They have basics like sustainable wood pencils, recycled paper, and non-toxic markers and each carries an eco-rating based on it’s eco-friendly qualities. I like this because it makes shopping green a bit easier for parents. They also carry an array of extra special back-to-school green gear such as…

They offer fun and handy products like the Bento Lunchbox, great looking eco-friendly water bottles, beautifully designed notebooks and folders, plus nifty items like the felt laptop sleeve which protects against scrapes and marks on your laptop, but in an earth friendly manner.

See all the green school supplies at Green Cricket.

Post from: Blisstree

Eco-Rated Green School Supplies for Fall

1. Only buy eco-friendly and non-toxic school supplies.
2. Pack a waste-free lunch all year long.
3. If you child eats lunch at school advocate for organic and healthy school lunches.
4. If you’re buying your kids new school shoes this year recycle your kids old shoes at Nike who will grind them down and use them to make new school running tracks, playground mats, basketball courts and more.
5. Try a green school fundraiser or two this year – About My Planet has a two part series; Raise Money with Green Fundraisers that can help you to get started - read part one and part two.
6. Get your school involved in landscaping options that are healthy, educational, and earth-friendly.
7. Explore why green school remodels and newly built LEED schools are healthier for your kids.
8. Consider walking, biking, or car-pooling to school this year.
9. Learn how to reduce all aspects of waste in your school.
10. Advocate for green education topics in the schools and don’t leave your kids’ eco-education solely up to their school; like sex-ed, green is something you should also be discussing with you kids, even if it is covered at school. See some schools who are incorporating green topics into the curriculum.

What are your local schools doing to create change? Are you advocating for changes that matter?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Ten Easy Ideas for Greening Your School

Walmart  recently held an “Earth Day Every Day School Challenge” in which schools could send  in videos and essays about their school’s green qualities. Walmart, who is trying to go more green, although, presonally I think they could do better (another story for another time), chose 20 green school finalists and online voters picked the grand prize winner.

Ok, do you have a school in mind (did you peek)? The winning school was…

Corvallis High School in lovely rainy Oregon (my home state!).

Some of the reasons why Corvallis came out the winner include:

• The school consumes 30 percent less energy than every other school built to the Oregon code. The school is furthering these efforts with plans to eventually install solar panels.
• The school’s Green Club spearheads a campaign to encourage students to use carbon-neutral transportation by offering incentives to bike or walk to school.
• In 2009 a group of Corvallis students traveled to the national Power Shift environmental conference in Washington D.C.
• Recycling is easily accessible throughout the school.
• The school is certified with a LEED Silver Rating.
• Lastly, Corvallis High offers school offers environmentally focused classes including: Economics of Conscious Consumption, AP Biology with a bio-diesel capstone project, Political Action Workshop and AP Environmental Science.

Corvallis High was awarded a $20,000 grant from Walmart to further its environmental efforts and in a nice turn of events, Walmart also gave $500 gift certificates to the other finalists.

To read more about Corvallis High and other schools making the green grade, visit the Earth Day Every Day School Challenge.

Post from: Blisstree

America’s Most Eco-Friendly School

School lunch menus are linked to obesity and host of other diet-related diseases. School lunches are over-processed and include a load of starches, fats and meats that have been genetically modified, and shot up with hormones and antibiotics. Plus unless the school is organic, foods most likely contain pesticides. Kids often have no vegetarian meal choices. Lastly you see very few fresh fruits and veggies included in school lunches, even though we all know this is key in a healthy diet. All in all, school lunches mostly suck and our kids are the ones who suffer the health consequences. In fact, the Daily Green notes that the nutrition standards of school lunches haven’t been updated for over 30 years!

According to Organic Consumer:

“Chantal Wei-Ying Clement, who is working on the Appetite for a Change campaign, is lobbying Congress for healthy local and organic food to be included in the Child Nutrition Act. Click here to read Chantal’s first report reviewing the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations for updating the school lunch and breakfast programs.“

What you can do:

• Organic Consumers is urging everyone to get involved with the 2009 Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. The act is a good opportunity to create positive change. We can help change where the food comes from, how nutritious is it, and how healthy our kids will be.
• Read: How to Change School Food Policy: An Organizing Kit
  Write to Congress about the changes you’d like to see for school lunches.
• Send an action alert about school lunches to Congress.

What else you can do: Talk to your kids about making smart lunch decisions. Pack them a healthy lunch vs. giving them money to buy lunch. It may seem like more work, but my son goes to a private school with no lunch program at all and once you get into the swing of packing a lunch daily, you get fast.

Do you know what’s being served for lunch at your kid’s school? What do you think of the menu?

[images via stock.xchng and Organic Consumers]

Post from: Blisstree

Score Healthy, Local & Organic School Food

“He’s really learning about ‘going green’ from school,” the mom remarked.  “They’ve got a big program about saving the environment.”

Many schools are emphasizing the “green” theme, including those where I do substitute teaching.  Youngsters are informing their parents and looking for ways to be green at home.

This is great, as long as it isn’t carried to extremes.  Parents have to take into account cost, time savings, and their lifestyle, as well as environment practices.  Sometimes you also can’t change all at once.  These practices have to be adapted gradually.

What’s going on in your household regarding “going green?” Have your children’s schools joined the “green team” in a sensible manner or to the extreme?

Image: sxc.hu

Post from: Blisstree

Parenting for the “Green” Family