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!

What #smallstep will you make in your family?