Greening Up | Back-to-School

July 19, 2010

This weekend, I happened to go with my kids to a big box retail store and we stumbled on the Back-to-School section. This always brings back great childhood memories for me. Looking at the plethora of new pens, pencils, markers, backpacks, notebooks, etc., it struck me that maybe there were ways to green up this rite of passage.

I’ll touch on seven key areas to help green up student life:

1) Greener School Supplies – Stores such as office retailers (Green Office Depot) now carry a broad range of green items such as juice boxes recycled into pencil cases, 100% post-consumer recyclable paper, and non-PVC binders (or consider reusing last year’s binders and archiving your notes).

2) Computers – These days most students opt for laptops over desktops. Laptops are more energy efficient (look for models that carry the Energy Star label) and produced with non-toxic materials. Consider putting all your electronics, including your cell phone and IPod chargers, on one power strip. When they are not in use and after they are charged, switch them all off and eliminate phantom power and wasted energy.

3) Transportation – If possible, walk or cycle to school. Not only are these greener options but you also get the benefit of daily exercise. If it’s too far or not safe to walk or bike, take public transportation, a school bus or carpool, which can also be more social than riding alone. Check out programs like iWalk in your community.

4) Water resources – Challenge yourself and your roommates to take shorter showers and to turn off the water during tooth brushing. WaterWiser is a national hub for water conservation ideas. Eliminate bottled water and instead use refillable containers (retailers such as REI offer a range of sizes, colors and styles that are also BPA free).

5) Journal Learning – Keep a green diary and monitor your progress and the ideas that you or your schoolmates have to green up your lifestyle. You might even consider posting these ideas at your school, on your personal social media page or as part of the “Green / Environmental Club” at your school. You might even inspire your teacher to win the next NEA Green Prize in Education like Mike Towns did of Redmond High School.

6) Healthy lunches – Rather than buy convenience foods that come with lots of disposable packaging and don’t always provide the best nutrition, consider planning in advance your school lunches. Get an assembly line going in your kitchen and prepare a week’s worth of lunches in reusable containers. There are a variety of wonderful new storage solutions for packing snacks and meals. Here is a site called ReUsable Bags that offers great ideas and products.

7) Think Reuse and Recycle – Secondhand shops or online resellers offer everything these days, including cool experienced clothing, furnishings for your dorm and used novels and textbooks. Ebay even has a Green Team ready to help you accomplish this goal.

With a new school year beginning soon, consider opportunities to be more mindful about our environment and watch the resources you consume. Are they more about convenience than need? Find new ways of shopping for back-to-school, and your parents will appreciate that you are careful with their hard-earned financial resources, too. Good luck this year and give yourself an A+ whenever you stop and think about the choices you make and model in your school life. Please share with our readers any other ideas you may have for making this school year a greener one. –alex

Filed under: Green blog,green education,green marketing

Tags: green education, green living, green office supplies, green schools, greener student lifestyles