Eco Friendly Back-to-School

A big part of a new school year is purchasing back-to-school supplies and new clothes. While back-to-school shopping for new things can be a lot of fun, it’s a good idea to teach children about recycling and reusing what they already have. Stores like Reuseit.com offer wonderful eco-friendly products that are great for school and work.

Here are a few tips on how to cut down cost and waste.

Reuse last year’s school supplies: You don’t have to buy everything new on the list. Check last year’s crayons, pencils, markers, rulers, sharpeners, etc. Things like backpacks, lunchboxes, binders and pencil pouches can all be reused. This will save you money and generate less waste.

Purchase a reusable lunchbox and water bottle: According to the EPA, each child who brings a brown bag lunch to school on a daily basis generates about 67 lbs. of waste by the end of the school year. Skip the paper and Ziploc bags and invest in a reusable lunch box and small food containers. It’s important to shift away from use-and-toss mentality since this reduces your waste and will save you money in the long run. Look for a lunch box and water bottle that is BPA free, sturdy and easy to clean and store. Reuseit.com offers hundreds of reusable water bottles. Now that my son is in middle school, he uses a larger Camelbak water bottle.
It’s spill proof, durable, and fits perfectly in the side pouch of his back pack.

Reuseit.com also offers great reusable food containerswhich are perfect for my college girls.

Leave the car at home: If you live near your child’s school, bike or walk there. It cuts down on gas, saves money, eliminates parking struggles or traffic worries, and is great exercise.

When possible, buy local or organic: When you pack your child’s lunch, think about what you are putting in it. Avoid fatty and sugary foods. Rather than cookies and potato chips for a snack, try carrots, nuts or fruit slices. When possible, buy organic or local food. This will ensure to keep pesticides out of your child’s diet and also keep your carbon footprint low.

*** ReUseIt.com sent me a gift card for the Camelbak water bottles mentioned in this post. I decided to tell all of you about it solely based on the fact that my son and I love this product and ReUseIt.com.