Green Back-to-School Guide
Did you know that your child will produce about 240 pounds of school waste this coming up school year? This includes notebooks, pencils, school lunches, and other supplies that they utilize during the school year.
We would like to point out some of the areas where you can reduce the waste produced at school. You might already be practicing these principles at home, but why not extend these practices when you send your child to school.
Transportation
Children go to and from school 5 days a week. We already know about the high gas prices. In the work-force, many co-workers have already recognized and realized the benefits of carpooling. Did you know that the idea of carpooling started with parents taking turns transporting children to and from school?
If you can get other parents involved, then each parent can take turns driving the children to school each day. A great way to get this started is to ask your child's teacher to send out emails to other teachers asking them to spread the word to parents. Or you could write a letter and ask the teacher to send it home with all his/her students.
Even if you do not have the time to pick up other children one day a week and dive them to school, you may still be able to join a carpool by contributing financially by paying for gas for one of the days.
Of course, if you live near the school and have the time, you can consider walking your child to school. You can get some exercise this way too.
Food
It is amazing that only one elementary school could produce up to 19,000 pounds of lunch waste each year. That is on top of all the packaging and waste from junk food, soda, and other sugary beverages purchased from vending machines. In addition, because child obesity and diabetes are on the rise, it is important to be careful what your child consumes while at school.
Consider packing your child with a "waste-free" lunch. Instead of using plastic baggies, and other containers that are disposable, there are other available options, such as colorful and neat reusable lunch bags.
Paper
While it is a lot of fun to go shopping for school supplies, try not to buy the first thing you see on sale. There are more "green" options out there that are not only affordable but you can purchase them conveniently online.
When it comes to paper, remember to avoid paper that contains chlorine, which prevents papers from being bio-degradable. In addition to chlorine-free, also consider buying recycled paper.
While textbooks do not qualify as a true "paper" waste, they do eventually get thrown out after several years of being outdated. If your have to buy a text book, consider buying a used book. If it's the same edition, it has the same information, and usually they are in close to perfect condition.
Pens and Pencils
In the U.S., about 1.6 billion pens get thrown away per year. Not only is the packaging non-renewable, but pens contain many chemicals that may be 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 look appealing and they will last much longer than traditional pencils.
Backpacks
As fads come and go, kids want a brand new backpack or book bag each year. 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.
Pencil Cases
While many children prefer plastic hard-shell pencil cases, we do not recommend them, because the plastic is not biodegradable. The cloth versions are not always eco-friendly either. 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. They have been fashioned into a hip pencil bag, which will be the envy of other kids at school.
Water bottles
If your child's teacher does not mind water bottles, encourage your child to take 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.
Pick a water bottle that is made of metal or a high density polyethylene plastic.
Binders and Folders
Unfortunately, vinyl is reemerging in binders. Some vinyl products may contain high levels of lead, so we recommend finding a polyethylene binder instead. They will have the "poly" symbol and they weigh a little bit less.
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. Many cell phone companies offer a pre-paid postage return envelope for used phones. In addition, you can check for local domestic abuse programs in your state, which will more than likely 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.
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 way to recycle clothes that is gaining popularity 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. 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. To keep things organized, you can also ask them to indicate sizes and gender styles in different bins. This could be a lot of fun, get great deal on clothes, and also a great way to meet other students and parents.
If you child's school requires uniforms, you can 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 classmates 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.
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 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 The World Water Monitoring Day Website.
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. 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.
Eco-Friendly Fundraising
School fundraising has become an annual event in every school. The traditional fundraising methods produce a lot of waste (candy wrappers, magazines, etc).
Instead of the boring fundraising methods, why not opt for an Eco-Friendly Fundraising opportunity, where your child can raise money by referring family and friends to purchase eco-friendly products online, and a significant percentage of the sales will go back to the school PTA or school club.
Above, we have compiled a short list of things you can do to help you reduce or eliminate some of the waste that is produced during the school year. There are so many other options, though. Think about other creative ones that you can start practicing. And do not be worried to suggest green options to your child teachers or other parents. More than likely, the other parent will thank you for it.