Your Guide To Green

Summer always comes and goes too quickly. Before you know it, it's time for Back to School shopping and figuring out what to make for lunches. If you are trying to live a greener life, preparing for the Back to School agenda and managing a busy work schedule can seem a bit challenging. Thankfully, it is not that difficult and many of the products and tips are available on YourGuideToGreen.

Supplies

Once students have received their supply lists from their teachers, they are always eager to get to the store and fill their backpacks. Before you head out the door, look through the supplies your kids brought home at the end of last year and re-use as much as possible. Be sure to double check so you know exactly what you need and don't forget to take all lists with you. This way you can save time and money by avoiding multiple trips. If you have a local office supply store, stop there first and support a local business: if not, your standard office-supply shop will have several recycled products to choose from.

Pencils, loose-leaf paper, notebooks and folders are standard supplies and all can be purchased 'green'. Did you know that approximately seventeen trees are cut down for every ton of paper produced? That's why it's important to buy supplies made from recycled paper whenever possible. In addition, standard pencils are more eco-friendly than mechanical ones because they use less packaging and don't require lead re-fills. If you want to be even more green, look for soybean crayons and all-natural glue for your kids art supplies.

Finally, if you have kids in middle school or high school, purchasing books for their literature classes may mean another errand. This time, turn it into a family outing to the local, used book shop and find the treasures hidden in the corners. Recycled books are a great way to reduce consumption of new things by using old or discarded ones. You'll save money too when you find books in brand-new condition at a fraction of the price!

Lunch Prep.

School meals often are loaded with preservatives and additives that can be detrimental to growing kids and contribute to the increasing problem of childhood obesity in the United States. The associated daily expenses, of course, really add up.

Lunch packing can be the most challenging part of the day when you are trying to be creative and tasty first thing in the morning. But making green lunches is an important example to set for kids and can lay the groundwork for a healthier childhood. By packing organic lunches you teach your kids the importance of eating local, organic food and of living lightly on the earth.

The options can seem overwhelming when you first get started, so we suggest the following pointers. Pack organic food as much as possible. Conventional nuts, fruits and vegetables often contain pesticides, toxins and carcinogens that are especially harmful to maturing children. Organic food is pesticide-free and significantly less detrimental to the environment when farmed, offering a healthy solution for your whole family and the world around you.

Keep in mind that good nutrition is crucial for developing healthy bodies. Healthy Kids = Happy Kids. The Center for Science in the Public Interest's Eating Green website illustrates the effect food has both on our health and the environment and has very interesting articles and links.

Children 2-6 years of age need to consume 1600 calories per day while 6-12-year-olds, teenage girls and active women should be eating 2200 calories per day. Teenage boys and active men need to be eating at least 2800 calories per day. Keep this in mind when portioning their lunches and deciding which food groups to pack. 

Lunch Waste

According to research done by Obentec, a company that promotes waste-free lunches, each child eating disposable lunches generates approximately 67 pounds (30 kg) of food debris each year. Multiply this by the student population and the amount of annual waste is staggering. By taking waste-free lunches to school, students can help to greatly reduce the garbage headed to our landfills.

Help eliminate the waste. Send lunches in reusable containers and replace paper napkins with reusable cloth napkins. Also try replacing juice boxes and disposable drink containers with a stainless steel thermos that is great for packing warm liquids (like soup!) or keeping beverages cold for up to 6 hours.

For cold liquids, a stainless steel bottle is essential.  Avoid all alternatives made from BPA-laced plastic bottles, polycarbonate bottles, aluminum bottles, or plastic-lined metal bottles.  Food grade stainless steel avoids all the health unknowns of other bottle types.

Avoid purchasing pre-packaged goods that have needless wrapping and try to remember to use leftovers for lunches. Consider making a little extra for dinner and you'll find morning lunch packing much easier.

Encourage kids to bring home their leftovers. You can choose to compost or dispose of it, but this way you will learn what kind of food they really enjoy and which ones to avoid in the future. Trail-mix is one popular and healthy option and you can create your own homemade trail-mix together.

Making lunches as eco-friendly as possible is not only better for your kids health, and the health of the planet, but it provides a great opportunity for them to learn the benefits of living 'lightly' at an early age.

Remember, green lunches are not just for students but for everyone who takes a sack lunch to work, the park or a sporting event!

Get Green 4 Back to School

Check out YourGuidetoGreen's Back to School section for your lunchtime, stainless steel bottle, and backpack needs!