More on Back to School Green

Across the country kids are flocking back to school and many of us are wondering how to start the year off while encouraging a greener way in our youth. It can sometimes be hard to get kids to think about “being green” when all they really want to do is look cool and hang out with their friends, but by our example they will learn and a great example can be set just in back to school preparation.

It starts with school supplies. While many of those flashy and bright notebooks can be eye catching, why not help our environment a little and purchase recycled paper instead? Many manufacturers are now offering this option. Also, rather than spiral notebooks go for the refillable binder. While some places will allow for recycling paper on a spiral bind, many still do not and this means a lot of paper waste simply because people don’t want to spend the time tearing paper off. When purchasing the refillable binder try to find one made of canvas or cardboard. Plastic may feel durable, but it is also, well, plastic. And if you still have a binder from last year that is in good shape why not just reuse it?

Backpacks are big business during the back to school shopping, but with a quick wash most old backpacks are just like new – use a gentle cycle and air dry.

If your school requires books to be covered you can stay green by recycling paper bags rather than buying fancy book covers. Give your kids some crayons or markers and stickers and they can decorate the books to their liking.

Pens and pencils are imperative for school and you can make sure to buy refillable pens and refillable pencils (if you use mechanical pencils). Also, if buying regular pencils there are some brands that actually do use recycled materials.

Clothes for back to school can hit the budget hard, but what’s worse is that so much of last year’s fashion goes to waste. This year before you throw out the old stuff check to be sure it doesn’t still fit or that it can’t be made into something else great for the year. If it is a “must go” then give it to a local charity rather than just throwing it in the garbage.

Back to school supplies aren’t the only area where were can help our kids stay green - there is also the issue of back to school transportation. If you live within walking or biking distance go ahead and have your kids walk or bike. You can walk or bike with them to show that it isn’t so bad. I live right across an open field from the schools in my town and it amazes me how many parents will hop in a car, drive for three minutes (literally), drop their kids off and then drive home. Walking is not only exercise, but it saves on fuel consumption and it teaches kids that they can move without the world coming to an end. If it’s raining out give your kid an umbrella – it won’t hurt them and you will be teaching them a natural mode of transportation in the process. If you live too far for walking or biking then get involved in a local carpool – you can take turns driving your kids to and from school.

And finally, when that first day (or maybe I should say the entire first week) arrives and the mounds of paper work start coming in make sure to sign what you have to sign and return it, but for the rest don’t just throw it in the trash – have your kids walk it to the recycle bin thus instilling in them once again that recycling is good for us all. Remember, back to school is a great time to lead by example and teach your kids the importance of a greener way of life. Have a great school year!

Copyright ©  2009, Becki, Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved

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Green Tip – (08/25/09) – More Tips for those Paper Tube Rolls

We did a great article awhile back with tips to reuse cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towels. You can read it here. Well, good news…we have a few MORE ideas!!!

More Tips to Green those Tubes

Seedling pots – Cut a few of the cardboard paper towel rolls into four pieces OR toilet ones into two, then fold the bottom part to hold the soil. Add the soil and plant your seeds. Once your seedlings are ready to go into the ground simply plant the whole paper roll and it will biodegrade right into the ground where it is planted. This is also a GREAT way to have a mini herb garden for your daily kitchen use that is not only eco friendly, but made from recycled materials!

Maracas: Fold the bottom of a cardboard paper roll over and staple it closed. Fill with dry beans or rice. Fold top of roll and staple closed. Decorate. Enjoy.

Puppets: Glue a Popsicle sickle stick (two recycling items in one fun craft! LOL!) to the bottom of the toilet paper or paper towel roll to make a handle. Now, decorate the roll with funny faces. Use yarn or colored feathers to make hair. Those little fun eyes and whatever else you have in your art box can add to your funny faced puppet people. Let the kids put on a recycling puppet show for you when they are done! Making it fun will help your kids WANT to recycle and be better stewards ofg God’s planet!

Wildlife Yard pots – If you’d like to attract wildlife into your garden paper rolls are a great biodegradable option. Fill with nuts and seeds and place amongst a pile of leaves to bring hedgehogs and lots of bugs and insects into the garden. You can also insert a string from the top of it and hang it hidden in a tree. Fill it with bird seeds to attract the birds.

