How to "Go Green" for school

With the new school year approaching, supply lists appearing at stores, its time to shop and get ready! But wait do you buy your traditional school supplies or do you use this as an opportunity to do a little "green" shopping!



Here are a few changes you can make~



School Bag~ Avoid backpacks made of nylon or new plastics, especially PVC (vinyl), and look instead for bags made from recycled materials or natural materials. Check out http://www.ebags.com/ and http://www.bratscacks.com/index.html for some great styles!

Notebooks~ Kids can help reduce the burden on trees by using recycled paper made from post-consumer waste, the market for which prevents used paper from going into the landfill. The higher the recycled content the better. And encourage kiddies to use up an entire notebook before moving on to the next one!
OfficeMax, Office Depot, and Staples all offer notebooks made from recycled paper. The Green Office is another source for notebooks made from 100 percent post-consumer waste. EcoJot creates stylin' notebooks from 100 percent post-consumer waste and vegetable-based dyes.


Printer Paper~ Unless your student is turning in her resume, kids should use printer and copy paper made with recycled content. The big office stores have various recycled content options from different brands. Green Earth Office Supply offers a Tree Friendly Recycled Paper sampler, which includes "tree-free" paper, made out of materials such as hemp and recycled maps.



Refillable Pens~ are a great choice since only the ink needs to be replaced, but you can find disposable pens made of recycled materials.
These Wheely pens and Woody ballpoint pens do double duty - they're made from recycled rubber, plastic, and wood, and they're refillable. The Green Office also offers nontoxic disposable pens, or you might go for straight recycled plastic disposables from Green Earth Office Supply. Big brand Pilot has gotten in on the act with their BeGreen line of pens, made from recycled materials. Mechanical pencils are a good choice as well, since they can be reused, but tree-free pencils are an eco-friendly option.



Odd and Ends~ When filling a desk with various supplies, remember that there is probably a greener option. Does your little genius like to stick reminders and study aids around the computer screen? Make 'em recycled Post-Its! You can easily find recycled scissors and push pins, biodegradable corn rulers, and paper clips made from recycled steel.



Just remember that there are alternatives to most everything you will buy and more earth friendly. Take look around and you will see. :)



Stay tuned....Next week will help with packing your kids lunches!



Please share your ideas if you've changed some of your school products! Let us know where you bought it too