8 Ways to Green Your Schooltime

This story is part of Earth911’s “Green Eight” series, where we showcase eight ways to green your life in various areas.

Between strict class schedules, classroom rules and a lunch break less than an hour, it can often seem like school time provides you very little control. However, the environmentalist in all of us can take control of how green our school experience is by following these eight simple tips.

1. Take Alternative Transport to School

You can ride your bike, find a walking buddy, or even take a skateboard, scooter or rollerblades. Lots of schools provide a bus system, so you can start practicing your rendition of “Hail to the Busdriver.”
For you high schoolers who feel the need to drive to show off that new license, do your part to cut down on carbon emissions and air pollution. Try to carpool with friends, or purchase carbon offsets to cover your weekly commute.

2. Type Those Notes

When you’re taking notes in class, try using a laptop instead of paper and pencil. Paper and pencils come from trees, and unless you have the laptop plugged in you won’t be consuming any energy. If you don’t own one or your teachers won’t let you use a computer in class, find a notebook made of recycled paper or paper made from banana stalks.

3. Bring Your Own Lunch

Getting take-out lunches wastes lots of paper because of all the packaging and a lot of places use Styrofoam, which is difficult to recycle. Bringing your own lunch also saves you the time it would take to walk to the place you finally decide will satisfy your cravings, as well as the time it would take to wait for your food to be prepared. Instead use this time to find a shady spot in the grass and bask in the natural surroundings while enjoying a homemade lunch!

4. Eat a Boxed Lunch

Bring your lunch to school in a reusable lunch box instead of disposable paper or plastic bags. Even if you recycle the bags using Earth 911, you will save a bunch of resources by bringing the same lunch box every day to school. Besides, no one is too old for a Power Rangers lunch box.

5. Buy “Green” Clothes

Buy back to school clothes from thrift shops and second-hand shops. Kids grow out of their clothes fast, and once they get to school and see what all their friends are wearing, they’ll want new clothes, anyway.

6. Don’t Be a Bottle Snob

It’s definitely a good idea to stay hydrated while you’re in class, but be smart with your containers. Bring a reusable water bottle instead of disposable plastic ones. Even if your school recycles plastic, you’ll save resources by reusing the same bottle over and over.

7. The Environmental Cup of Joe

With school start times getting earlier as you go along, you may find the need to be drinking coffee by middle school to stay awake. If this is the case, there’s no doubt coffee will already be a staple in your day.

While Starbucks may be more convenient since there’s one on every corner, skip the $5 latte and head to the local coffee shop. These stores likely carry coffee or tea that hasn’t traveled too far to satisfy your caffeine fix. If you want to be extra eco-conscious, bring your own mug.

8. Go Organic

These days you can find everything from organic backpacks to organic T-shirts to organic cartons of milk to sip on while you’re riding the school bus. Choosing organic will mean less pesticides or hormones involved in the growing of the materials, which makes it a healthier process for the environment.