Go green just in time for back to school. Shop for green school supplies and clothes with your children and use it as an opportunity to teach them about being more kind to the environment.
It’s back-to-school time again. This year when shopping for school clothes, supplies and other items, keep the environment in mind. Teach your kids to consider the earth and their health with these green back-to-school shopping tips.
Shop for green clothes
Not everything you buy your kids needs to be brand new. Look for used school clothes from thrift shops and resale stores. Hold a clothing swap with fellow moms. Scour sites like Craigslist, eBay Freecycle, My Kids Closet and RacalsResale to get used items at bargain prices — sometimes even free.
Find green supplies
Shop for pencils created from FSC-certified wood. Look for paper that is 100 percent post-consumer recycled. If your child’s school is flexible about the type of crayons they use, check out this cool selection of recycled crayons (Green Apple Supply). You can get these crayons in fun shapes — from stars to hearts to worms.
Buy a green backpack
Avoid PVC in backpacks, lunch systems and other items. We love the Ecogear Bighorn backpack (Green Apple Supply, $33) created from recycled PET bottles, as well as the Green Guru laptop backpack (eBags, $53) made from used bike tubes.
Pack a green lunch
When it comes to lunch, skip the paper bags and plastic lunch boxes and select a reusable, lead-, BPA- and PVC-free lunch systems to cut down on waste and avoid harmful chemicals. Check out the PlantBox systems (PlanetBox.com, $40 and up) and these other eco-friendly lunch boxes.
More about back-to-school
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Get back your back-to-school routine
Back-to-school clothes checklist
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