Learn how you can make small changes that are eco-friendly and will have a lasting impact.
As the days start to grow shorter and summer camps draw to a close, it’s time to start thinking back-to-school. Happy parents and sad kids are now getting the school supply lists, digging into the closet to find last year’s backpack and trying to decide just how many new outfits are needed to return to the classroom. Back-to-school can also be a time that generates significant waste. The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania & Delaware has released a list of five simple ways you can make the start of the school year more eco-friendly:
1. Only Buy What You Need
Before you go shopping, take inventory of what you already have. Consider re-using last year’s backpack and lunch box and see what school supplies you have around your home. Be conservative when you purchase supplies to reduce unnecessary consumption and waste.
2. Purchase Used or Recycled Materials
Focus on purchasing items made from recyclable materials such as recycled paper, notebooks and folders. If you are in college and shopping for your textbooks, look to rent or purchase used ones that tend to be cheaper and work just as well as new books. Textbooks are also available to rent online, which would save paper.
3. Eco-friendly Clothing
Clothes shopping is an important part of back-to-school shopping and kids grow so fast. Think about what clothes you can buy second-hand which is significantly more affordable and eco-friend. When you buy new clothes, consider buying fewer higher quality pieces that your kids can and avoid “fast fashion”—stylish, but low-quality, clothing that is not made to last and can fall apart easily.
