Back To School with the Green Moms Carnival

Welcome to the 3rd annual back-to-school edition of the Green Moms Carnival!!  Clearly this is a HUGE topic and the carnival gets bigger & better every year!  I was happy to include submissions from quite a few new contributors as well as those of us who have been with the group from the beginning.

One thing was clear as I read through all the submissions: As parents, we want to make the whole school experience a sustainable one.  Not only do our kids spend a lot of time at school, but it is a launching pad for the rest of their lives. It's where they learn healthy habits and respect for the earth and everything on it. 

Read on to hear what the Green Moms have to say about going back-to-school the sustainable way.  We're covering everything from transportation to school, eco-friendly supplies and gear, healthy food choices and how to get involved in green activism at your school.

{The Green Moms Carnival is a monthly roundup of blog posts on a chosen topic.  Visit our home page on OrganicMania to learn more!  Next month's carnival will be hosted by Diane at Big Green Purse on the topic of the "Eco Impact of Clothing".  Send submissions to [email protected] } 

Green Beginnings

Looking back on her childhood, Harriet from Climate Mama remembers the feelings of anticipation and new beginnings each school year.  She ponders how to make those new beginnings more sustainable in this "over the top, consumer product oriented culture."

The first day of school is going to be big for Amber from strocel.com.  She is sending her oldest child off to Kindergarten!!  Talk about a milestone!!  Read how she's planning to reduce the environmental impact of her daughter's school experience.

Green School Activism

What better time to get involved in greening your school than the beginning of the year?  Susan from Practically Green encourages us to join the school's green team...or if there isn't one already, start one up ourselves!

Diane from Big Green Purse shares an inspiring story of how the "young activists club" at a nearby school are campaigning for reusable lunch trays instead of styrofoam.  Diane gives them a big thumbs up!!

If you are in the activist mode, check out this list of Top 10 Green School Projects from Lynn from OrganicMania.  There's a lot to be done and there's something for everyone!

A school garden is a wonderful way to teach kids where their food comes from.  Deanna's (Crunchy Chicken) school has one.  Does yours?

Getting There - The Sustainable Way

The big yellow bus is not the only way to get to school.  Learn how some motivated parents in my neighborhood created a walking school bus to get more kids to walk to school!

Just getting the kids out the door in the morning can feel like the biggest hurdle of the day.  Read my thoughts on setting up a school day routine to help our family live a green & healthy life. 

School Supplies - Greening the List

Who better to ask about the environmental impact of school supplies than a teacher?  Abbie (A Farmer's Daughter) gives us her perspective on the crazy amount of waste at schools (and how to combat it) and rants about her pet peeve:  asking kids to bring their own toilet paper! 

Linda from Citizen Green points out that one of the most toxic plastics around -  PVC - runs rampant in school supplies.  It's even in plastic-coated spiral notebooks and paper clips! 

Anna from Green Talk shares what its like to buy school supplies for 4 kids and how she reuses as much as possible and takes old binders apart for recycling.  Go Anna!

Don't worry - it is possible to find eco-friendly versions of standard school supplies!  Sommer from Green & Clean Mom tells us about her favorites and where to find them.

Green & Healthy Gear

With the demand for safe and eco-friendly school gear at an all time high, companies have really stepped up the pace.  There seems to be an endless parade of new 'green' products...the hardest part is choosing what to buy (and not buying too much!).  Check out these tips from the Green Moms about their favorite products and strategies from greening the gear:

Take the Green My Lunchbox pledge along with Lisa from Lazy Budget Chef.  You gotta love the campaign goal:  to eliminate over 1 million pounds of waste a year!!

Waste-free lunch kits and backpacks are on the radar for Katie from Non-Toxic Kids.  She's sending her oldest off to kindergarten in eco-friendly style!

Lori from Groovy Green Livin tells us about 6 green things you need to send your kids back-to-school the eco-friendly way.

Lisa from RetroHousewife Goes Green shares her favorite waste-free lunch accessories.

I cracked up reading Beth's (Fake Plastic Fish) post about her beloved Dawn Doll lunchbox (made out of smelly PVC vinyl) circa 1974.  Now a days there are plenty of PVC-free options but a new problem has arisen that Beth would like to see changed:  styrofoam lunch trays.

