Back To School – The Green Way

For some of you, back to school season is already here. Others, like myself, still have a few weeks to prepare. There are so many ways to incorporate a green lifestyle into your school-age kids everyday lives and schooling so as we kick off a new school year I thought we could look at some great, simple ways to help your school-age children living a greener life.

Green Your School Supplies: Don’t you love that long list of school supplies they send home each year? Imagine the amount of paper and school supplies that are being purchased at this time of year! School supplies are a great place to start being green. Look for products that are organic, non-toxic and/or made from recycled materials. The Green Office has made it even simpler for you. This year they are offering Back To School Kits that contain earth-friendly school supplies for school age children, and they are affordable to.

Green Homework: While you might not have as much control over what is done AT school, you can control how green your children’s homework habits are. You can make notebooks for practicing, coloring, etc by collection scrap paper you find around the house and stapling the blank sides together into a makeshift notebook. This helps keep paper waste to a minimum.

Green Backpacks: A backpack is a most of pretty much every school age child. There are now a number of companies offering all natural, organic backpacks. These are a wise alternative to the common vinyl backpacks that are made from PVC – polyvinyl chloride, an extremely environmentally hazardous material. Organic hemp or even recycled rubber backpacks are strong and sturdy, stylish and eco-friendly. Downbound.com offers a number of different styles and colors, like the one shown here. My kids would love a natural colors one like this that they could personalize themselves with markers, but they also come in brown, green, black, blue and there were even a few in pink!

Green Wardrobes: Did you know that 84 pounds of pesticides were reported to be sprayed onto the 14.4 million areas of cotton fields in 2000? You can green your child’s wardrobe by choosing pesticide-free organic cotton clothing or pesticide free wool clothing. For a green mom who is also a frugal mom – second-hand clothing is a great way to reuse and recycle. Local cosignment shops, thrift store, church sales and yard sales often provide gently used clothes that have plenty of wear left in them.

Green School Lunches: Many children carry lunches to school and one of the best ways to go green is to use reusable materials as much as possible. The first step is to pick a good lunch bag or box they can use all year long rather then using paper or plastic bags. That alone cuts out nearly 200 tossed bags per children in a year! Another great option is to avoid prepackaged foods like puddings and jello. Instead, purchase reusable plastic containers and make your own. Not only do you cut down on garbage, but it will likely save you money as well. Plastic cutlery and drink boxes are another garbage pile builder. Instead, send real spoons and forks along with a reusable thermos or water bottle.

With a little creative planning, you can kick off this year know you have done your part in teaching your child how to be a little nicer to the environment.

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