Clearly the classroom is the place where the time to come begins to unfold. What good place than schools to use greener, healthier products and model environmental sustainability? The store is teeming with earth-friendly school and office supplies, guarding the condition of students and their teachers. Non-toxic school supplies make a real disagreement in the capability of the indoor air and the level of toxins that we expose our children to daily. Why not shut the prominent polluters - Pcvs, Bpa, lead and xylene - out of class? A new generation of green school supplies can send them packing.
Many school supplies are made out of Pvc - a plastic that contains chemical additives such as phthalates, lead, cadmium and/or organotins. These chemicals pose a threat to our condition and are harmful over its whole lifecycle, from production, to use, to disposal. Also known as the poison plastic, Pvc is found in vinyl products like lunchboxes, binders, markers, backpacks and rain-gear, and may take as many as four centuries to decompose in a landfill. Identify this leaching plastic by its three-arrow recycling sticker with the estimate 3, or the letters V or Pvc.
Backpack For Toddler
Here are some safer alternatives to the common school supplies:
Binders are often coated in or made with Pvc plastic. A safer binder would be made of chipboard or corrugated cardboard, such as the ReBinder, which can be found online straight through The Green Office. Avery also makes Pvc-free binders and can be found at Staples and Target.
Lunchbags and wraps that are Pvc and lead-free will make lunch go down a minuscule easier. Canvas or organic cotton lunchbags and wraps are a food-safe alternative, and they have the added bonus of eliminating all the waste connected with plastic baggies. Greenfeet, Ecobags and Reusablebags are online retailers that offer lunch bags and wraps, and Wrap-N-Mat market your lunch and then opens up to a placemat for a clean eating surface. For a retro look, tin lunch boxes like the ones from Tin Box enterprise and are starting to make a comeback thanks to sightings of celebrity toddlers with tin lunch boxes.
The stainless steel drinking package is a must, since many reusable water bottles can leach bisphenol A (Bpa), a hormone-disrupting chemical, and should be avoided. Thermos sells plastic and steel food jars that are Bpa and Pvc-free.
Markers and pens are one of the most ordinarily discarded items in the classroom. Every year in North America, teachers throw out over 500 million dry-erase markers into their local landfills, where the Pvc plastic cylinders will never decompose. In addition, the common chemical solvent in markers is xylene, a harmful neurotoxin which can be connected with headaches, asthma and fuzzy thinking. Non-toxic, refillable markers will help clear the air and cut down on waste.
Art supplies can be a source of toxic material too. Modeling clays such as Fimo and Sculpey should be on the chopping block and replaced by Crayola's Pvc-free air-dry clay or Mary's Softdough, which has a chemical-free formula. And while the humble crayon appears inoffensive, crayons made from soybean oil, like the ones from Kid Star and Prang, are non-toxic, biodegradable and safe for the environment... And enchanting mouths.
As for back to school clothes shopping, sure retailers help take the worry out of our selections by claiming to only carry Pvc-free clothes and shoes. H&M, Nike and Asics products consist of no Pvc, while Jansport and Land's End backpacks and rain jackets have scrapped the poison plastic.
Whether it's a lead-free lunchbox, xylene-free marker, Bpa-free drink container, or Pvc-free binders and backpacks, the choice is clear. Selecting non-toxic school supplies pays off in the condition of our schools, children and environment. This year, back to school shopping can be a minuscule more reassuring, knowing that green alternatives to toxic school supplies have got our backs.
Green School Supplies - A Back to School Guide For Students Going Green
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