Buy more recycled school supplies (Change 125)

Last year, around this time, I moaned about the fact that to purchase recycled/recyclable school supplies would cost a fortune.  I opted for only recycled paper that year.

This year, I am vowing to do better.  In addition to recycled paper, I plan on purchasing recycled duo-tangs, pencils and binder dividers.  I will be re-using lots of supplies from last year - calculator, ruler, pencil case, scissors, pencil sharpener, backpacks.

I am going to ease the strain of purchasing these more expensive products by starting my shopping earlier, and watching for sales.  I figure, since I have to buy three sets of things now, I need to really start checking the impact my purchases make.

I will have to buy new lunch bags for the kids, but I'm hoping to find recycled or environmentally-friendly options.  Any suggestions for sources for these?

No more Ziploc bags (Day 41)

Since I'm getting rid of Ziploc bags for lunches, I thought I might as well get rid of them all together.  I don't use them regularly, usually for the overflow in the kids' lunches or to store extra meat from Costco.    I tend to pack camping food in them, but I'm sure that I can find an alternate method for the few times they are needed. 

We used the last of the Ziploc bags while at the cottage this week, to store leftovers (no access to storage containers there!).  I've decided to simply not buy any more, and see how we fare. 

The trickiest thing will be to figure out how to store those long blocks of cheese without the ends drying out.  My mom uses (re-uses) milk bags cut in half, and I've used waxed paper before.  I don't like the WP, simply because my kids tend to pull the plastic cheese wrapper down farther than the WP can cover.  I think I'll try my mom's method first, and see how it works out.

As for the extra meat from Costco - I'm going to try freezing the meat individually on waxed paper and then store in the plastic bag.  (I carry the meat home in an individual plastic bag from the freezer section - not environmentally-friendly, but it prevents blood and juices from getting all over everything.) 

The only other use I have for them is for school - the teachers use them as note totes to take messages back and forth.  I'm going to send in my box of Ziploc bags, but try to research a better method to suggest to the Student School to implement for next year.

Reusable sandwich wrappers (Day 40)

I love summer - all the travelling, seeing friends and family, and getting away from it all.  But having returned from our holiday, I came to the realization that school is a little over a week away.

I will be spending the next week making sure my kids are ready for school - backpacks, clothes, supplies, and lunch bags.   It is the last item that has been bothering me for the last couple of weeks.

Without going into great detail, let's just say that DD is a picky eater - I never know from one day to the next what will find approval in her lunch bag.  Sandwiches seem to be OK, so I tend to pack a lot of them.  But with the new Balanced School Day, I find myself having to pack two sandwiches, instead of one, to ensure that she lasts through the day. 

I've been packing them in plastic containers (which is a post for another day!), but they are bulky, so the second sandwich has often found a home in a Ziploc bag.   Then I visited my friend and went on a picnic with her and her kids.  She had the most amazing thing - vinyl (maybe plastic?) Velcro sandwich wrappers.  You put the sandwich in the middle, fold the wrapper around it, and seal shut.  When open, the wrapper can be used as a place mat. 

I vowed to find myself some for the coming school year.  While I'm on a search for them, I'm going to use waxed paper, which can be composted when DDs finished with them.  Not the best solution, but better than a plastic bag.  If I'm inspired, I may make my own wrappers....we'll see how September goes! 

Back to School Daze (Day 5)

Yes, I know, it's not back to school time yet.  But the school supplies are out, so I thought I would get a jump on my shopping this year.  I left it too late (mid-August) last year, and had a hard time finding certain items.  So I thought I buy early this year, and just store in a safe place until September.

I also thought I would "green" the school routine.  Boy, I was wrong.  Do you know how hard it is to find recycled, recyclable or otherwise "eco-friendly" school products that don't cost a fortune?  Almost impossible.

DD needed a new backpack for the coming school year.  We managed to get two years out of the last one, so I can't complain.  Fixing the broken zipper and torn pockets would cost more than a new backpack, so we relegated last year's to the dress-up bin, and went shopping.

No eco-friendly packs to be found at the two stores I visited (i.e. none made with recycled materials).  I'm sure I could have found other options if I went to a specialty store, but realistically, I'm not going to travel 1/2 hour or more and waste gas like that to look for something that will be last one or two years.

As for school supplies, I found some that fit the bill of environmentally-friendly.  But the cost - 2 to 3 times the price of "regular" supplies!  Not going to happen, my friends. 

I love DD, but she loses things at school.  She was supposed to take 9 glue sticks last year - I think I ended up sending 15.  Pencil crayons?  One pack was supposed to last the year - I sent at least two, plus a few stragglers from our pencil crayon bin at home.   Erasers?  Ditto. 

Here are some sample prices of "green" vs "regular" items: A package of 2 "latex and PVC free" white erasers - $3.79.  A package of regular white latex free erasers - $1.79.  Recycled wood pencils - $3.50 for a pack of 5 or $2.25 for a package of 10. 

Guess which I bought?

There is just no way I can justify spending that kind of money for stuff I KNOW will get lost, broken or "borrowed" never to be returned, within the year.

I wasn't going to get any green supplies, but she reminded me about the eco-challenge I have undertaken, so we comprised - I bought recycled lined paper for her for school.  "Regular paper" cost $1.99 for 200 sheets vs $2.28 for 150 sheets of recycled paper. 

Not really a bargain, but at least I've done something.