Terracycle www.terracycle.net Thank you to Jo Ann from Trinity Lutheran's Green Team for this tip!
"Trinity Lutheran School is collecting juice pouches. Any school can do the same. Terracycle offers many great recycling programs for things like juice pouches, wine bottles corks and other items that would just sit for years and years in a land fill. A small amount of money is sent for each item you send in to them in their postage paid envelopes."
Green Tips to make your School eco-friendly! According to the Green Book © 2007, each American consumes on average over 6 napkins per day! If we all use just 1 fewer napkin per day, it would save 150 million of them from hitting the trash can! Practically speaking, we still need to use napkins and paper towels, but we can set the example for schools to use recycled paper products and encourage less waste overall. Thank you to Springfield Mom Noel Scott for sharing this great idea to rally a group of parents to order recycled paper products for the classroom. Many schools, preschools, daycares love to receive donations of supplies for the classroom.
- Recycled Napkins and Paper Towels Seventh Generation paper towels. These paper towels are made from 100% recycled paper, with a minimum of 80% post consumer materials. The paper is whitened with an environmentally safe process and never with chlorine bleach. Contains NO dyes, inks or fragrances. Seventh Generation paper napkins These napkins are made from 100% recycled paper, with a minimum of 80% post consumer materials. The napkins are soft and absorbent, hypo-allergenic and whitened with an environmentally safe process without chlorine bleach. Buy Notebooks, Folders, Sticky Notes, and Copy Paper made from Recycled Paper.
- Lunch containers – Paper or Plastic? Actually neither. The best solution is a reusable lunch box! www.laptoplunches.com. She found a cool one to reduce your packaging at lunchtime.
- Try replacing Ziploc bags and disposable containers and pre-sized snacks, with recyclable aluminum foil or better yet, refillable containers for food and drinks to be returned to home to wash.
- Skip the plastic utensils and use good old flatware (find at the Dollar Store so there is no fear of losing your set for your home dining).
- Use Cloth Napkins
- When I was a kid, we all used a cool Thermos for our drinks, now I know why!
- Learn more about waste free lunches here: www.wastefreelunches.org
The Children's Discovery Museum (in Normal, IL) has a fantastic green exhibit featuring four kids who talk about waste free lunches around the world. You can also walk through a landfill, be a worm in a compost tunnel and much more. Learn more about the Children's Discovery Museum Watch out trees! Paper is the biggest form of waste that comes from schools. According to The Green Book © 2007, the average school tosses thirty-eight tons of paper per year or 8 million sheets! What can we do?
- Help schools set up a recycle paper bin in every classroom. Be willing to take home for your personal recycle day if needed.
- Encourage schools to have students use BOTH sides of the paper!
- See what type of paper your school provides. Try to find alternatives that do not contain chlorine and are made from recycled paper.
Clean-up! See if your school would use a non-toxic, natural and biodegradable cleaner. Chemical sprays leave a residue and emit fumes into the air that are not healthy for teachers or students! Try some natural home cleaning combinations or products that focus on using vegetable based sustainable ingredients in lieu of petroleum based chemicals. These green cleaners can be used on all surfaces at school (tables, floors, cubbies, cabinets, desks). The spray pumps are refillable and it takes just one-quarter teaspoon of concentrate to 16 ounces of water to make a multi-purposed spray bottle. The kids can even spray and wipe … no harm done, just clean and green! Click here for more. Car-pooling saves time, money and energy … literally! When the school bus is not an option … carpooling is a great way for everyone to win. Fun conversations with friends on the way to school and less money spent on gas for the families … and of course, our earth thanks you too for the decreased auto emissions.
Pop Quiz: We all know the slogan—Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Pick your formula for success, and watch your children teach others as well!
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