School buses and apples for teachers and homework and backpacks and lots and lots of books—all of these things are present as students return to classrooms, some after missing an entire year of in-person learning because of the pandemic.

More than ever, students are making environmental decisions as it relates to their back-to-school products and routines. We should support them and help them save the planet that will be theirs for years to come.

Here’s how to go green AND go back to school:

1.     Locally sourced lunches and reusable lunch boxes: Gather some goods at a farmer’s market or a fruit stand and use those items for lunch. You often can find homemade loaves of bread, fruits, and veggies at these local treasures—and most of the prices are comparable with large grocery stores. 

2.     Take the bus. Yep. We said it. Whenever possible, ride the school-district provided bus. Most buses can hold around 40 students. Assuming an average of 30 individual vehicles for a busload of students, that’s 30 vehicles either off the road or not driving as much. If this isn’t an option, what about carpooling?

3.     Reuse those supplies: Try to purchase refillable pens. If a pencil case is needed, try to grab one cloth or at least one that can be reused for a few years. Keep that single-use plastic out of landfills and out of oceans!

4. Don’t buy a whole new wardrobe: Shop at thrift stores or organize a community swap meet for school clothes. Try not to throw away clothes that other people could use. Change the mindset from consumption to conservation!

5.     Use recycled paper and notebooks: It matters where your paper comes from! (We should know! We were one of the first companies to use 100% post-consumer recycled fiber, and we’ve never looked back.) We are looking into ways to expand our product line to reach more people with our sustainability mission to combat destructive climate change. Watch for updates from us: We will have notebooks available soon!