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Back to school: Are we ready? Are we non-toxic?
Just yesterday the letter came from our new school. Excitement turned to panic as I read the list of required items to bring on the 1st day. The many purchases we must make between today and the first day got me thinking – about a lot of things (and I’ll do you the favor of skipping the school funding bit). Chief among them is how to choose and find environmentally healthy products (without making it a full-time job) and how to ensure that our son’s classroom is not toxic. And as any parent knows, talking with school teachers and administrators about on-site changes has its challenges and, frankly, has quieted even this say-anything advocate.
So I was pretty delighted when a quick trip around the green parent blogosphere simplified my job immensely. In hopes of spreading this wealth, check out these handy how-to’s and see if you, too, can make your back-to-school shopping a little less toxic this year:
Packing a lunch. I still haven’t recovered from the lead painted lunchboxes, and that was before I even had school-age kids. So this one ranks highest on my list – it transports food, after all. Safe Mama has great product tips for avoiding lead and PVC, the two most likely unsafe lunchbox materials. And check SF Kids for Lunch Box 101, you’ll be fully informed about what to avoid and what to get.
Backpacks. Plenty magazine’s Daily Green Bit tells us to avoid PVC and buy recycled while you’re at it – for a gold star. Reusing one you have is best, of course, unless it’s made with PVC (you’ll know it is if the materials include vinyl or the recycling symbol lists a 3, V, or PVC).
School supplies. The Green Parent has great tips for saving money, buying green, and not buying at all – along with a solid review of green art supplies. And, as always, Green Mom Finds has a solid list of suppliers, including The Green Office’s super-easy affordably priced green student kit.
In the classroom. Green & Clean Mom has some great tips for teachers to maintain a non-toxic classroom. And, strangely, our school asked us to bring hand sanitizer to share, so naturally we’ll bring some without triclosan.
You want it all? If you’re looking to go all-the-way green this school year, there are several everything guides to help you navigate the perils, like this one from the Center for Health and Environmental Justice, this other one from the Green Guide, or this super-thorough one from Nature Moms. There’s something for everyone, whether your thing is reducing waste, avoiding toxics, or ecoclothing.
No doubt I am missing something – rising kindergartners that we are. So please, add your tips for making back-to-school 2008 the least toxic yet. ‘Cause I just have this feeling that there’s more to this than meets the new kindergarten parent’s eye.
« Elected officials MIA; Instead, Wal-Mart and Burger King protecting your health |
Also, don't miss this handy 'letter to the teacher' re the required supply list and where you stand re green products. At Nature Moms Blog: http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2008/08/12/green-school-supplies-letter-to-teacher/
Happy back to school to all the moms and their little ones!
Enjoy while it lasts . . . Time goes fast. It is so true. Mine are teenagers, and nearly all out of the nest. Lots of time for blogging, and thinking about ways to green the world.
Lately, I am spending a lot of time worrying about biodiversity:
http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/getting-biodiversity-onto-the-cultural-radar-screen/
Note recommendation to immerse children more in nature, so that they feel more of a part of the living chain.
I've been thinking lots about the fundraising - which you'll experience soon enough!
http://surelyyounest.blogspot.com/2008/07/back-to-school-greener-fundraising.html
And also about trying to make our school a waste-free school (getting everyone on board to bring reusables):
http://surelyyounest.blogspot.com/2008/08/back-to-school-waste-free-lunches.html
Thanks for the tips! Great post and I hope your kid has a great year.
Thanks for the linkage! Thought you might also be interested in this letter to the teacher about green school supplies:
http://tinyurl.com/5mb8uq
I'm pretty bummed about our school's policy...they pool all the supplies. In other words, your kid might end up with the crayons some other kid's mom bought. I get why they do it, but I don't like it!
Some of the concerns raised here remind me why we homeschool. (there are many more :o) As far as health goes, at home my children breathe purified air, drink purified water, eat what I want them to eat, and actually get to DO physical activities AND art. Imagine that! I don't have to worry about carpet in their classroom causing allergies or illness, what comes out of the water fountain, or what toxic cleaners the teacher is using to clean. Nor do I have to accept a teacher who knows less than me about these things educating my kids!
ACMI SEALS ARE GARBAGE AND HAVE NO GOVERMNENTAL REGULATORY VALUE. THEY ARE A MARKETING GIMMICK TO SELL THEIR SEALS FOR WHICH THEY CHARGE ROYALTY FROM MANUFACTURERS,YES ROYALTIES AND TRICK CONSUMERS. DO A SEARCH AND REPORT NON-TOXIC SEALS TO CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMISSION
Being a teacher who developed seizures after working at two different toxic schools, I wanted to give a word of warning. Even if the school has a policy of only spraying on weekends, holidays, and posting the dates, the custodians don't always follow the rules.
Make sure your teachers don't use plug in air fresheners.
There also is a marker that uses Xylene solvent that teachers purchase over the internet. Parents don't always know. If your student starts having health problems, or seems zoned out, gets shaky handwriting, or seems altered, be alert and investigate. (school buses can also give carbon-monoxide poisoning, besides benzene exposure)
My son developed tremors after his teacher used Lysol every time a child sneezed or coughed. After 4 years, his handwriting still has not fully recovered. My daughter also developed allergies and asthma.
I now home school and would never again send my children to a regular school. There is also the perfumes the other students pour on themselves (especially Jr High)
My partner and I are the owners of Modern Mermaids Eco-Friendly Products and I would like to share our alternative to chemical hand sanitizers with you. They are called Sweet Tingly Mint Hand Foamys and are the absolute safest product on the market without alcohol or synthetic fragrance. Please see us at www.modernmermaids.com.
Thanks!
Audra Conklin
I am a mother who home schools. For me the illnesses we used to face are almost non existent in our home. We don't use handsanitizers either. To me, killing all germs creates a void and weakens the immune system.
The best way to keep our childrens bodies functioning well is to feed them fruits and vegetables, few junk treats, no sodas and much water. A healthy body will sustain them and a mind not befuddled by sugars and artificial ingredients is a stronger mind, a mind that is not hungry for more crappy food, but instead hungry for knowledge, for knowledges sakes.
Chemicals in the classroom are an OSHA standards violation. I think it would be best to notify the school that your children aren't to be in the same room as many of these carcinogens or at least while they are being used.
Good luck out there!
In our house we're trying to save money by packing lunches, but I was concerned about creating excess waste with paper lunch pages and disposable water bottles. I saw these great reusable kids Klean Kanteen bottles in Domino magazine, avail at www.reusablebags.com
I think finding safe, BPA-free products like these for my family is a step in the right direction. I can't control whose crayons my son ends up with or what kind of tissue they use but I can at least pack him a healthy, responsible lunch.
-Colette