Seems like it was only yesterday that they broke up but, believe it or not, it’s pretty much the start of the new term! You know what that means, more school supplies.
Of course, the most environmentally friendly way of preparing for the new term is not to buy anything new. Try instead to get hand-me-downs and second-hand goods instead of new. But that’s not always possible of course - so here are our five back to school green essentials.
Back to School Eco Essentials
Here's a run down of the top five green essentials for the new term.
A Greener Sandwich
Sandwich bags cling film all that plastic that we cover our food with is contributing to plastic pollution - a problem now considered an equally as big threat to our environment as climate change.
Some people though are stepping up to the mark and producing an environmentally friendly way of keeping our food clean and safe. One of the leading people in this matter is Bee's Wrap, they produce reusable, biodegradable and compostable wrap that is produced with organic ingredients.
Other brands to consider are Eco Snack Wrap (who also promise that the people that are making their products are paid a fair wage and treated fairly) and Keep Leaf. Of course, the other alternative is to make your own - MommyPotamus has some great ideas here.
An Eco-Friendly Lunchbox
Plastic lunchboxes, temporary, fragile and part of the world’s serious plastic pollution problem. China alone produces 15 billion plastic lunchboxes per year a significant contribution to the 8m tonnes of plastic worldwide that end up in our oceans.
The alternative is an ethically produced, food grade, stainless steel lunchbox - such as Elephant Box.Our Elephant Box is a lunchbox for a proper lunch, it’s 220mm wide, 150mm long and 85mm deep. It has a capacity of two litres, is easy to clean and will stay that way its whole life.
An Eco-Friendly Water Bottle
Plastic water bottles - there is little that represents our worst traits or is more damaging for the environment. Global annual consumption of plastic water bottles is set to top half a trillion by 2021. This is far outside of what current recycling efforts can cope with and is jeopardising oceans, coastlines and other oceans. At current rates global consumption is set at one million plastic bottles per minute.
Term time can contribute massively to our consumption of plastic water bottles. All that running around, sports and working away is thirsty work after all.
As an alternative use an ethically produced, food grade, stainless steel water bottle such as our 750ml pictured below.
Our water bottle is made of 100% stainless steel, making it easy to clean and ensures that it won’t retain any odours or taste. What’s more, 10p from every purchase goes to Refill.org.uk - a brilliant campaign from City to Sea which encourages businesses to let people refill their water bottles for free.
An Eco-Friendly Satchel (and all within)
It’s time for new pencils, pens, rulers and all the rest. All of which can amount to a lot of plastic waste. There are alternatives though, look for recycled paper (whenever you need to buy any) and eco-friendly pens and pencils - such as those from Eco Pens or The Green Office.
For satchels to take to school with you the first stop should be the local charity shop. Should that fail to turn up anything then have a look on eBay, there are loads of plastic free, canvas, satchels available for under £20.
Eco-Friendly Footwear
Children’s feet grow so fast don’t they! The new term can mean new shoes all round. One of our favourite makers of environmentally friendly, vegan shoes is Green Shoes; a collective and collaborative organisation in Totnes, Devon that was started in 1981.
High street brands are also getting in on the eco-friendly footwear trend, with Joules, Clarks and others taking steps to improve their sustainability.
Get your Eco-Friendly Lunch Box Here
