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Well, it’s the middle of August and with the hustle & bustle of getting back to school (for most of the southern states, at least) – this month is proving to run past us. But this is one of the best times of the year for both parents & students – back to school! I remember this time of year mainly being my Christmas because had a HUGE NERD LOVE for school supplies! All of the new binders, notebooks, pens & pencils, markers, and backpacks – it. Was. Awesome!
But now that I am living more eco-consciously, I think about all the ways I could have done better for our planet had I just been properly educated on the matter. Now, if you’ve listened to my podcast already, then you’ve heard most of what you’re now reading but let’s dive right in!
Recycle and reuse what you already have from last year.
That means use any leftover notebooks, binders, pens & pencils, markers, scissors – ALL. THE. THINGS.
Reuse your backpack, if it’s still in good condition enough to carry all those heavy books!
Instead of NEW SCHOOL CLOTHES shopping, try buying second-hand or thrift store shopping! Now after I have been a poor-college kid, I greatly appreciate thrift store shopping and love getting a lot more clothes for less than $100! I also try to upcycle the outfits that I do have with accessories I already own or if that doesn’t work, then I go ahead and donate them to Goodwill.
Go ahead and make that extra purchase for refillable water bottles, if you don’t already have extras to use; grab those reusable utensils, reusable straws, lunch bags, reusable sandwich containers, or reusable food storage bags – NOT ZIPLOC! – and we can cut down on SO MUCH waste this way! Also, try to use aluminum cans for soft drinks so that they can be recycled but NO PLASTIC BOTTLES!
Ask the school to start or expand its recycling program. If they don’t have a recycling program, ask them to start simply with plastic bottles, cans, and cardboard. Then you can expand to paper (tests, notes, memos, etc). Ask the administration to use less paper and utilize more emails and computer testing instead of using so much paper.
Ask the schools. Educators, or school boards to incorporate more environment learning in the curriculum or at least in their daily habits.
Water conservation – don’t leave the water running for hand-washing, brushing your teeth, while helping with the dishes, etc
Energy conservation – turning off lights when you leave the room, utilizing natural sunlight instead of needing lights, and switching to LED light bulbs in the homes, offices, and schools.
Practicing the 5 R’s: REFUSE, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, recycle.
Gardening – teaching about how plantings & flowers help our pollinators and how trees are the lungs of the planet. This works so well on so many levels for education and schools.
We all talk about limiting screen time and YES, let’s do more of that! This way people can unplug and be immersed in the beautiful nature of our planet. This is how we learn, learn to appreciate, experience the world around us, connect with others, and get inspired to do better for our planet.
I know you probably have even more great ideas on how to help our planet but that’s where you get to write those in the comment section below. I’d love to hear more about how you are being a great superhero to save the world! Make sure you catch the release of my next podcast found on all outlets (iTunes, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Buzzsprout, and wherever else you get your podcasts) released on Sept 1 where we talk about World Clean-up day and more!
Thanks for reading and we hope you continue your superhero training so together we can #savetheworld!
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