You know how we’ve been chatting about saving money on green goods lately? Well, one big way to save on green good is to do it yourself, make it yourself, and use recycled goods to do it with. For example, another big topic here as of late has been reusable, waste-free lunches. Now, while I doubt you’re gonna go out and somehow make a reusable bottle, you can make other components of an eco-friendly lunch kit all on your own. Make the items below. Add silverware and a water bottle and your kid will be good to go for the …read more

According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) a green school is a “School building or facility that creates a healthy environment conducive to learning while saving energy, resources and money. Green schools are built and/or operate with the goals of sustainability in mind.”

There are many elements that make up the whole of a green school – energy efficiency, recycling, school gardening and composting, sustainable materials, transportation, and indoor air quality. All of these are important, but none are quite as important as actually teaching kids about the environment. You can have a super charged green school, but if you’re …read more

Yesterday I posted some eco-lunch kit choices and said that my son Cedar was going to have to choose one. Then I said I’d be back with the results. I had an idea about which he’d choose, but instead, like a typical kid, he decided to TOTALLY surprise me.
I showed him all the choices, and he looked them up and down, and sideways, and made me read him the stats about them. He’s eight, and he’s saying, “So what does that bag measure?” For pete’s sake. Anyhow, his decision…
You won’t believe it:

He says, “I think I’ll just stick with the …read more

So, Cedar’s lunch sack died this summer. He’s currently using the Bamboo lunch sack for camp, but it’s not appropriate for a kid all year at school I don’t think. One recent con I’ve found is that because it’s cloth, ice packs act badly in there (see an updated review).
In any case, Cedar my son is super picky about stuff. Clothes, toys, books, and so on, so I knew choosing a lunch pack wouldn’t be easy, but it’s actually been harder then I thought. He’s snubbed some eco-lunch kits as not cool enough already and our options are wavering. Of …read more

If you’ve got a kid headed off to college this year, you may be considering sending a college care pack. Or if you’re a college student maybe you want to have some nice snacks mailed right to your dorm.
Dorm-Sweet-Dorm offers unique and healthier College Care Packages than the typical fare. College care packs are nice for students but not if they’re filled with junk food. Natural and wholesome energy foods are so much better for college students trying to work through tough classes.

Dorm-Sweet-Dorm offers care packages with food and other supplies, for example…
VORACIOUS VEGAN care package – an additive, …read more

School is starting up soon and it’s time to start planning your green school efforts. Tree Hugging Family has covered a lot of school topics here already, but this year I’ll be bringing in some new cool ideas, green school gear, and tips. If you’ve got a specific question about greening your school experience (for you or the kids) this year, this would be a good time to ask. Leave a question in the comments and I’ll try to cover it soon.

That said, before we take off for the 2009-2010 school year, let’s look at some past resources plus a …read more

Now that fall is quickly coming up on us, you’ll need to find your kids a nice lunch bag or lunch box. Preferably a sustainable option. Today I’ve got a review of one option…
Product: Environmentally-Friendly 100% Bamboo Lunch Bag from New Wave Enviro Products

Basics: 100% Bamboo Lunch Bag; reusable, good for kids or adults.
Cost: $17.79
Eco-perks:
Waste-Free Lunches notes on average one school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year. That’s about 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school. Reusable lunch sacks cut down on this incredible waste.
Bamboo is one of the …read more

There aren’t many eco-friendly child care centers around… yet. Here in my state (Oregon) we have The Eco-Healthy Child Care (EHCC) program which follows up with centers and makes sure that certified (or endorsed) centers are as environmentally healthy as possible.

Child care facilities in Oregon can qualify as “Eco-Healthy” by completing a checklist that highlights 25 simple green steps such as…

Eliminating pesticides from lawn play areas.
Keeping air quality clean and non-toxic.
No smoking.
No aerosols of any kind.
Non-toxic art supplies used.
Low-VOC paints used for walls and furniture.
PVC free toys only.
Recycling programs in place.
And more.

Eco-Healthy providers who are endorsed must be committed to …read more

If you’ve got kids who are interested in finding a green college or you’re considering heading back to school, GreenReportCard.org will come in handy. GreenReportCard.org rates hundreds of U.S. and Canadian schools on their sustainability and then provide consumers with in-depth sustainability profiles to browse.

The site rates colleges on issues like…

Administration and policy.
Climate change impact and energy use.
Food and recycling issues.
Green building aspects.
Student involvement when it comes to green issues.
Transportation.
And more.

I looked up one of the colleges I attended, the University of New Mexico (UNM), and it got a grade of B in 2009, higher than in 2008, which …read more

We’re going to kick off a new theme in September, and it’s sure to be a very fun one. Before that, here are all the green school posts from August in one nice little pile for you.
Lunches:
Green Your Child’s Lunch
Earth friendly lunch boxes
Simple Organic Cotton Lunch Bags
Waste-Free School Lunches
Metal Lunch Boxes
Avoid Vinyl Lunch Boxes
Supplies:
Tree Free Notebooks
Earth-friendly Pens & Pencils
Recycled & Sustainable Pencil Cases
PaperBackSwap — Send & Receive Used Books for School or Just Fun
Stubby Pencil Studio
Backpacks – Do you really need a new one?
Clothing:
Ultimate Organic Tees for Back to School
Green Tee Review: Mine Organics
Turn Old Sneakers into a Playground
Organic Cotton …read more