Eco-Friendly Friday Tips Volume Fifty Seven

July 31st's Tip

Back to School: Continuing from yesterday's guest post from Terra Wellington, we wanted to share a few more tips to green your child's (or your) back to school.

• Textbooks. If you have to purchase textbooks, buy them used, and sell them back when you are done. In my personal experience, Amazon is a great place to find used books, as well as to sell them.
• Paper. Look for paper made from 100% post-consumer content, when possible. Remember, the higher the percentage, the better, and stick with post-consumer rather than pre-consumer. Buy wire-bound notebooks instead of plastic, and avoid paper that contains chlorine.
• Pens & Pencils. Use refillable pens, and pencils made from recycled material.
• Backpacks. Encourage your kids to take good care of their backpacks - a good quality one should be able to last for a few school years. Need a new one? Try hemp bags, a backpack made from discarded plastic bottles, or backpacks made from discarded plastic bottles in a few kid-friendly styles.
• Clothes. Reuse what you can from last year. Use hand-me-downs when you can. I know, kids are picky, but if you search hard enough, you can find stylish clothing at thrift stores, too. I know, I do it! If you run out of options in that respect, try finding alternative fabric clothing - organic cottons, hemp, bamboo, etc.
• Walk. If the school is within one mile of your home, walk (weather permitting). If there's a bike rack outside of the school, biking is another option that's faster and more fun. Both ways are great options for getting your child or yourself some exercise.
• Carpool. Walking or biking not an option? Try setting up a carpool with other parents/students in your area. I'm sure they would be happy to join, since it will save them time and gas as well.
• Lunch. Pack a waste free lunch. For more information and ideas, check out wastefreelunches.org.

Need More Ideas?

Check out iGoGreen's Back to School Picks. My personal favorites are the pencils and rulers made from recycled denim and old money.

Contribute

We are looking for reader submitted tips for Eco-Friendly Friday so we can share some even we may have not heard before. If you've got a unique or informative tip and want to contribute to Eco-Friendly Friday, shoot us an email. Be sure to include your URL if you want a link to your site included with your tip!