Here are my Top 5 Tips for going back to school green and healthy (because they go together!):
#5. Eco-friendly School Supplies.
This is getting easier every year. Look for supplies you can reuse and reuse them every year, like pencil and pen cases, rulers, calculators, etc. This should be easy, but if you don't keep track of your kids supplies when they bring them back in June, you won't be able to reuse them in the Fall.
As well, more school supplies are made from recycles materials. This year we bought pens and pencils that were either made from recycled plastic or renewable wood. We always prefer paper folders as they biodegrade, while the plastic ones will be around indefinitely. Of course remember that favorite stand-by, recycled paper!
#4. Purchase Green Cleaning Products for the class-room.
Every year my kids are asked to bring anything from hand-sanitizers, baby wipes, and disinfectant (listed as Lysol Disinfectant Wipes) to the first day of school. I think of the obvious things like eczema, hyperactivity, and over-exposure to chemicals as reasons to avoid these kinds of products. But there are other reasons.
U.S. law allows manufacturers of cleaning products to use almost any ingredient they wish, including known carcinogens. The government doesn't review the safety of products before they're sold. And up to 100 different chemicals can hide (not labeled on the product) within the term 'fragrance.'
Skin is our largest organ and we absorb whatever we touch. I personally don't want the extra chemicals absorbing into my child while they are trying to learn at school.
I buy Clean Well products from my local green store (where I know there's no green-washing) Green Genes, from hand-sanitizing spray to hand wipes. I feel comfortable with them. They are also available at Whole Foods. To avoid green-washing don't purchase products from large well known brands that aren't green. Changing the color of the logo to green doesn't make a product safe for your child or for the environment.
#3. Learn Your Numbers.
When you buy produce like apples, oranges, bananas and grapes for your kids' lunches, they all come with a little number on the sticker. This number gives you important information. It tells you if the food was grown organically (5 digits starting with a 9), conventionally (4 digits starting with a 4), or if it was genetically modified (5 digits starting with an 8).
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| an apple a day keeps the doctor away? maybe not depending on how it was grown |
While most of us can't afford to buy everything organic, we can make sure we know which foods are best to buy organic at the Environmental Working Group website. They created a great list to make it easy for the rest of us. For example apples are on the Dirty Dozen list of foods to avoid, while pineapples are on the Clean Fifteen and contain a much lower amount of pesticide residue.
Dr. Alex Lu from Harvard conducted a study that showed switching to organic produce can eliminate the pesticides in your body in only 5 days. View his video by clicking on his name.
If you want to know more about why you would want to avoid GMO fruits and veggies in your kids lunches watch this segment with Dr. Oz.
On a side note, while in Mozambique this year I discovered that their products are labeled for GMO's, while in the U.S. this 'right-to-know' is still not mandatory. As well, next door to Mozambique, Zimbabwe has banned GMO's (along with over 60 other countries).
#2. Sneak attack - Snack Taxi's!
These fun pouches in various sizes were created by a Mom on the East Coast who was concerned about the amount of plastic her family consumed in school lunhces. Snack Taxi's replace plastic snack bags. You can use them for snacks like fruit or (home-made) cookies as well as sandwiches.
They are washable and sturdy. I bought my first two pouches from Green Home Experts in Oak Park 4 years ago - I still use those! But here's the even better news. For every one you purchase you are helping to keep 1,000 plastic bags out of your life, the landfill, and eventually our soil and water.
Don't think that plastic adds up? Check out 5gyre's website to learn more.
These fun pouches in various sizes were created by a Mom on the East Coast who was concerned about the amount of plastic her family consumed in school lunhces. Snack Taxi's replace plastic snack bags. You can use them for snacks like fruit or (home-made) cookies as well as sandwiches.
They are washable and sturdy. I bought my first two pouches from Green Home Experts in Oak Park 4 years ago - I still use those! But here's the even better news. For every one you purchase you are helping to keep 1,000 plastic bags out of your life, the landfill, and eventually our soil and water.
Don't think that plastic adds up? Check out 5gyre's website to learn more.
#1. Reusable Water Bottle.
Surprised? Here's why reusable water bottles are #1 on my list. How much water does your child drink a day? If they spend most of the day at school, do you even know? According to the 'American Journal of Clinical Nutrition' study as few as 10 percent of girls and 15 percent of boys get the recommended amount of water each day.
The amount of water a child should consume is different depending on age, weight, sex, level of activity, etc. A lack of water leads to head aches, fatigue, nausea, and dehydration. And I bet insufficient water intake can affect concentration and grades as well. What about cavities, sugar intake, and obesity? You already know water is best for their health...
But don't refill that plastic water bottle. For one, you may be leaching BPA's, bisphenol-A, an industrial chemical used in plastics into their water. Secondly, whether it's filled with tea, soda, or water, plastic bottles are a world-wide environmental hazard.
Eighty percent of plastic water bottles end up as litter. It takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to meet the demands of U.S. water bottle manufacturing (just think of soda and sports drinks added to this stat). Plastic bottle waste travels the world.
Surprised? Here's why reusable water bottles are #1 on my list. How much water does your child drink a day? If they spend most of the day at school, do you even know? According to the 'American Journal of Clinical Nutrition' study as few as 10 percent of girls and 15 percent of boys get the recommended amount of water each day.
The amount of water a child should consume is different depending on age, weight, sex, level of activity, etc. A lack of water leads to head aches, fatigue, nausea, and dehydration. And I bet insufficient water intake can affect concentration and grades as well. What about cavities, sugar intake, and obesity? You already know water is best for their health...
But don't refill that plastic water bottle. For one, you may be leaching BPA's, bisphenol-A, an industrial chemical used in plastics into their water. Secondly, whether it's filled with tea, soda, or water, plastic bottles are a world-wide environmental hazard.
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| plastic bottle waste in Philippines |
Eighty percent of plastic water bottles end up as litter. It takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to meet the demands of U.S. water bottle manufacturing (just think of soda and sports drinks added to this stat). Plastic bottle waste travels the world.
With all the ADD, ADHD, and child-hood obesity the easiest, cheapest, and healthiest thing you can do for your child and the environment is give them lots of water in reusable BPA free bottles!
I hope this list was helpful for you and your family and that you feel you can take some steps this year to make your families lives greener and healthier.
With sincerest best wishes, I hope you and your children have a safe, green, and healthy school year!
Alexandra Gnoske is a Nature Lover, Writer, and Environmental Expert.
Alexandra Gnoske is a Nature Lover, Writer, and Environmental Expert.
