As students are preparing to go back to school, parents are doing a lot of shopping to get ready for the upcoming year. This can be a time parents end up spending a lot of money and creating a lot of unnecessary waste. Much waste goes into preparing for a new school year, waste that can be greatly reduced with a little forethought, organization and creativity by parents and students.
Organization is often the easiest way to be green. There are many ways you can satisfy the list of items your student needs, as outlined by their school, and still be environmentally responsible. Here are some suggestions:
As soon as you have your children's school supplies list in hand, check to see what you already have. You probably don't need to purchase more No. 2 pencils, ballpoint pens or other common household items. I know I have a lifetime supply sitting in my junk drawer.
Does your child require notebooks for each class? Or will a three-ring binder, which can be used again and again and just be filled with loose-leaf paper as needed, work?
If markers are a requirement in your child's school, consider the new Crayola markers, which are made from recycled plastic. They are also manufactured in the U.S,, reducing the amount of energy used on shipping. Crayola is now using solar panels to power the manufacturing of its crayons and planting new trees to replace each one that is cut down to make their colored pencils. By supporting companies that are making an environmentally conscious effort — particularly companies that produce proven quality products, you can make a statement with your wallet about what is important to you.
As always, buy products with the least amount of packaging so you have minimal trash to throw away once they're opened. If you must have products that are packaged, look for paper and cardboard packaging made with recycled materials. Then, recycle any packaging you can with your curbside recycling.
Many paper companies are now promising they will plant at least one tree for every tree destroyed by creating the millions of reams of paper that we use each year. Look for such guarantees when purchasing printer paper for your children. And, of course, consider buying recycled paper as well.
What about back-to-school lunches? If you are sending your children to school with lunches prepared at home, pack them in a reusable lunch sack or lunch box. There is no need to buy paper bags that will get trashed at the end of every lunch period. The same goes for plastic baggies. We all know we should be limiting our use of plastic shopping bags, so apply the same concept to sandwiches and pack lunch items in reusable plastic containers. Consider a reusable water bottle or thermos instead of purchasing disposable juice boxes as well.
How many of us have a closet full of clothes yet wear the same five or six outfits regularly? The same goes for kids. They end up with their favorites and the other items just hang there until they are outgrown. Before shopping for new school clothes, clean out the closets and decide if the seldom-worn clothes are good enough for consignment or could become new favorites for another child in the family. There are consignment shops locally that sell brand-name clothing that may be willing to consign your children's unwanted clothes. They may also have some great finds for your kids for the new school year. Consignment really is the best of recycling — not only do clothes not end up in landfills or wasted in closets, but can save money in these tough economic times and may even earn you a little.
Take a list when you go shopping so you don't purchase unneeded items or forget something and have to make another gas-guzzling car trip to the store.
Reusable tote bags are not only for the grocery store. They're perfectly acceptable to use when shopping for school supplies and clothes as well. If you're buying a small item, it is fine to tell the cashier that you don't require a bag even if you didn't bring your own reusable bag with you.
As you go forward with this big shopping time of year, simply think about leaving the smallest carbon footprint that you can with your children's new sneakers.
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Bill Goss is the owner of Quality Systems Consulting Group in Amesbury. His Web site is www.merrimackvalleygreen.com. If you have any questions regarding Going Green, send them to merrimackvalleygreen@comcast.net and he will answer them in upcoming columns.
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