Back to School Fact: 49.8 million students will attend public elementary and secondary schools in fall 2008.
As a parent, there's one day of the year you wake early like a sugar-addled child on Christmas. You bounce around the house with 30 fluffy puppies-worth of skittering joy. This is the day your kids go back to school. You bound into your children's' rooms, honking an air horn not only to rouse the little buggers but to celebrate this momentous occasion. While they slump over limp with sleep crusted eyes, you cram them into clothes and catapult them out the door. Oh joy, the kids are back in school!
Hold up, chief. You gotta get them prepared first, and if you have to buy them a ton of new gear why not try to green your shopping (and maybe save a buck or two). Besides the best thing you can do for the earth is to pass along sustainable practices to your kids. So before they start their math and English lessons, give 'em a green lesson.
Think inside the box. Ditch the brown bag and send the lil' shavers off the school with a reusable lunch box. And to get your child stoked about it, get a box that features one of their favorite animated characters, like Alf. Kids love the Alf still, right?
Take Inventory. Sure, you've got a lot to buy, but before you purchase everything on the list, take a quick look at what you already have. If last year's backpack is in solid shape, no reason to toss it. If you bought the kid shoes this summer, they probably don't need new ones.
Go Retro. Seems like all the big clothing retailers design their clothes to look like they came from years ago. Don't settle for faux vintage, get the real deal. Shops like the Buffalo Exchange specialize in high quality vintage clothing. Think of the volumes of street cred your kid will get, and the recycling (not to mention money saving) you'll be doing.
