August 7, 2013

Learn How to be Green When School Starts

My children enjoyed watching EPIC when they were flying to Asia this week and excited that the Blu-ray and DVD will be out on August 20th.
Soon our children will be heading back to school and will be excited to see their friends and experience new things. The new school year is a new beginning filled with new teachers, experiences, and lessons. We can start off in the right direction by being environmentally friendly in our preparations for this school year. 
Some advice from the Leafmen, follow these ten tips for going green and to ensure you have an EPIC school year.
1. Before heading to the store in search of supplies, take inventory of what items are left over from last year that can still be used this time around. Shopping for school can be exciting with all of the bright, fun items. Try to make sure you aren’t forgetting what you came for and don’t buy any unnecessary products that will go to waste.
2. When you have reduced your list of school supplies to the necessities, ensure that you think about what you buy. Look for pens and pencils that can be refilled or supplies that are made from recycled product. Read the labels and make smart decisions to help preserve the magic of Moonhaven.
3. There are so many ways to decrease the pollutants created by getting to and from school each day. If there is a bussing system use it :). For older kids who live close to school, walking or biking each day not only provides them with exercise, but also completely eliminates any pollution from cars.
4. The Leafmen made their own clothes and armor from natural products to help protect the environment. You can also make a difference with your clothes by arranging a clothing swap party with some of your kids’ friends. Everyone will walk away with new clothes and a happy conscience when they realize they are helping the environment.
5. The end of the day can be quite hectic as you run around dropping kids off at various after school activities. Save your sanity and the earth by setting up a carpool schedule with other parents. Bonus: your kids will love the extra time with their friends.
6. When packing lunch for your little ones, keep the residents of Moonhaven on your mind. Invest in reusable water bottles, lunch boxes, and food containers. The kids will probably have tons of fun picking out lunch supplies with fun patterns and themes. Buying these products will also conserve tons of unnecessary waste.
7. The packaging isn’t the only part of lunch you can change to become more green. Send healthy, eco-friendly snacks and lunches with your little ones each day. Things like local, organic fruits and veggies are a great addition to your kids’ lunch.
8. In Epic, Queen Tara wears a gorgeous dress made from flower petals and leaves! You can get creative like her by changing the style of your backpack. Instead of purchasing a new bag every year, have a craft day and let your kids change up their bag with patches, paint, or other supplies.
9. Find out if your school already has a recycling program in place. If they don’t, take a stand and help set one up for each classroom. If recycling is already part of the plan, then participate.
10. Consider buying used books online or in local bookstores. This will benefit all students from grade school through college, when textbooks get extra expensive.

Print the two activity sheets by clicking on the image.


Stay tuned for the upcoming giveaway of EPIC for everyone in US and Canada :)

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36 comments:

  1. These activities look like fun. I've already taken an inventory of all the school supplies I have on hand and won't be buying much this year. Good tips, thank you.

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  2. I will keep these tips into mind when shopping for back to school.Also we send our son will a litter less lunches!

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  3. these are great tips, so many times we go out and buy what we already have, I've done it a ton of times

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  4. there is so many things available to us now that is it easy to go green for everyone, and kids is where to start

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  5. I appreciate tip number one. I think that a lot of people purchase more than they really need at the beginning of each new school year.

    Adina H.

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  6. These look great for the kids to color.

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  7. Awesome printables/colouring sheets!

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  8. Great tips !! thanks so much

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  9. Thank-you for all the great tips. We definitely try our best.

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  10. Thank you for all the great tips!

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  11. They do have recycle bins at the school, so that's a fantastic start already

    SueSueper Sue

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  12. I love the car pooling idea; I just wish it was easier to manage!

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  13. My daughter's school is very green. They had a grant a few years ago that got them started and it took off from there. They do some very neat green programs.

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  14. Good list! I can't believe how many people just throw away all there supplies at the end of one year just to buy new 2 months later.

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  15. thank you for all the great tips. I will put them to good use!

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  16. Great tips. I think it is good for kids to walk to school. Not only green but gives them a bit for exercise.

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  17. awesome ideas/tips. We are very enviro friendly with reusing, recycling etc

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  18. excellent tips! I, personally love clothing exchanges! I have outfitted my grandkids for a couple of years by participating in them!

    Rafflecopter Name is Anne Taylor

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  19. #5 is great tip, I set up a car pool with my neighbours over the summer, hopefully it works for us all :)

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  20. These are really good tips, and my kids love the colouring pages!

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  21. Love the idea of teaching kids to be more green and own their ideas so they will follow them.

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  22. Really great ideas. My favourite is #6. I have been using reusable containers for my kids since my oldest started school 14 years ago (he just turned 19).

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  23. thanks for all the great tips, I will put them to good use and pass them along.

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  24. I am a teacher and these tips are great!

    Debnmike moretti

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  25. I love the tips and the colouring pages!

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  26. These are great tips and reminders and I am going to try to put as many as I can in use.

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  27. My DD was actually using pencil crayons that were her dad's when he was in high school many years ago for school last year. Some of them are only an inch long now so we did have to buy some new ones for her this year. We always use reusable containers - her school is an eco-school and any packaging they take to school has to come home with them - we avoid it all together by using reusable containers.

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  28. Great tips shared. Taking inventory of what you have left over from the previous years of school supplies is a very good one.

    Cheers.

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  29. Thanks for sharing these great ideas.

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Thank you for commenting :)