Get creative with your old cardboard paper rolls. You will be surprised at the many things you and your kids can use them for!!!

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Stay Green!

               

Send Your Kids Back to School Green!

Our youth are the future. If we train them to do the right thing while they are young they will continue in it. We are told in Proverbs 22:6; “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This is true for every aspect of our jobs as parents…from how to behave, who God is and even being better stewards of God’s planet!

If we send them back to school green minded and looking green, their friends will notice. We should be raising leaders that want to impact our planet for God’s glory! What better way to bring God glory then by honoring Him and being good stewards with what He loaned to us??

Tips to go Back to School Green

Go with as many recycled materials as you can!

• paper would be the biggest. Unfortunately, schools have not come up with a better way to have our children do their school work. So, if they must use paper, make sure it is recycled paper!
• forget the wood pencils that kill trees! Go for reusable plastic pencils…or better yet keep using the wood ones, but, try PaperMate’s “Earth Write” line. Yes they are wood, but, they are recycled!
• eco Binders are a must as well.
• backpacks can be green too. go for a recycled material instead of the norm.

Pack Green Lunches.

• go for organic choices.
• no plastic baggies. period.
• use reusable containers.’
• give them recycled napkins.

Clothes.

Looking cool is important for most kids, especially as they get older. What is cooler than recycled clothing??

• go for organic cotton.
• let them wear green proud. get them shirts that TELL the WORLD to be green.

Getting to School.

This can be tough depending on how far you live from the school. However, even getting to school each day can be green!

• have them walk.
• ride a bike.
• car pool.

As you can see, being a better steward of God’s planet is not as difficult as one might think. The simple task of sending our kids back to school can be a way to be greener and become better parents by training our children to appreciate what God has given them…including the planet!

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Stay Green!

               

Green Review: Green Bags (greenbag.info)

If you are a regular reader, then you know that I am a regular Christian wife and mommy who always trying to think green. I am by no means an expert. However, I am doing my best to make positive changes that will help me to be a better steward of God’s planet.

One thing that I just changed is buying a reusable grocery bag. I could only get one to start. I estimate I will need at least 5 bags to do a full grocery run. The good news is that they are super cheap! Yeah!

I love this bag. It is green. It says the name of my favorite grocery store on it and the material is great. It is easy to clean too. Just wipe. It comes with a plastic type material square piece for the bottom of bag to remain stable when groceries are in it.

I had the bagger put my groceries in it and I tossed it on my shoulder like any other hand bag. It was totally awesome people! ROFL! I am very happy that this change is occurring. I will finally be free of the bags and dilemma of how to reuse them!

When I got home with my groceries, I was looking over the bag, I saw a website; GreenBag.info

Me being me decided to check them out…

I read about my nifty new bag and found out how wonderful this reusable grocery bag is!

Features of my Green Bag Include…

• water repellent
• carries what takes 3-4 plastic bags
• the more people who use them the more trees we save
• 100% recyclable
• Easy to pack
• Easy to use
• Strong
• Can be used for more than just groceries
• The most affordable bag I have ever bought
• A one year guarantee…and I only paid a buck!
• It’s the color greeeeeen! Lol!

They do not offer an Online shop from what I could tell. However, they do have a query section and a section for retailers. I am considering having some make with Green Christian Network on them for my readers! What do you think??

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Stay Green!

               

Green those Tubes!

I am happy to announce that I use only recyclable toilet paper and paper towels. However, I was having a hard time figuring out what to do with the cardboard tubes they are wrapped around…even the foil and wax paper. The cardboard tubes befuddled me.

Not anymore!

Tips to Green those Tubes

Straighten up! You can use the toilet paper tubes to straighten flower stems and plants when they are droopy.

Kid Crafts. The sky is the limit with this one. You can make all sorts of crafts with your kids. Use your imagination.

Paper Towel Holder. One of my kids made me a paper towel holder with the left over tube from wax paper. She glued it to a circle she cut out of cardboard and stuck it to my counter. It has been working for over a year now. How creative and recycle guru is she??

Easter Egg Holder. You can cut rings from tubes and sit the Easter eggs in them. It is a great and reusable way to hold them for drying. Decorate them and you may even be able to use them for displaying them.

