[1]Photo used under Creative Commons with attribution from Doug Wilson
As the new school year rapidly approaches it is a perfect time to re-evaluate your lifestyle of years past and start thinking about adding eco-friendly habits to your school routine.
Here are 6 green products to get you started:
- Foogo by Thermos [2]
–This small thermos is stainless steel so there is no risk of leaching plastic. It fits perfectly into a lunch box and will keep food cold or hot. It comes in blue [2] and pink [3]. We use it for soup, pasta and fruit-my kids love taking it to school.
- Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel 12 oz Water Bottle [4]
-The perfect size for a lunch box and a snack bag. They are stainless steel so there is no risk of leaching plastic. By using a reusable water bottle you are also helping reduce the number of plastic bottles that end up in landfills, sitting for years while they try unsuccessfully to decompose.
- Cleanwell All-Natural Hand Sanitizer, Pocket Size, 1-Ounce Spray Bottles [5]
– The best option is still soap and water but most classrooms are requiring students to bring in their own hand sanitizer. Did you know that most hand sanitizers have fairly high alcohol content? This has many worried about flammability and potential misuse as an intoxicant. Two ounces of Purell is equivalent to four shots of vodka – it has 62% alcohol in it! Cleanwell products don’t contain any harsh chemicals or alcohol.
- Reusable lunch bags-check out the different styles and designs offered on Reuseit.com. Make sure your new bag is PVC and lead free.
- Seventh Generation, Facial Tissues [6]
-Seventh Generation doesn’t contain any harsh bleach and are hypo-allergenic, dye and fragrance free. No need to buy the individually wrapped pocket packs of facial tissue-the extra packaging materials and plastic wrap are filling up our landfills. Take out a few tissues and wrap them for your child in a reusable bag-then into the backpack they go.
- Reusable snack bags and sandwich bags for lunch boxes and snacks–Etsy [7] has a fantastic selection. Most of them can be thrown in the washing machine after use.
Enjoy those last few weeks of summer! Leave your thoughts and questions in the comment section below and check back often. There will be more Back to School updates as we get even closer to the first day back to school.
This post is part of this months Green Moms Carnival [8] Back-to-School edition hosted by Micaela over at Mindful Momma [9]. Be sure to stop by for lots of great tips and suggestions for sending your kids back-to-school the eco-friendly way.