PARENTS, YOU CAN help your kids incorporate sustainable practices at school as well at home with these seven eco-friendly tips.
1. Plan: Make a list before you shop for school supplies to limit impulse buying.
2. Repurpose: Before shopping for school items, for new projects, sort through old supplies. Many from last year can be reused or repurposed.
3. Buy Smart: Whenever possible, purchase supplies made from recycled or reused products.
4. Reuse: Bring drinks in a thermos or a reusable water bottle and be sure to recycle milk cartons, bottles or other recyclable containers.
5. Pack it Up: If packing lunch from home, use reusable containers and carry them in a reusable bag or lunch box.
6. Volunteer: Find out if your school has a recycling program, and take part. If not, team up with administrators and teachers to start a recycling program that works for your school.
7. Empty, Clean & Dry: Always make sure your recyclables are EMPTY, CLEAN and DRY before tossing them in the recycling bin.
Our schooltime behavior is the perfect time to identify and minimize the impact of individual activities on the local environment. For example, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), food waste is the second largest category of municipal solid waste and is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Based on USDA calculations, approximately 31 percent of all food from home and school goes uneaten, and is eventually discarded. By incorporating sustainable practices at home and at school, you can instill sustainable behaviors in our future generations that can be carried forward throughout their life.
