Green School Supplies – A Back to School Guide for Students Going Green

Clearly the classroom is the place where the futurecelebrity toddlers with tin lunch boxes.
begins to unfold. What better place than schools toThe stainless steel drinking container is a must, since
use greener, healthier products and modelmany reusable water bottles can leach bisphenol A
environmental sustainability? The market is teeming(BPA), a hormone-disrupting chemical, and should be
with earth-friendly school and office supplies, guardingavoided. Thermos sells plastic and steel food jars that
the health of students and their teachers. Non-toxicare BPA and PVC-free.
school supplies make a real difference in the quality ofMarkers and pens are one of the most commonly
the indoor air and the level of toxins that we exposediscarded items in the classroom. Every year in North
our children to daily. Why not shut the leading polluters -America, teachers throw out over 500 million
PCVs, BPA, lead and xylene – out of class? A newdry-erase markers into their local landfills, where the
generation of green school supplies can send themPVC plastic cylinders will never decompose. In addition,
packing.the common chemical solvent in markers is xylene, a
Many school supplies are made out of PVC – aharmful neurotoxin which can be associated with
plastic that contains chemical additives such asheadaches, asthma and fuzzy thinking. As a green
phthalates, lead, cadmium and/or organotins. Thesealternative, try a class set of AusPen eco-friendly
chemicals pose a threat to our health and are harmfuldry-erase markers which are not only made from
across its whole lifecycle, from production, to use, to100% recycled aluminum, but they are also refillable
disposal. Also known as the poison plastic, PVC iswith low-odour, non-toxic ink.
found in vinyl products like lunchboxes, binders,Art supplies can be a source of toxic material too.
markers, backpacks and raingear, and may take asModeling clays such as Fimo and Sculpey should be on
many as four centuries to decompose in a landfill.the chopping block and replaced by Crayola's
Identify this leaching plastic by its three-arrow recyclingPVC-free air-dry clay or Mary's Softdough, which has
symbol with the number 3, or the letters V or PVC.a chemical-free formula. And while the humble crayon
Here are some safer alternatives to the commonappears inoffensive, crayons made from soybean oil,
school supplies:like the ones from Kid Star and Prang, are non-toxic,
Binders are often coated in or made with PVC plastic.biodegradable and safe for the environment… and
Try binders that are made of corrugated cardboard,curious mouths.
such as the ReBinder, which can be found onlineAs for back to school clothes shopping, certain
through The Green Office. Avery also makesretailers help take the worry out of our selections by
PVC-free binders and can be found at Staples andclaiming to only carry PVC-free clothes and shoes.
Target. H&M, Nike and Asics products contain no PVC,
Lunchbags and wraps that are PVC and lead-free willwhile Jansport and Land's End backpacks and rain
make lunch go down a little easier. Canvas or organicjackets have scrapped the poison plastic.  
cotton lunchbags and wraps are a food-safeWhether it's a lead-free lunchbox, xylene-free marker,
alternative, and they have the added bonus ofBPA-free drink container, or PVC-free binders and
eliminating all the waste associated with plastic baggies.backpacks, the choice is clear. Choosing non-toxic
Greenfeet.com, and all offer lunch bags and wraps,school supplies pays off in the health of our schools,
and Wrap-N-Mat stores your lunch and then opens upchildren and environment. This year, back to school
to a placemat for a clean eating surface. For a retroshopping can be a little more reassuring, knowing that
look, tin lunch boxes like the ones from Tin Boxgreen alternatives to toxic school supplies have got
Company can be found in many retailers and areour backs.
starting to make a comeback thanks to sightings of