy used by colleges, universities and other educational institutions will be reduced. With more students at home studying for their online master of science in nursing from Maryville University, less teaching rooms will be used, allowing colleges to conserve energy. In college libraries, fewer computers will be required, although it’s important to note that many people who study online do so at a nearby campus in order to be able to easily use the facilities available.

Less Paper Waste

Although colleges are increasingly cutting down their use of paper handouts and instead saving lecture notes and other resources to cloud applications where students can access them online, traditional college degree programs are not yet 100% paper-free. However, online courses have managed to achieve this, as their course details are accessed electronically after signing up remotely. As college degrees become more and more digital in format, paper use will decrease.

How Online Students Can Help

If you are currently an online student or think that you would like to enroll on an online learning program in the future, there are many things that you can do in order to use this opportunity to become eco-friendlier and contribute to reducing pollution, waste, and conserving energy. As an online student, you will probably spend a lot of time at home studying, so it’s a good chance to notice things such as where you are wasting energy and making sure that you switch things off that are not in use, for example. Additionally, you might want to take notes digitally and refrain from using a printer to help reduce paper waste. If you do need to use paper, remember to recycle it! As online learning grows in popularity, there are many ways in which it could contribute to a more eco-friendly world in the future.