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Back to School
2010-00-28 


These days we should add another 3R’s to school learning—reduce, recycle and reuse—because kids generate tons of waste. Whether kindergarten or college, you can easily green your student’s back to school list.

GOOD:
Replace batteries in kids’ calculators, cameras and phones with eco-friendly ones. Rechargeable alkaline batteries will improve life and cut waste. Fuji’s Enviro-Max battery claims it is landfill safe.

BETTER:
Trade designer labels for labels that read PCW or FSC. These symbols say that your little genius is toting eco-friendly supplies. Replace standard plastic pens too with refillables or sustainable varieties made from recycled tires.

BEST:
Send your student back to school with an eco-attitude by working with him/her to coordinate a project for the entire school: a composting program, a garden or a recycling program for the various food, rubbish, and equipment schools discard.  It adds up to quite a heap.

Educate yourself. Check out sites like 
www.ibuydifferent.org, www.bookrenter.com and www.thegreenoffice.com. Find out about doing green fundraisers for your school at
www.gogreeniniative.com

For supplies, the EPA recommends buying paper with a minimum 30% post consumer recycled content.

New glossary words: PCW: Post Consumer Recycled. FSC:  Forest Stewardship Council.

One Simple Thing:
For college books, go green, save green and do good with www.chegg.com. They rent and sell used texts. You can mail them back FREE when finished. A tree is planted for each book you rent.


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