Want a Green School? Check Out “Cool the Earth”

Can you tell I’m deep in preparations for the start of school? I’ve been wrestling with how to extend our efforts to green our family to helping create a green school environment. And I want to do this in a way that really is helpful to the school.

Our eldest began kindergarten last fall so I don’t have a lot of experience dealing with schools as a parent. We tried several schools before we found the right fit, which didn’t occur until the end of February, so I have even less experience with our current school. We love, love, love the school’s approach to teaching, the teachers, and the other families but are still learning how the business of the school is structured.

We received our student supply lists and my initial reactions fell into four categories. For items like pencils and notebook paper, I immediately started thinking about products that would be more eco-friendly, like pencils made from recycled wood and recycled paper. Other items came with very precise descriptions, leaving me to wonder if Fiskar scissors were really needed or if the non-Fiskar scissors we already have would suffice. A quick conversation with the teacher will resolve these issues and, since the school has encouraged folks to use items already on hand, I think I know how it will go.

Then came the items that I would prefer not to purchase but will because I understand why they are helpful in a group of small children – things like tissues are included here since I just don’t see 10 kids with hankies working out well during the winter. The last category is where I am struggling. The supply lists for both of my kids included plastic zip lock bags – one box for the youngest and two for the eldest. That means 10 boxes of plastic bags will be used one classroom and 20 boxes in another for a total of 600 plastic bags just for their classes! The very thought of that makes me feel ill. Read more

Greener Living Through Mind Tricks

This is my first entry to the Affluent Persons Living Sustainably or APLS Carnival. January’s topic is mind tricks used to help choose the greener option, especially when it is not, at least at first glance, the easier one. The selected entries will be hosted by VWXYNot? on January 22 so be sure to visit and read what everyone has to say.

When we first decided to live a greener life, Richard and I did not realize how challenging it would be at times. We thought we would do our research and start working our way through a checklist that surely someone had put together.

While we found suggestions for changes we could make, it turned out that it wasn’t the big one-time changes that would make the largest difference. It was the many small habits that we needed to address to really green our family. Read more

Two Reasons to Quit Buying Antibacterial Soaps

While many parents buy antibacterial soaps believing that they will help their families stay healthy, studies show that washing hands with plain soap and water is just as effective at killing disease-causing germs. With antibacterial liquid hand soaps running twice as much per ounce as liquid hand soaps in my grocery store, this is a change that is easy to make. Read more

Five Money (and Environment) Savers

Many folks think that living a green lifestyle is simply a luxury they cannot afford. I was surprised to find that we were able to make many green choices on our limited budget. How, you ask? Here are the five biggest money savers we’ve found. Read more