Green Space: Back to school lessons

The second most-dreaded day of the end of summer is upon many of us: back-to-school shopping day. (Trumped only by the day school actually begins, of course.) Whether you are a teacher, student or parent, try to shop a little more sustainably this year.

Notebooks, pens and pencils are all made out of recycled materials these days, oftentimes by major manufacturers like Mead meaning that the big chains carry them. They aren’t even necessarily more expensive. PaperMate Earth pencils cost $1.19 a dozen at Staples, well within the range of standard pencil prices.

Take your lunch to school in a lunchbox or reusable bag. Use tupperware instead of sandwich bags and reusable bottles or a thermos instead of juice boxes or cans. Think of all the cafeteria styrofoam that won’t be used by you this year!

If your school does not recycle, start a program. It can be as simple as taking the paper from just your class home and sticking it in with your household’s, or an elaborate school-wide program.

Finally, think about how you get to school. Walking or riding your bike is best, obviously, but that is not always possible. Taking the bus or carpooling is way better than solo trips to school. Speaking of the bus, Detroit’s NextEnergy is working with four local school districts, including Howell’s, to reduce diesel emissions from school buses. Hopefully, the pilot program will get expanded throughout all of Southeast Michigan.

Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh