by Shelley Kishpaugh

Created on: April 16, 2009   Last Updated: April 22, 2009

Choosing to "go green" when selecting school supplies can go a long way toward improving our environment. Here are the basic school supplies with an eco-friendly twist.

Paper and Notebooks

Recycled paper is an obvious choice, and is freely available these days just about anywhere. You may not realize that there are an increasing number of products that do not rely on trees to make paper. For instance, you can buy notebooks made from a fibrous plant called kenaf which is related to cotton. Another tree-free option is banana fiber paper. Both of these products can be located by typing "Tree Free Paper" or "Tree Free Notebooks" into any internet search engine.

You can also buy paper made from elephant dung. You can search for "Elephant Dung Paper" to find suppliers. Everything from notebooks and notepads to scrapbooking paper is available.

Pens and Pencils

Bic and Papermate as well as most of the other major pen manufacturers are now offering eco-friendly options. Pens are now being made with recycled or biodegradable plastic and environmentally friendly inks. You can find these products at most major office supply stores. A great website for an assortment of recycled or biodegradable pens and pencils is Imprintcenter.com. Imprint Center has a drop down list for eco-friendly products you can browse.

Pencils can be purchased that are made from recycled paper fiber. Some companies are making pencils using recycled denim fibers or recycled dollar bills.

Binders

You can purchase earth-friendly binders made from recycled paper or plastic. Earthbinder.com is one company that has a variety of sizes. If you don't find what you are looking for on their site, type "Eco-Friendly Binders" into your search engine to find suppliers who have all sizes, shapes and colors of earth friendly binders.

Crayons and Markers

Standard crayons are made from wax. Crayons made from earth friendly beeswax or soy are also available. These types of crayon are sometimes available in local stores, and many online retailers also carry them.

Eco-friendly markers can be purchased as well. The markers typically are made from recycled materials and use inks free of toxic ingredients. This type of marker is easily found on the internet.

Backpacks and Bags

There are many companies making backpacks and bags using recycled plastics. They are fairly easy to locate. For instance, REI has a very good selection on their website of all sorts of backpacks in all styles. You can also search for "recycled backpacks" or "recycled bags" to find one that works for you.

Lunch Boxes

Lunch boxes have made the news recently because of high led content. Many options exist that are lead, vinyl and BPA free. Search for "lead free lunch boxes" to locate eco-friendly lunch boxes.

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