4 Ways to Bring Sustainability Back to School
Incorporating sustainability into your back-to-school preparations (whether you are a parent, teacher, or mentor) doesn’t have to be chaotic or expensive. From backpacks to snacks, check out our top tips for making sustainability cool at school!
1. Calling All Kids!
The goal is to make sustainability a habit, so make sure you empower kids by teaching them why we should care about our earth. Bring them to various natural settings to explore, like forests or beaches, or plan a trip to the library to check out books on plants or animals that interest them. You can also look up tutorials on how to make your own recycled paper crafts or repair broken toys, great for hands-on learning or classroom activities.
2. Thrift, Swap, or Pass It On
Rather than buy brand new supplies every year, try to reuse certain items, especially if they are still in good condition, like bags, unused spiral notebooks, etc. Check for supply surpluses in a local buy-nothing group or online local marketplace—oftentimes, you can find brand new items. Have a get together with friends where the kids swap items in good condition for something they like better. If you have leftovers be sure to donate to your community rather than toss them.
3. Keep Lunches Cool
Skip single-use plastic in lunches, and swap out those items for reusables in designs kids will love. Packing lunches takes a little bit of planning but will save you lots of money and waste. Depending on their age, you can even have the kids do the planning and prepping every few days. If you’re a teacher, keep a supply of non-paper towels or durable and lightweight stainless steel plates and cups for snacks rather than “disposable” plasticware.
4. Community Activities
This tip is for classrooms, but if you are a teacher or a persuasive parent, consider helping a classroom or school set up a community garden, environment club, clean-up day, or “take back” day for unused supplies. These activities could serve as great team-building exercises, and kids could take turns at special roles in the maintenance of the projects over the course of the school year while learning about environmental responsibility.
By teaching kids about the environment and encouraging them to participate in its care through sustainable choices at school, they will get the satisfaction of helping their community and seeing their work make a tangible difference for themselves and their peers. And by helping the next generations care for our home, we will too!