The Sustainable Guide for Back to School
WOW the summer has flown by this year. I mean what year does it not. September is just around the corner which means only one thing for parents, back to school! For some parents it’s an exciting time, others not too much. There is a lot to consider when it comes to preparing for a new school year and routines can change year to year as kids start to get older.
I’ve put together a helpful guide with green product recommendations to help your shopping, as well as a few other insights into how to make the back to school process more sustainable as a whole. Keep reading to learn more!
Here are three things to do before going out and buying new school supplies this year:
Reuse & Repurpose
I believe there is a big misconception when it comes to yearly supply lists and back-to-school shopping. Year after year, advertisements and seasoned routines basically insist that you need to buy brand new supplies as soon as August hits. Western society has come into the capitalistic habit of associating a new school year with a need for a new box of pens, some perfect pencils, a new backpack, new clothes, new notebooks… the list goes on and on. Not only is this unnecessary but it is incredibly wasteful. The first step in choosing sustainability is to reuse what you have. That is reusing all of what you have, in as many ways as possible. Not believing what you have isn’t good enough because it isn’t the prettiest or newest.
Take some time with your kids to go through leftover supplies from the following year and see what can be reused. Check the ink supply in disposable pens, sharpen dull pencils, and throw any fabric supplies or cases in the wash to freshen up for the new year.
Educate your Kids on Sustainability
This might come with some pushback from kids that are conditioned to believe that how they show up in the world is valued by their possessions. Even if your child is not around that at home, peer pressure and expectations outside the home can impact their perspective. It is super important to provide clear understanding of why these choices are being made. Then if peers question why they don’t have brand new supplies at the beginning of the year, they are able to explain the impact of these decisions to them.
Fast facts about waste to share with your kids
North America uses 24% of the Earth’s resources despite only being 5.1% of the world’s population.
Let your children know that we use up way more resources than we should. Which prevents kids in other countries from having as many toys, clothes, and school supplies as your children and their friends. Explain to them that the choice to reduce waste will help ensure a brighter future for everyone and the importance of sharing is a worldwide effort.
Each Canadian generates an average of 4.9 pounds a day. (stat from 2009)
Find something in your home that is around 5 pounds and hand it to your child. Explain to them that on average, this is how much weight them, and everyone around them is contributing to landfills every single day. Hand them a second 5 pound item, and then a third. (if they can carry it) Explain that by Wednesday, every single person in their class has generated this much waste. This will give them a physical example of how heavy and unmanageable garbage can become quickly.
There are 1.6 million pens disposed of every year.
In explaining this, offer the information that if all the pens that were thrown out yearly were placed end to end they would stretch 243 kilometres. That’s enough to cross PEI 3.5 times!
Buy Second Hand
This is my go to recommendation for just about everything at this point. Before buying new things, it is always best to see if you can find it secondhand. Choosing to make use of materials already in circulation is one of the top ways we can reduce the amount of new resources used, and keep old ones out of the landfills. Luckly, back to school supplies can be found pretty easily at thrift stores.
Things like backpacks, sports equipment, musical instruments, textbooks, and refurbished technology can easily be found in your area from kids a few years ahead. Try seeing if older students are selling their supplies or if neighbouring families with older kids would be willing to sell you items you may need. If your child’s school has a uniform, check if they have a resale program. You could also check garage sales and thrift stores in your neighborhoods. If you need some tips on how to effectively go thrift shopping, check out my guide here.
Green School Supplies List
Once you have exhausted the three ideas above, it is time to purchase the rest of the supplies for the year. The list below compiles items most commonly found on supply lists. It includes sustainable alternatives to buying generic from mass supply stores. Consider the lifespan of your purchases and whether or not an item can last a few years. While a higher quality item might be a bit more upfront, it will save you for a few years in the long run.
This guide contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Should you choose to make a purchase from these links I may receive a small commission. Try to buy local first if possible.
Cotton Pencil Case
Instead of relying on hard plastic cases or ones that contain vinyl which can be toxic to the environment, choose one that is made from 100% cotton canvas. This will make it easy to wash and reuse over time as well. There is a good chance you might have a cotton makeup bag at home already that might work just as well. You can buy the cotton pencil case from Amazon for just 10.79 dollars.
Highlighter Pencils
Although highlighters could be considered reusable, they can dry out pretty easily before they reach the end of their useful life. By switching from ink to vibrant highlighter pencils like these, you won't have to worry about this happening again! These pencils are way gentler on paper, so the ink does not bleed and unlike liquid highlighters, these can be used from tip to tip instead of wasting the plastic casing. The highlighter pencils can be purchased from Amazon.
Natural Crayons
This flexible, lightweight, and machine washable lunch bag is perfect for everyday use. It can easily fold down to fit into a backpack once emptied and can be easily cleaned out with a quick wash. Some of the trendier lunch bags have off shapes with tricky zippers and hard to clean linings. It’s simple look will last the test of time and rounded handles make it easy to carry.
Lunch Thermos
It is important to have secure place to store food and any garbage or leftovers until they can be disposed of properly. This stackable stainless steel one can keep your kids lunches organized and proportions even. The snap closure is easy for smaller hands and can be used for both hot and cold meals.
Reusable Pencil
I often see recycled wood pencils or even some plantable ones that are incredibly expensive and not going to make a huge difference for the environment. The most effective way to help the environment is to reduce the amount of production and manufacturing waste. Purchasing a plastic-free refillable pencil like this Pentel one is a great solution.
Reusable Pen
If everyone switched to a refillable pen with vegetable ink it could save hundreds of thousands of disposable plastic pens being thrown out every year. Consider making the switch for your kids and refilling their pen once a week instead of buying them a new pack every year. This will also deter from pen thieves!
Rocketbook
If you switch to a smart notebook you will no longer need to purchase new paper products. Utilizing Rocketbook's patented Core technology, you are able to use the notebook as normal and then upload content from your computer. Simply erase with water and a soft cloth and you can reuse it again, and again.
Beeswax wraps
If you are packing a lunch for your kid, you will find these beeswax wraps handy. You can use the wraps for anything that is not soft or liquid. It might also be a good idea to send an extra sheet along with them in their bag just in case they need to wrap anything up after lunch.
Reusable Silicone Bags
You can use reusable silicone bags for anything that needs to be sealed. These could work wonderfully to keep school supplies together in a backpack or keep an extra uniform shirt dry and clean. Silicone bags can take the place of a versatile plastic ziplock, and do the job better.
Reusable Water Bottle
A good reusable water bottle is such an important thing to have. Stainless steel is the best in my opinion because it is lightweight, easy to clean, doesn’t smell, and very durable. Depending on the size of the opening, you might need a bottle brush for cleaning as well.
Hey, Claudia here
I am a senior graphic designer, a dog mom, an advocate for a zero-waste lifestyle, climate change, and sustainability. My articles are based on personal experience and well researched to give you the best source of information for all things zero-waste.