Green Kids: A Back-to-School Guide

Did you know that your child will produce up to 240 pounds of school waste in an entire year?

This includes notebooks, pencils, school lunches, and any other supplies that they utilize during the school year. Paper is the largest culprit, with each school tossing away close to 8 million sheets annually.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that is going green. You might already be practicing this new habit at home, with your child’s clothing, or other accessories. Why not help out in the school house as well? Even if you are the only parent going green, at least there is a little change being made as opposed to none at all.

Transportation

While this is not technically in the school, the children and the parents of the children transport to and from school 5 days of the week, twice a day. We already know how high the gas prices are, and they are only thought to rise in the coming year. Many co-workers in work places have already realized the benefits of carpooling. An interesting fact is that carpool started with kids and their parents taking turns transporting to and from school.

If you are able to get other parents involved, then each parent can take turns driving the children to school each day. A great way to get others involved is to ask your child’s teacher to send out emails to other teachers asking them to spread the word to other parents. You could also make up letters and have the teacher send them home with the student. This is a great way to save money, go green, and even make a few friends that you would have never met otherwise.

Another method of going green with transportation is having your child walk to school if you live near the school. Imagine how much gasoline you would save your family and the atmosphere if your child walked instead of riding in the car. You could even get some extra exercise by agreeing to meet them halfway after school and walking them halfway in the mornings.

Try not to let your child walk by themselves. Our world is not as safe as it used to be and there are many predators out there. If there are other kids in the neighborhood going in the same direction, then ask their parents about everyone walking together. This will enforce a good buddy system. You could even arrange with the other parent for one person to walk halfway with the children in the mornings and then the other person to meet them halfway in the afternoons.

Food

It is amazing to think that only one elementary school could produce up to 19,000 pounds of lunch waste each year. That is only one school alone. Imagine how much waste thousands of schools could produce in one day. Another factor is that child obesity is on the rise. This means that more junk food and soda is being purchased from vending machines, causing even more packaging and waste thrown into the environment.

Many kids have no choice but to purchase their lunch at school, or not eat at all. One way to do your part is to pack your child a “waste-free” lunch. Instead of using plastic baggies, and other containers that are disposable, there are other options. One new innovation is Wrap-n-mats. These are canvas materials that fold up neatly around lunch materials, such as sandwiches, and keep the food fresh. The mats are machine washable and your child can open it up and use it as a clean eating surface. You can purchase one for around $5 from Wrap-n-Mat.com.

The eco-friendly lunch box from LaptopLunches.com is another useful idea. How many times have you worried about sending carrots and ranch dressing with the hopes that it will not leak out? A laptop lunch box looks just like it sounds; a laptop. There are separate containers inside to hold any type of food. There is even a place for utensils so that your child will not be throwing away plastic forks and spoons. You can purchase one in a variety of colors if you have more than one child, and they retail for around $20. The lunch box also comes with a handy recipe book with ideas for delicious treats other than the regular PB&J sandwiches.

Another reason to go vinyl-free is a study conducted 2 years ago that found that a number of vinyl lunch boxes contained extremely high levels of lead. Many manufacturers are having their products tested but you can never be too sure. Avoid vinyl all together with a vintage metal lunch box from Lunchboxes.com. Reusablebags.com also has a number of lunch bags that are made from recycled plastic bottles.

Paper

The school season is fast approaching, if not here already, and while it is a lot of fun to go shopping for school supplies, try not to buy the first thing that you see on sale. There are more “green” options out there that are not only affordable but you can purchase them on the Internet. This means that you can spend more time shopping for clothing in the mall instead of being in the crowded supermarket at the last minute.

The main thing to remember is to avoid paper that contains any chlorine. This will keep the paper from being bio-degradable. Loose leaf paper is one of the most common waste products and if you buy recycled paper, then you will be giving back to the community even more. Your child will go bananas for this new type of paper. Made from Costa Rica, Natural banana paper, the notebooks are 100% recyclable and the covers have a cool design. The notebooks contain 70 sheets of paper that was not taken from trees. They are also super affordable for only $4.99 at Office Depot or EcoPaper.com.

