Green Back to School

As a kid, we didn’t go back to school until after Labor Day, and when your entire life has only been more or less 520 weeks long, three weeks of summer still left seems like an eternity. I do realize that kids are already back in school in some areas, but in deference to bygone days and summer that lasts all the way through August – arguably the most summery of summer months – I’m only now doing my green your back to school list.

Green School Supply Kit from ReBinder: Includes three-ring binder, pocket folders, lined paper, graph paper and more.
Recycled backpack: Made from recycled plastic bottles and sold at livegreene.com.
Binders from Naked Binder: They’re 100 percent recycled, plastic-free and FSC certified.
Recycled newspaper pencils from TreeSmart: They look cool and they’re good for the planet.
Eco-friendly lunch: There are several options for taking food to school:
Eco Lunch Boxes, which are really pretty, 100 organic convertible cotton sacks with all your lunch eating needs inside.
LunchBots, made from 100 percent stainless steel – no plastic.
Kids Konserve, PVC and phalate free, stainless steel lunch systems.
Planners and journals: Ecosystem produces a series of planners and journals from 100 percent post-consumer paper content and they’re made in the USA!
Messenger bag: Earth Diva’s rice messenger bag is both recycled and fair trade.

There are hundreds of great green school products out there and this list is just to get you thinking. Nearly everything you could want or need for school is now made with recycled content, fair trade manufacturing principles and thought given to both environmental and social stewardship. Whether you buy just one eco-friendly item or several this year, you are doing your part.

- Jocelyn Broyles

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Robert O.

11:15AM PDT on Mar 12, 2012

Thank you.

send a green star

Joe R.

2:54PM PST on Mar 3, 2012

Thanks.

Marcia M.

3:48AM PDT on Sep 23, 2011

Thanks

James H.

2:45AM PDT on Sep 14, 2011

great read, thanks!

Help replant forests by signing my petition
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/help-replant-forests-so-our-children-will-have-a-future/

Elizabeth B.

9:16AM PDT on Aug 25, 2011

thank you for promoting these companies...there does not seem to be much out their for school that is eco-freindly

Karyl W.

4:53PM PDT on Aug 23, 2011

Great tips. Thank you.

Carole K.

6:09PM PDT on Aug 22, 2011

TY, Jocelyn! Love the last paragraph!
"There are hundreds of great green products out there and this list is just to get you thinking. Nearly everything you could want or need for school is now made with recycled content, fair trade manufacturing principles and thought given to both environmental and social stewardship. Whether you buy just one eco-friendly item or several this year, you are doing your part."

Good affirmation in those words. Remember, we can vote with our wallet concerning the kind of world we want to see!

Melinda offline K.

6:20AM PDT on Aug 22, 2011

great article, alot of work put in, thanks

Ellen M.

4:54AM PDT on Aug 22, 2011

Monica D.

12:10AM PDT on Aug 22, 2011

Thank you for this helpful information. Reduce, reuse, recycle!