Getting Green With School Supplies
Fall is a great time to shop for earth friendly supplies and teach our children some healthy alternatives at the same time. An average family can spend up to $250.00 on school supplies ie paper, notebooks, lunch boxes, pencils, pens, crayons etc. Not to mention electronics. Many of these supplies contain toxins that can affect our children’s learning and come with a cost to our environment.
Shop for nontoxic art supplies. Double check those paints, markers and glues for toxic ingredients. Look for the AP label for safe supplies. (The Art and Creative Materials Institute or ACMI) This label will indicate that the products are less toxic though not necessarily free of toxins.
Paper is a huge culprit for toxins as bleach is used to brighten the paper so be careful when purchasing paper for your kids. Much of the paper used for school supplies come from endangered forest in the southern US and Indonesia. The paper industry is the 4th largest emitter of greenhouse gases and the 3rd largest of industrial waste. Choose your paper carefully, use it sparingly and recycle appropriately.
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