Conserve Resources In Preparing For School

Children in Eastern Washington and North Idaho will be returning to school in a few weeks. It’s time to think about the back-to-school shopping.

Using school supplies made with recycled materials helps conserve our natural resources. In addition, many recycled products require less energy to manufacture than products made from “virgin” materials.

Here are some easy ways that parents and kids can use resources wisely:

Buy paper, pencils, notepads and other school supplies made of recycled materials.

Use the backside of paper when taking notes or writing assignments.

Reuse old binders, notebooks and folders for classes rather than buying new ones.

Buy a durable book bag or backpack to reuse each year.

Waste reduction goes hand-in-hand with recycling. Most of the packaging that ends up in our trash cans comes from the supermarket.

In Washington, packaging now accounts for 40 percent of the residential waste stream. It’s about 13 percent of a family’s food cost and about 40 percent of its garbage cost.

Think about how that item is packaged before you buy it.

Instead of buying food in singleserving sizes, purchase items in bulk. For example, a can of frozen concentrated juice uses much less packaging than a pack of single-serving bottles, cans or juice boxes. And it costs 30 percent less.

Youngsters can participate in waste-reduction activities, too. For example, put together nutritious school lunches that avoid waste.

Start with the lunch sack. Reuse paper sacks for lunches or buy a durable lunch box or cloth lunch bag. Use reusable durable plastic containers for sandwiches, chips, applesauce, pudding, Jell-O, vegetables, and other foods.

Brought back from school and washed, they can then be used the next day.

Pack a thermos or sports bottle for milk or juice instead of cans or aseptic juice boxes (cans and boxes cost more, too).

Try a cloth napkin instead of paper, or if you use paper, buy napkins made with recycled materials.

Reuse bread bags and produce bags for items like raisins, pretzels, cookies, or cereal.

Using a family car to get to school can be expensive and guzzle energy. Consider some of these other alternatives that improve our environment by saving energy and reducing air pollution.

If you live near school, encourage your child to walk or ride a bike at least one day a week. Network with other parents for car-pooling opportunities with kids in similar activities.

Combine car trips for school errands.

Families that recycle and reduce waste save money and energy and conserve resources.

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