Here are some tips and resources to help make your back to school season more eco minded. I hope to have this as a living page, always changing with new additions and edits. If you have a great resource to add to this page, let me know!
FOR STUDENTS
USE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE
If this isn't your first back to school season, you probably already have supplies left over from last year to reuse such as backpacks, lunchboxes, binders, folders, pens, etc. Don't be afraid to use half used notebooks either.
SHOP SECONDHAND
A lot of school/office supplies such as backpacks, lunchboxes, and binders are perfect to find secondhand. Some great places to search are local thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace, and your local Buy Nothing Group Facebook group or app. Give them a nice clean or wipe down to get them looking fresh.
SHOP FROM SUSTAINABLE BRANDS
Shops like EarthHero have a large selection of sustainable back to school items. Here are 5 of their favorite products:
- Organic Cotton Backpack from Terra Thread
- Ruled Spiral Decomposition Notebook from Decomposition
- Organic Cotton Zipper Lunch Bag from Fluffy
- Plantable Spruce Tree Pencils from Sprout
- Recycled PET Fine Tip Highlighters from Onyx and Green
You can check out their full back-to-school collection here.
FOR TEACHERS
SUPPLIES
- Ticonderoga Renew Pencils made with 53% recycled wood