Back to School Green Living Tips

August has come and gone and everybody from young children to college students are now back at school. Most parents are breathing a sigh of relief! While back-to-school time means a bit of relief for parents as well as busier schedules for kids, it also means a ton of activities that can be harmful to the planet. Whether you're the parent of a small, school-aged child or whether you're a blossoming college student, here are some ways to make back-to-school more eco friendly.

Use Eco Friendly Lunch Packaging
If you carry your lunch with you regularly, don't use disposable bags and other plastic-based packaging. Invest in a reusable lunch sack and reusable containers for food and beverages. If you do use single-serving pre-packaged portions, be responsible about recycling them. If you purchase your lunch daily, carry reusable utensils with you so that you don't need to use disposable plastic ones each day.

Limit Your Back-To-School Shopping
We all need some new things for back-to-school, but if you pay attention to the media you'll end up thinking that you need to replace every single item that you own just because it's time to start classes again. Only buy what you really need to go back to school. Set a budget and stick to it. Also, consider hitting thrift stores to reduce your consumption of made-to-order materials. Finally, for what you do need to buy, make an effort to select postconsumer-made goods or eco-friendly brands.

Carpool!
Whether you drive yourself to your place of education or whether you transport a child to school, chances are there are other people (or even school-supplied transportation) that are going to the same place. Reducing the number of single-driver cars on the road is one of the greatest things that we can do to control emissions and help save the planet. Use local message boards to find other students or parents to carpool with. It will not only be good for the planet, it will also save you dollars in gas money.

Back-to-school can be exciting and energy-infusing. It can also be bad for the planet. However, a few small steps as described above can make a big difference in making back-to-school a time to go green. Be a good student, and be a student of how to be eco-friendly as well!

Whether you make changes to your lunch routine, your commute, the types of materials and products that you purchase for back-to-school or even how responsible you are about recycling your back-to-school materials, you'll be making a difference for the planet that's just as important as valuing your education is.

Jocelyn Saurini is a student and a freelance writer who not only writes about but also tries every day to go green. While her writing features green living tips, her daily time is spent learning about environmental news. She's a student of the planet, and she likes to write about it.