Green living for kids can be so easy.  There are so many ways to incorporate a green lifestyle into everyday living when you have kids in school.  As a parent you can help guide your children into a lifetime of responsible green living.

Need some ideas to get you started?

Recycle

Children have homework, and often like to spend time practicing their coloring, alphabet and numbers. Go green by reusing scrap paper that you find lying around the house, or old pieces of paper that your child may bring home. You can even create notebooks by stapling the blank sides into a makeshift notebook. Use these throughout the year to help keep the waste of paper products to a minimum.

Natural Materials

Kids need backpacks for school, and you can now buy all natural, organic backpacks for your child. Vinyl backpacks, the most common form, are made from PVC, polyvinyl chloride. This is the extremely environmentally hazardous material, so go green with your child by opting for an organic hemp backpack or even a recycled rubber backpack. The materials that make up these backpacks are strong and sturdy, and will last your child all year. Your child will not only be stylish, but also eco-friendly.

Go Organic

Cotton clothing can contain pesticides, as 84 million pounds of pesticides were reported to be sprayed onto the 14.4 millions of areas of cotton fields in the year 2000. So what can you do to go green with your child’s clothing? You can buy pesticide-free organic cotton clothing, as well as wool clothing that has not had pesticides used on it. Another way to be a green parent to a school age child is to buy second-hand clothing. Check your local consignment shops, thrift stores, church sales and yard sales for gently used clothing that your child can wear again.

Reuse

School age children may carry their lunch to school. The best way to go green is to use all reusable materials when you pack a lunch. Paper bags and plastic bags that get thrown out every day are out- reusable containers and lunch box are in. Send your child to school with a stylish lunch box or even a reusable sack that they can use the rest of the year. Use reusable plastic containers to pack food in, and avoid buying prepackaged food such as puddings and jello. Instead, make your own and pack it yourself. You’ll not only save the earth some garbage, you’ll also save yourself money. Send real spoons and forks with your child and have them bring them back every day- no more plastic utensils that get thrown away. Juices and drinks can also be sent off in reusable thermos or spill-proof cups, saving a great deal on unnecessary garbage.

Children love being part of a solution so if you sit down with them to discuss what you’re doing and the reasons why, then helping your child to make a conscious choice to “live green” will become second nature.

What other ideas do you and your children put into practice in an effort to establish a “green routine” in your home?

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