Be Just a Little Greener This Back-to-School

by Kelly Neylan

Most parents would like to be greener but they aren't sure about how to go about greening going back to school shopping process. One very simple way you can do this is by purchasing an article of organic clothing. Most people know that you are what you eat but what you may not know is that you are what you wear. Now many people now realized that by buying one organic shirt that they were saving almost 1/3lb of pesticides and chemicals from going into the ground that it would make an impact. But what most people do not realize is that the heavily pesticide ridden inner part of the cotton plant from conventional farming is not thrown away it is ground up and put into our food as fillers most commonly in cookies, crackers and bake goods. Additionally the run off from conventional farming is poisoning our drinking water, rivers, and streams. So each article of clothing where you decide to buy organic rather than conventional helps to save soil, land, and air that we all use. Not to mention that ring spun organic cotton is the softest around and since it hasn't been worn down with chemicals it tends to last longer. So it’s a better value in the long run since it lasts longer. If everyone would buy even one piece of organic apparel for his or her children for back to school it would start to make a huge difference. We can change the world one t-shirt at a time.

Another place that you can help green your children’s school experience would be to green their lunches. Buy a reusable sandwich wrap, there are many with cloth and plastic that have Velcro that can be used for many years and save on the use of plastic bags and plastic wrap. Use reusable water bottles or thermoses (be sure to get a non-plastic one that will not leach if exposed to heat or cold, the stainless steel varieties are nice). Give your child reusable cutlery that they bring home and you can reuse the next day. Pack a cloth napkin instead of paper, you can find great ones on clearance and buying dark colors for children will make them usable for a much longer period of time. Pack the lunch in a reusable lunch bag or box and avoid using disposable bags. These simple changes will saves millions of pounds of trash from being added landfills.

When buying paper, notebooks, and paper products look for ones that have some recycled content. Pens are even available now made from recycled plastic. These items can be found at some of the big box office supply stores as well as online retailers.

Everyone can make a substantial environmental impact by purchasing recycled, re-usable, and organic items for back to school.

About the Author
Kelly Neylan runs BuddhiWear an organic apparel company with a flare for yoga, pilates, energy healing, environment and all things positive. She is also a yoga instructor and mother to two children. BuddhiWear offers apparel for the entire family. Women, Men, Children, and Babies. Their Fall line will launch in August with even more new styles and designs.

BuddhiWear is sweatshop labor free and plants trees for shirts. Their current line can viewed at http://www.buddhiwear.com/. Use the code “GREEN10” take 10% off your entire purchase.