Even though, we are still in the middle of Summer it is that time again.
With that said I wanted to take a moment and remind you all, that this would be a good time to think not only what you can do to help yourself ,( saving money, easy shopping and so on ) but I also want you to think what you can do for the Environment during the shopping craze.
Encourage and teach your kids how to be more respectful to the Earth and explain why you are buying certain supplies that may be different what his/her friend has, or why something will be reused rather than discarded. Maybe you even come up with some fun DIY projects for some upcycle Idea’s. Let the kiddos know that different is not bad, it can be fun, and may even start a trend.
I will share some of my favorites to get you started with your Eco friendly school supply shopping.
Lead pencils? no way, Sprout pencils!
Yes, you are reading this right. If you did not hear about it yet, it is a real thing. Sprout pencils are the first-ever plantable pencil. They’re made of sustainable wood and in place of an eraser tip, each pencil has a small biodegradable capsule filled with either vegetable, herb or flower seeds. Remember writing with those little stubs, well now when you are done you can plant them in a pot, add water and set them by the window so the seeds can grow.
Insulated Lunch bags – Earth friendly products
Being environment friendly does not mean anybody has to eat out of a brown paper bag and with a good quality reusable lunch bag, you are not just doing your wallet a favor but also the Environment. Most of the bags or boxes are washable and the utensils that come with some of them are dishwasher safe.
There are many Lunch bags out there but I only mention my 2 favorites.
The Wildkin Lunch Box comes in many designs geared towards boys and girls, but tends to be for the younger crowd.
The Bento Box, is made out of wheat and is non-toxic. This box is more natural in their appearance and comes with Wheat Straw, Lunch Bag and Portable Utensils.
Best manual pencil sharpener – highlighters and markers
Yup, I said manual. This is a no brainer it is not just the least expensive way but also the easiest to be good to mother earth. Use a manual pencil sharpener. Think how much you will safe on batteries alone.
When it comes to highlighters choose dry highlighters like these Eco highlighters.They have a natural wood finish use no plastics, no ink solvents, and no volatile organic compounds. You can use them completely and compost the shavings and stubs. No you can not plant them like the Sprout pencils, but I would not be surprised if that did not come soon.
When it comes to markers why not go with refillable ones, from dry eraser to acrylic paint you can refill cartridges and save not just a good chunk of your green money but also help to reduce on the environmental Impact. Start with Pilot V Board Master. and work your way up to what ever your Child needs.
Environment friendly for tech? Absolutely !
Check out this cool USB drive from JAWAY it can be personalized totally for free. How cool is that? No more whose drive it is or what do I have on that drive. It has drive/power supply, just plug it in, and it will work on all major operating systems.
We all know that nobody is leaving the house without their Laptop so cover it in style with this Cork Protective Sleeve Case. It is made out of high-quality cork material, is slim and lightweight and will fit in your backpack.
I hope these examples gave you some Motivation
Eco friendly Companies and Products are expanding more and more on the market. I am happy to see that pretty much anything you need these days comes in some variety of an environment friendly form. Sometimes we just need a little push or tuck to move into the right direction. My hope is since you are here, you may find your Eco friendly alternative to as many School Supplies you need.
Happy School Supply shopping
Leave me a note below and let me know how you went in to the world of Eco friendly school supplies and what you bought.
Peace , love and harmony
Andrea
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Wow I like your suggestions on eco-friendly school supplies! I actually use those Sprout pencils for my own art projects and I really like them. I think they write very well and I like the fact that they can be regrown. I think the eco-friendly highlighters and markers sound great too. I think these would make excellent gifts for someone going to school whether it would be great school or college.
C,
I am happy to hear you are using the Sprout pencils . The nice thing about “school ” supplies , they don’t need to just be for School. I am using them for some of my art projects as well and my grand kids are sing the highlighters for there picture books.
Andrea
Well this is the time of year I dread – so much money on new school kits for the kids, really interesting to see that there is a green issue connected to this subject though!
I think my younger son in particular will be really taken with these Sprout pencils, but how long do they last for and are they really durable enough for kids to use?
Chris,
I know the feeling with spending all that money for School Supplies, so it is nice that by the end of the day you can actually get something tangible out of a pencil.
The length of how long they last is just like every other pencil, how often are they used. They are very sturdy again just like a regular pencil, with the other impact that if shewed on ( like we all know that happens ) you don’t have to worry about the Led.
Andrea
My kids aren’t school age yet but the great thing about everything you mentioned is that the products don’t need to be specific to kids in school. I love, love, love the idea of the sprout pencils. I had never heard about them until reading your article and honestly you could probably do an entire article specifically about them. I knew there were environmentally friendly pencils, but the others aren’t near as cool as these.
Hello Briana,
glad you liked the article and learned something new. That is exactly what I wanted to achieve. Educate Folks of great ways to help our Earth.
Andrea
Wow, this are some products that I haven’t seen ever. Honestly I am so impressed with everything I came across while viewing this post. I have a younger sister who is going to resume school soon. I and my family lobe the earth and believe that we are a part of of protecting it so I’ll be buying some of this for her. I like the manual sharpener, was what we used in my days and the bag and pencil too. Great stuff you put up. Its worth sharing too. Best regards!
Thank you Henderson, let us know how your sister likes the Supply’s you got her.
Andrea
Back to School – Back to school supplies. It is now trending and should be the norm in terms of implementing the use of organic or environmental friendly school supplies. First off because it is our children who would be gaining a lot from this. The toxic materials of the previous school supplies will become a thing of the past. And it is wonderful to know the products with exactly safe to use supplies for the children and mother earth in general. Isn’t it one of the best news we have in this modern time? Wilkin Lunch box is good for young one’s students or otherwise. Bento Box is made of wheat and totally no toxin. Other products are Eco highlighter, PilotV Board Master, USB drive, Jaway laptop cover with cork protective sleeve case. Great news for everyone, great news for the environment.
Well! If I can, I would always take a run from this period of the year because of how much money that would be spent on school kits and supllies for kids. But then, it is inevitable. I like the suggested kits you have placed here but I’d prefer to get one of these sprout pencils. Do they last longer than the other pencils?
Hello Roland,
I know the feeling. Sprout Pencils are lasting just as long as Led pencils but you do not have to worry about the kids chewing on them since there is no chemicals. Also it is a nice start to teach kids to be sustainable.
good luck to you .
Andrea
This is a great article that brings eco friendly product awareness. I personally appreciate the addition of things like the seeds being sold with the pencils. This is a form of seed dispersal which, even if the seeds are not planted, they will grow even if they are thrown away thus contributing to the reduction of the carbon dioxide levels.
In as much as these are great product, for any product to be used in mass it his to be of a comparative price, so what are the price comparisons?
hello Patrick,
I always say there is no price for keeping our Earth alive but also understand that we have to be conservative with our spending. The Sproud Pencils are about $1 more than the Led Pencils. Now if you consider that you have plants growing after the pencil is done, you may say it cost less since now you have a plant you do not need to spend additional money for.
This is a great idea to start students out with habits that are friendly to the environment. This generation is going to have a lot of work to clean up the mess that they have inherited. Every little bit helps, and as you’ve shown, even pencils can be made in a way that is friendly to the environment!