Parents and their children do not make the smartest choices when buying supplies for school (ex. disposable pens, brand new textbooks, brown paper bags for lunches, etc.) Instead of buying supplies that have a bad effect on the environment, it is important to consider items such as refillable pens, recycled paper (no chlorine), used textbooks, reusable lunch bags, etc. Being a green shopper can be a win-win situation because for example, buying used textbooks doesn’t only benefit the environment, but it can also save you up to hundreds of dollars!
Recycled Paper
Recycled paper has the same qualities as regular paper but instead uses less energy. It uses water and chemicals to make the paper instead of cutting down trees. Trees are extremely crucial to the environment. If we continue to deforest as much as we currently do, then we will loose biodiversity, increase waste, keep contributing to climate change, and habitats for animals will be lost. If people purchase recycled paper, it will help the environment, and animals will still have their original habitats to live in.
Recycled Pens
People in the United States throw out 1.6 billion disposable pens each year, which adds harmful materials to landfills. Using refillable pens decreases waste and harmful materials. These cool environmental pens are 89% recyclable plastic. Not only do you save plastic to make pens, but you are already reusing existing plastic. If people purchase pens like these, it would help reduce plastic manufacturing, and decrease the amount of plastic in landfills.
Reusable Lunch Bags
An American child on average throws away 67 pounds of lunch waste per year, which means that an average-sized elementary school wastes 18,000 pounds per year. If people by a reusable lunch bag, it will decrease the number of lunch waste. Plus, you can save money in the outcome, and get a very cute and personalized lunch bag.
Reusable Water Bottles
Using reusable water bottles is a fun and stylish way to be eco-friendly! Be green by taking one of these BPA free water bottles to school, and reduce the amount of plastic in our landfills! About 40 million plastic drink bottles are not recycled, and go into the trash or to landfills everyday.
Used Textbooks
Buying used textbooks for children is one great way to be green! Not only do you save loads of money, you are also being an eco-friendly parent. This would prevent thousands and thousands of pages from going to landfills, and instead the textbooks can be reused or donated so that others may benefit from them!
