Sustainability During the School Year
The new school year has begun here in Arizona. A new school year means new beginnings, and learning new things. I love that my children have been learning about protecting the planet and making more sustainable choices. Their school started a garden, and thankfully, using a bit less paper during the year.
I received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.
The EPA says: Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.
Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have, the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment
You can make choices everyday to help your family more sustainable.
Walk to school
If possible, walk your children to school. A simple walk can help reduce emissions and reduce traffic. Not to mention that you will use less gas…saving you money as well. Your children could also be ready to walk themselves if you need help making that important decision, check out my post on Letting kids walk to school.
Carpool
Walking may not be possible, due to circumstances or even distance. Carpooling can also help dramatically. Find a group of parents willing to swap days with you. I take a couple of girls home on Mondays and Tuesday, and their mom takes my girls home on Thursday and Friday. Taking another car off the road can significantly help reduce the impact on the environment.
Use Reusable Containers
Landfills are full of plastic bags and boxes. Pack your kid’s lunch in reusable containers. There are even reusable snack snacks you can get that can be rinsed out. There are so many really cute options out there. Your kids will just need a gentle reminder to bring everything home every day!
Buy used
Pure Energies, a leading energy adviser in the US and Canada, wants to know how you want to help your family become more sustainable. Even one small change in your daily lives can make a huge difference!
Think of one #smallstep you and your family are willing to make for the school year and visit www.pureenergies.com enter your #smallstep and be automatically entered into the contest to win one of 10 prize packs of a Voltaic Solar Backpack (MSRP $199) and $500 cash!
On September 8th, Pure Energies will randomly draw winners. Click and enter to win 1 of 10 solar backpacks which can cleanly charge an iPhone in 3 hours. The backpacks have a solar panel on the back and have a MSRP of $199 each.
You can share your #smallstep with friends and family and inspire them to take a #smallstep too and together we can walk toward a more sustainable future!
These are great ideas. I love how you guys swap uniforms!
We live close enough to all of my children’s schools so they can walk. I do give rides on days when it is raining but I like living close to save on gas.
I love that we live three blocks from the elementary school. We always walk when the weather allows.
My sister and her girls did a uniform swap every year for their school too. It saved them tons of money.
I just bought tons of reusable containers, woot! We live way too far away to walk but we do carpool a ton each week!
That’s such a great backpack. I would have easily used it hiking and campaign this summer too.
We use reusable containers every chance we get. And a solar backpack? That’s awesome! I can’t believe that can charge devices!
This backpack is too cool! This would be perfect for conventions.
That backpack is awesome! I need this. I can charge my phone and my camera while cramming a ton of stuff into that backpack.
What great tips… every little thing helps. We do try to walk to and from school on most days and reuse lunch bags.
Oh wow what a great concept, I will so have to check this out!
That solar backpack is AWeSOME! I want one!
We try to plan ahead and use reusable containers and meal plan to cut down on trips to the store. Our kids ride a bus due to being so far away.
I think that this is cool, but I know not many kids around here have iPhones because they cannot afford them. I think my husband needs this backpack though.
I wish we could walk to school. We live so close to my child’s school but it’s unsafe because there aren’t any sidewalks. Great ideas.
This book bag seems really cool! When my daughter packs lunch, she always uses reusable containers. Also, her and her friends like to carpool often!
Super cool idea. I want one. Do they make purses?
With 3 girls, it is easy to share clothes between them all. By the way, those solar backpacks are awesome!
Great tips!! Teaching the kids sustainability is important!
Great tips!! Teaching the kids sustainability is important!
I think we will be transitioning to reusable water bottles for school this year, it is more than about time. I really like the recycling uniforms idea too!
We donate our uniforms and also buy the used ones. It works out great from an upcycling point of view, as well as a frugal point of view.
That back pack is so cool! We don’t have school, yet, but we use washable sandwich bags and lunch bags and containers, as well as cloth napkins at home. So much less expensive, as well as better for the environment!
We always used reusable lunch boxes and bags for the kids! It was a small step for helping the environment.
Wow solar backpacks!!. We are tying to recycle more. I would love a solar powered backpack it would be a great way to keep devices charged on the go. So many possibilities.
Great tips, and I had no idea they had solar backpacks! That is absolutely awesome!!!!
We buy and sell our uniforms as we change sizes. I also carpool whenever we can.
We reuse lunch containers and try to minimize our footprint that way. We also use reusably water bottles that are labeled with my son’s name.
I buy all my boys jeans second hand. They are always ripping the knees, so it’s not even worth buying new.
One small step is to ALWAYS take cloth bags when you go shopping (not just to the grocery store)