Turn over a new leaf and green your back-toschool routine this fall by introducing some environmentally friendly practices to your children.
"There's kind of a starting point that's built into the launch of the school year. I think it's a good time to think about how you want to run your household or what kind of choices you want to make with the family," said Gillian Deacon, author of There's Lead in Your Lipstick (2011) and Green For Life (2008).
There are plenty of small steps you can take that won't negatively impact the environment and will save money too, from purchasing clothing and school supplies to packing lunches and transportation.
First, evaluate what your children actually require.
"You really don't need to go hog-wild. Taking the kids on a shopping spree is a way of getting kids excited to go back to school, but I think it's important for parents from a sustainability and cost point of view to really think about what you actually need for back to school," said Toronto-based Deacon.
"I think that idea of being more conscious of what we consume and how much we actually need it is a good attitude for whether it's clothing or school supplies or whatever," she added.
Adria Vasil, author of Ecoholic Body (2012), notes that kids grow out of clothing quickly. "Consider weaving in some second-hand and preloved options to reduce your footprint and your bill at the end of the shopping day."
Deacon, 46, said she's "never embarrassed or ashamed to admit I buy all my kids' clothes at Value Village. I have boys. They're going to have holes in the knees no matter if I buy them brand new for $40 or second-hand for $3. I get as much as I can second-hand or hand-me-downs just because it's just such a money saver."
Vasil encourages parents to shop for refillable pens, highlighters and pencils and for items with high recyclable content.
"If you see something with 10 per cent recycled content, move on and look for one that's got 80 to 100 per cent recycled content," Vasil said, noting that major office supply stores now carry more recycled printer paper, notebooks, file folders, Post-its, mouse pads, paper clips, binders and clipboards.
"Just keep your eyes peeled. They're sitting right there beside the competition."
Laptop computers are more energy efficient than desktops. "Look for brands that have gotten more of a green light from environmentalists for being more eco-friendly companies," Vasil said. Consult Greenpeace's annual Guide to Greener Electronics to check the brand you're considering.
Kids chew on erasers, so Vasil, who has been writing her weekly Ecoholic column for Now magazine since 2004, suggests buying erasers made of recycled natural rubber rather than those made of vinyl.
"Vinyl is a toxic plastic. It's been involved in toy recalls. It's softened with high levels of phthalates that are now banned from kids' toys but are still allowed in erasers."
Health Canada says on its website that phthalates are a family of chemicals commonly used as plasticizers and are added to vinyl plastic to make it soft and flexible. Research shows that phthalates, which may leach out of the soft vinyl during mouthing or licking and migrate into the body through the saliva, adversely affect reproduction and development.
For kids allergic to natural rubber erasers, Staedtler (staedtler.com) makes erasers free of polyvinyl chloride and latex.
Specialty stores like Grassroots (in Toronto or online grassroots.com) carry recycled rubber erasers.
Vasil, 36, also advises looking for PVC-free backpacks. Many department stores carry inexpensive colourful nylon or polyester backpacks for kids, without vinyl bubble plastic decals, which are also found on lunch bags and clothing. For older kids, Amazon.ca carries sturdy backpacks made of recycled pop bottles for under $50. In the more premium price range, Canadian-based House of Marley makes cool knapsacks and messenger bags out hemp, organic cotton and recycled plastic.
The Art and Creative Materials Institute certifies art supply products as nontoxic. Look for the ACMI seal of approval.
Many schools advocate zero-waste lunches in an effort to green school activities and kids' habits.
"There's a staggering amount of packaging waste thrown away - 30 kilograms of packaging waste is what the average Canadian school child throws away every year," said Deacon.
Deacon's three children use lightweight stainlesssteel lunch containers with resealable lids. Also available are reusable cloth pouches and mats that can be rolled around sandwiches and then unrolled to serve as a place mat. These can be found at environmental and culinary supply stores and websites.
Vasil said there is a plastic wrap replacement made of beeswax, tree resin and jojoba oil infused into fabric made of hemp and cotton.
Made by Abeego of Victoria, it's reusable. She also keeps a lightweight bamboo spork, with a spoon on one end and fork on the other, in her purse.
Buying reusable containers is an opportunity to teach young people responsibility and about being stewards of the planet, Deacon said. "Take the time to explain to your children why you're doing this and why we're not buying the same thing in plastic anymore."