While textbooks do not qualify as a true “paper” waste, they do eventually get thrown out after several years of being outdated. If your child’s school requires you to purchase text books, or if it is a college, buy the textbooks used. It has the same information and usually they are in close to perfect condition. A recent study found that if you purchased used textbooks each year, it could be enough to send 4,000 students to a four year public college.

Pens and Pencils

Each year, Americans throw away close to 1.6 billion pens per year. Not only is the packaging nonrenewable, but the chemicals are also harmful to the environment. Many elementary schools do not allow ink pens, but higher grade level schools do. Make sure that the ink pens are made of corn starch or recycled paper instead of petroleum plastic.

Pencils are thrown away much more often than pens, and trees are used in their production. Many office supply stores are beginning to supply eco-friendly writing utensils, and as always, they have mechanical pencils. They are very cool and high-tech looking and they will last much longer than traditional pencils.

Paper Mate, one of the leaders in pen and pencil manufacturing, has a line of pencils called EarthWrite. They are made from cardboard and recycled newspaper. Another neat option is the supplies from GreenLinePaper.com. All of the pencils are made from recycled denim and out dated money. The company also reuses shipping cartons and does not use foam or plastics for packaging. Green Line also makes rulers that match the colors of the pencils. The rulers are priced at 87 cents each and the pencils are 27 cents.

Another approach is the writing utensils from the Natural Collection. You can purchase pens made from car parts, pencil cases made of car tires, and recycled pencils that were made from CD cases and disposable plastic cups.

Backpacks

As fads come and go, many kids request a brand new backpack or book bag each year. Some parents have no choice because their children are so rough on backpacks. You can save a great deal of money if you enforce the idea of reusing the same book bag each year. Hemp backpacks are becoming very popular and many do not even look like hemp material. The packs come in a variety of colors and they help benefit the fair trade women’s co-operatives in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Hemp is biodegradable meaning that when it is time to change book bags, it will not be damaging the environment. The backpacks can be purchased for $43 at Hemp-Sisters.com. The Natural Collection has produced a variety of backpacks made of recycled plastic bottles. Because they are plastic, they are water repellent for rainy walks home from school.

Pencil Cases

While many children prefer plastic hard-shell pencil cases, they are not recommended. The plastic is not biodegradable and it will only harm the environment. The cloth versions are not always eco-friendly either. Instead, opt for a unique case from BazuraShop.com that was designed by the women’s co-op in the Philippines. For the outer shell, recycled foil juice packs were collected through the local schools and made into the body of the pencil case.

The benefit is that the juice packs did not end up in a landfill for years to come. They have been fashioned into a hip pencil bag, and many kids will be begging your child to tell them where it came from. The juice pack pencil case can be purchased for around $12 at BazuraShop.com

Water bottles

If your child’s teacher does not mind water bottles, encourage your child to take a reusable one to school. It is healthy for them and it will cut down on milk cartons and plastic bottles being thrown into the waste each day. You can wash and refill it each day saving you money in the long run.

The downside is that most of the colorful reusable water bottles that you will find in the supermarket have the #7 on the bottom. This is the symbol for the chemical Bisphenol-A, which is a chemical that disrupts behavior development and could leak into the liquid in the bottle. Instead, pick a water bottle that is made of metal or a high density polyethylene plastic. Reusablebags.com has many colorful choices for your fashion-conscious child.

Binders and Folders

Vinyl is creeping up again in the binders at school. The lead threat is the same as it is with vinyl lunchboxes. Try to find a polyethylene binder instead. They will have the “poly” symbol and they weigh a little bit less. The Rebinder is another option. It is an uncovered cardboard binder made by recycled paper. It is produced by a local company named Sustainable Group. You can find them at stores such as “Goods for the Planet, “Queen Anne Office Supply” and “Paperhaus”.

Calculators

Many of the regular calculators are a combination of battery operated power and solar power. However, Casio and Texas Instruments have made models that run completely on solar and never need batteries. They can be found at office supply stores, electronic centers, or online. This is also a great excuse for your child to go outdoors in order to re-charge their calculator.

Other Electronics

When it is time to upgrade your child’s cell phone, keep it out of the landfill. Both Nokia and Sony Ericsson offer a pre-paid postage return envelope for used phones. Many cell phone companies will also pay you for your old cell phone. Another company that will recycle it is ReCellular.com. If you want another option, check with the domestic abuse programs in your state. Almost every program will accept old cell phones to refurbish for women who are in need.