Kathy from Safe Mama created an incredible 'cheat sheet' of safer and eco-friendlier lunch gear.  If you're in the market for a lunchbox, this is the list to check!

Katie from Kitchen Stewardship offers up some very helpful tips to reduce lunchbox waste.  Plus a super-smart policy for getting all your lunch gear home:  If it doesn't get eaten, it comes home!

The Planet Box is certainly one of the most unique lunch containers I've seen.  Jennifer at Z-Recommends tells us why it gets a Top Pick on their website.

Don't be fooled by 'safe' lunchboxes made with Microban.  Kimberly at Get Green Be Well tells us why.

Tiffany (Nature Moms) talks Tiffins, Lunchbots and Sigg.

Does your child really need a new backpack?  Sommer (Green & Clean Mom) recommends reusing what you can, buying used when possible and when you need to buy something new, make it green.

If you are shopping for shoes this fall listen up:  Lisa from Condo Blues has a list of 11 PVC-free (that's the poison plastic) shoe brands that you won't want to miss!

Healthy Eating

If you're looking for healthy ideas for the lunchbox, look no further than Katie's (Kitchen Stewardship) post about packing a healthy lunch.  It's chock full of recommendations including some "acceptable shortcuts" which we all know we need every once in awhile!

I've got a similar post that covers sandwiches, snacks and something sweet (including a link to my favorite healthier chocolate chip cookies!)

Jennifer from A Tranquil Parent has a post about packing a vegetarian lunch - which you certainly don't have to be a vegetarian to appreciate!

Sommer's (Green & Clean Mom) post about eco-friendly lunches makes a really good point about hot lunches:  "Our children cannot be shielded from bad food all the time....teaching them about moderation and helping them learn to appreciate the healthy food and how fresh food tastes will go a long way."  She also points out the importance of getting involved in improving school lunches at your child's school!!

Here's a cool way to encourage healthy eating:  have your school become a drop-off point for a CSA (community supported agriculture) program.  Deanna from Crunchy Chicken ponders this idea.

Healthy Classroom

"What about school makes my kid sick?" What a great question asked by Karen at Best of Mother Earth.  The answer (and solution) may surprise you!

Katie from Kitchen Stewardship talks dirt about hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps.

If your school has "crazy hair day" you might want to read Deanna's (Crunchy Chicken) post about the crazy chemicals in that crazy hair spray.  It'll drive you crazy!

Thanks for reading!  Please share this post on Twitter, FB, StumbleUpon, Kirtsy etc.....and come back in September for "The Eco Impact of Clothing" at Big Green Purse!!

Comments

[Karen Hanrahan]

What an absolutely awesome green minded gathering of back to school resources and ponderings! Thank you so much for hosting!! I can't believe it's our third annual - how positively cool is that!!

[Anna@Green Talk]

Wow. What a great group of articles. Can someone tell me a lunch bag for teenage boys to use that is green? I swear if I can't find it, I am going to have to start the company myself!!!

[Lynn from OrganicMania.com]

Micaela,

Thank you so much - this carnival rocks! I can't wait to make it through all of these posts! I love this tradition and I'm so thrilled you hosted our third annual! (Sorry I got my post in late, but boy, was that vacation sorely needed!)

Lynn

[betz]

Thanks so much for this! I am completely inspired by the school's fight against styrofoam trays. We live in the same county as the article and I am wound up about the whole thing. I'm totally going to bring this up at our school as they use the same trays!

[Kim from GetGreenBeWell.com]

Thanks for hosting!

[Lesley]

Perfect timing on this post & some great tips.
We did a good job reusing many school supplies this year & our school promotes "litterless lunches" .. no juice boxes, plastic wrap, etc,

I love the Wrap N Mat for sandwiches - and some of the patterns should be ok for the teen-age crowd.
http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/fabrics.php

Our school also does the "walking school bus", but just once a year. We are fortunate that we walk to school.

thanks so much, I'll be back often

[shannon]

Fabulous! Thanks so much for creating a gathering place for all this information! I have started some things at my children's school, but I'd love to do more. :) Thanks again! :)