EARTH-FRIENDLY
BACK-TO-SCHOOL TIPS
Simple Ways to Preserve Our EcoSystem This September
With millions of parents buying newclothes, sneakers, book bags and lunch boxes among other things likepencils, binders and other school supplies each year, it's no wonder thatSeptember connotates a “fresh, new start” for many families. What a perfecttime for parents to start introducing earth-friendly concepts into theirchildren's everyday lives. The EcoMall offers thefollowing green alternatives to the traditional back-to-school suppliesalong with other ideas for parents to help “green” their schools.
According to Tom Kay, co-founder and president of the EcoMall, “Petroleumoil, a non-renewable resource, is used in the manufacture of chemicals andplastic commonly found in most school supplies. Environmentally speaking,using supplies made of natural ingredients is always preferable. Recyclingpaper products should be common practice.” The following check list can beused for environmentally conscious school supply shopping - not just forparents as they do their own shopping, but for parents to pass on to schooladministrators for the products they will be buying. Shopping with theplanet in mind can also protect your child from potentially hazardouschemicals (particularly those found in art supplies).
What to buy:
- Pencils, (regular and colored)
- Refillable pens
- Crayons
- Notebooks and paper supplies made of recycled paper
- Notebooks covered in cardboard
- Water-based paints and poster paints
- White school glue or paste
- Vegetable or plant-based dyes
What to avoid:
- Magic markers
- Disposable pens
- Plastic folders, notebooks
- Acrylic paints and scented art products (these contain large amounts ofchemicals and may be a hazard to children’s health, particularly to youngchildren who try to eat them)
- Epoxy or instant bonding glues
- Artists’ pastel crayons (some may contain asbestos)
- Dyes made of fiber reactive or commercial dyes
- Glossy paper used for art projects
School administrators and children alike need to be educated aboutdiminishing natural resources and encouraged to do their part in preservingthe planet. Another good reason to “go green” this September, according toMarianne Schnall, co-founder of the EcoMall with Kay, is for health reasons.Using art supplies made with natural ingredients avoids any kind of exposure(ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through skin) of any possiblehazardous ingredients and solvents such as lead, asbestos and cadmium.“What’s good for the planet is good for your child, our families and societyas a whole,” said Ms. Schnall. “The small effort it takes to consciouslypurchase your children’s school supplies and family’s paper goods makes anenormous difference to the health and integrity of our planet.”
Other ideas the EcoMall suggests to green-minded parents include:
- Get your schools pre-recycling: Encourage your school to buy recycledproducts, as well as instituting a good recycling program. Most schoolsystems purchase in bulk from the company that gives the best bid. Whenteachers place their school orders for the year, they should requestrecycled paper products. A lot of the big companies do have recycled papersin their lines. There are many reasons to recycle and purchase recycledproducts for our homes, schools and offices. Instituting solid recyclingprograms in your school, will in the long run save your school money.Recycling doesn't always refer to how you throw things out. It refers to howyou use things again. Schools should remember to use both sides of thepaper, save and reuse paper clips, thumbtacks, rubber bands, etc. andrecycle newspapers, cans, and bottles.
- Make your school a toxin-free zone: Talk to your school about changingover to non-toxic cleaners (which impact indoor air quality), as well asproviding organic food and juice, as well as rBGH-free milk. Make sure yourschool is not using toxic pesticides in or around the school, which can posesignificant health risks to your children if exposed.
- Beautifying your schools: Speak with school administrators about plantinga tree on school grounds each September, or flowers can be planted bychildren at a later date.
- When choosing your children’s back to school wardrobe, support companiesoffering organic cotton and hemp clothing. Not only are there manyfashionable lines for kids now available, but these products do not containtoxic pesticides - which is better for your children, and the planet.Conventional cotton cultivation uses 25% of the world's pesticides.Approximately 5.4 pounds of various chemical fertilizers and pesticides areused to grow one acre of cotton in North America. Each year 800 millionpounds of pesticides are used on US cotton fields.
- Do your back-to-school shopping online (minus the pollution from cartravel or the waste of paper catalogues) and support environmentallyfriendly products. Here at the EcoMall web site we feature hundreds ofearth-friendly companies offering everything from recycled paper products,organic and hemp clothing for kids, natural toys and crafts, organic foodproducts and more.
©2008 EcoMall
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