Other cell phone programs involve refurbishing cell phones to send to the troops overseas. If your child’s school is in need of fundraising, you could suggest that each classroom start collecting printer cartridges and mobile phones to be recycled with Recycool.org. It is a special program designed just for school and it will help collect funds to benefit the school. Recycool has recently teamed up with Global Trees, and they will plant a tree in the school’s name for each new sign up and 1 tree for each collection.

Clothing

Clothes are one of the best things that you can re-use. If there is a tear you can fix it, and you can add specific fabric or details to make it look completely different than it was in the beginning. You will be amazed at how much money you could save by shopping at a consignment store and even selling your clothes at a consignment fair. Another option might be to swap clothes with a neighbor.

A popular event going on is clothing-swap parties. While this originally started out with adult female clothing, it could be a great way to get new clothes for your child. Simply make invitations and hand them out around the neighborhood, at church, and at your child’s school. Anyone that has a child, tell them to come. To make it more organized, tell each guest to bring their clothes in bins so that they can write their name on it and keep the clothes neat. You can also tell them to put the sizes and gender styles in different bins to keep the party going more smoothly.

The fun begins when you can go through each other’s clothes and find some great items for your child’s new school wardrobe. Host the party right before school starts but after everyone has had time to go school clothes shopping. This will ensure that everyone has gone through their kid’s closets and weeded out the things that they do not need. You could even tell the guests to bring their clothes as well and it could be a double clothes swap party. Tell everyone to bring their children so that everyone can get acquainted before school starts. If your little one is starting Kindergarten, then this is a great time for him or her to make friends and feel more comfortable before starting school.

If you child’s school requires students to wear uniforms, it can get pricey. For this purpose, organize a used uniform store at the school. The funds could go towards the school and the parents would have a more affordable option in return.

There are other companies out there that are slightly more affordable and organic if you still need to buy a uniform. Marks & Spencer have a range of polo shirts for children that are affordable and are made of recycled plastic bottles. Spirit of Nature also stocks organic cotton uniforms for younger children and Clean Slate has organic uniforms as well. Clean Slate has co-op buying clubs that could be enforced through the school so that parents could purchase uniforms at cheaper prices.

Other “Green” Options

After you have provided your child with all of the recyclable school supplies, encourage your child to organize their own recycling program at school. They could host a “waste free” classroom or lunchroom, and they can educate other class mates about the benefits of saving energy by turning off the lights. Teachers could also get involved and host a contest for who can recycle the most will receive a special prize.

Another great way to help your child’s school go green is to propose a city-wide school challenge at the next school board meeting. It could also be a fundraising contest. Each school could compete against each other to see who could go the most “green”. The children could get sponsors, such as local businesses, who will donate funds to the winning school. Eco-friendly companies might also donate their earth friendly products in order to help your child’s school get a boost in the contest, as long as you advertise their name.

Speak with your child’s teacher or principal about World Water Monitoring Day. The official day is October 18, but the program starts on September 18. People young and old all over the world can monitor the quality of their local watersheds and then enter the results into the international database. This is a great way for your child to learn about water conservation and the effects of harmful chemicals that are put into the water due to non-biodegradable products. The monitoring kits can be purchased at www.worldwatermonitoringday.org.

If you cannot find biodegradable products, then utilize as many items that your child used the previous year. The best thing that you can do is to re-use items over and over again. This is especially true if you have more than one child. It is tempting to go out and buy brand new school supplies each year, but you can also re-use items again. You could also help your child make a homemade notebook with left over cardboard. If your child’s teacher is specific about the type of notebook and each student has to have a specific binder, then recover one of your child’s old binders. You can cover the outside with contact paper and it will look brand new again. The good news is that contact paper comes in all different styles and textures.

There are so many green options out there. Even though other parents might not be working to help the environment, every little bit helps. If you are doing your part, then that is all that you can do. With the economy changing, now is the time to start being green. We cannot lower gas prices or the costs for other basic living necessities, but we can help the environment and help our children stay chemical free. Do not be worried about suggestion green options in your child’s school, and do not wait for someone else to suggest it. More than likely, the other parent will thank you for it.