by Danielle L. Hunter

Created on: August 17, 2010

One of the easiest ways to help the environment is by shopping for school supplies that are both eco-friendly and long-lasting. As a parent, your main priority is the safety of your children. By going green and purchasing non-toxic, eco-friendly school supplies, you will not only safeguard your children's health, but guide them to a more environmentally conscious life.

Teach your children that it is acceptable to reuse school supplies like bookbags, lunchboxes and clothing. Purchasing new items like these year after year is both costly and unnecessary unless the product is completely worn-out or unsafe. If you make the decision to buy new, switch to fabric bookbags and lunch sacks or recycled bags by TerraCycle. Shop secondhand stores or check eBay and Craigslist for gently used school clothes, jackets and shoes. When purchasing new clothes, look for companies that offer eco-friendly lines like Organic Apparel USA for school uniforms or try Levi's Eco organic jeans.

After sorting through what is reusable, there will probably be school supplies that still need to be purchased like paper and pencils. Many companies are now offering notebooks that are made from post-consumer paper like New Leaf which can be purchased from office supply stores. Tree-free paper is another option with choices ranging from bamboo to banana and even the odorless Poo Poo Paper made from elephant dung. For pencils and pens, try Paper Mate's Earth Write #2 pencils that are 100% recycled and made from reclaimed cedar or their biodegradable corn-based pens and pencils.

Another important factor to consider when buying new school supplies is product safety. Many items on store shelves are plastic. Unless otherwise noted on the packaging, these plastic items are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a chemical linked to asthma, autism, cancer and other diseases. Think about all those vinyl bookbags and binders, plastic containers that leach out chemicals when heated and name brand modeling clays that are loaded with phthalates. It is unlikely that you would want your children to be exposed to toxins like these every single day. The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) offers a free downloadable 17-page guide, PVC-Free School Supplies, that parents can review before heading out to the stores to make sure that eco-friendly school supplies are on the shopping list.

Begin the new school year off right by going green. Shopping for eco-friendly school supplies does not need to be expensive or difficult. With a small amount of research and planning, you can send your children to school with safer items and help the planet at the same time while supporting environmentally friendly companies.

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