Packing Material. The cardboard tubes are also a great packing material to keep your breakables safe. Love this idea. Thank you to my sweet child for this one.

Napkin Rings. Cut rings from the tubes and decorate them. You can use contact paper, beads, jewels whatever tickles your fancy. This is a great way to reuse these tubes over and over.

As you can see, there are many ways to reuse things and make the most of what we have. Being green is being a good steward of God’s planet and the money He gives us.

Copyright © Green Christian Network

Stay Green!

               

Green Tip – (05/11/09) – Chinese Takeout

I love Chinese Takeout. It is a staple in our house. We eat it on a regular basis. We love it. Unfortunately, Chinese takeout, in our area at least has not gone green. Since I do not have any desire to give u p Chinese food, I needed to come up with a way to make Chinese Takeout green in our home!

Tips to make Chinese Takeout Green

Fabulous Containers. Who needs Tupperware when you have those nifty resealable Chinese takeout plastic containers?? Reuse them over and over again for leftovers, crafts or anything else  you need a plastic container for.

Paper Bag. The paper bag that the food comes in can be used to clean up the mess if it’s already been stained. If the bag can be salvaged, you can make puppets with your kids!

Plastic Bag. The paper bag is usually in a plastic bag. You can reuse that in many ways. See here for great ideas for reusing plastic bags.

The sky’s the limit! You can be green and eat Chinese Take out! Do not get o caught up in being green that you never enjoy life. If companies or other people do not want to be green, you can be green for them!

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Stay Green!

               

Reduce Your Trash

Trash is a huge issue for the environment. Dumps are overflowing and there are not enough landfills to keep all of the trash we make. It does not have to be that way. We can reduce the amount of trash we create by changing a few things we do.

Tips to reduce trash

• Buy Less. Only get what you need.
• Pay attention to Packaging. Go for minimal packaged products.
• Reuse paper. If only one side or half of it has been used. Use the rest. Make sure it is well used before throwing away.
• Baggies. Reuse plastic sandwich baggies. All sizes. Wash. Rinse. Use. Repeat.
• Glass Jars. Reuse them as pen holders, for food leftovers, storing buttons and such or anything else you can think to use a jar for.
• Cards. Birthday and holiday cards can be reused as well. Simply cut them into small tags to reuse on future gifts.
• Gift Bags. When you get a gift bag. Reuse it.
• Newspapers and Magazines. Use old issues to line drawers, litter boxes, etc.
• Clothes. Donate them to homeless shelters or resell them at second hand shops. If they are too old and worn, make rags out of them.
• Try and Fix it. If something breaks, see if it is salvage before you toss it. It may just need a minor fix.
• Have a Yard Sale. Your trash may be someone else’s treasure. Plus you can make a few bucks while helping the environment.
• Freecycle. Give it a way. Someone may need or want what you would like to toss.
• Recycle. Get on your towns recycling pick up list. If you cannot figure out a way to reuse some stuff at least recycle it.

These ideas are only meant to get your mind working and thinking. We need to be aware of the trash we create. Landfills are growing and we are running out of space for all the trash that we create. We need to start making a difference now, before our kids and grandchildren are left with a trash infested planet!

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Stay Green!

               

Green Tip – 04/08/09 – Frozen Juice Cans

You never need to toss these. There are several things that can be done to reuse those plastic cans that frozen juice come in. Let me share a few…

Reusing Frozen Juice Cans

Pen & Pencil Holder - This is a craft that I have done with my kids. You leave the bottom plastic piece in place. Clean it well. Dry. Cut a piece of construction paper (let your kids decorate it) or use old scrap paper into a size that will evenly wrap around the can. Tape or Glue. Place on desk. Add pens and pencils.

Biscuit or Cookie Cutter - Leave the bottom plastic piece in place. Cut the can to about a third of it’s original height. Just high enough to make good biscuits! Reuse over and over to make cookies and yummy biscuits perfectly shaped every time! (you can also use this idea for a play dough cutter)

Bath Toy - Kids will play with just about anything in the tub and mine love cups. Again, leave bottom in tact. Clean well. Toss in with bath toys.

Beach Toy – See above. Same concept. Great for making sand castles. (you can also use this idea for a sandbox toy)

There are countless things you can do to reuse these plastic cans. Just use your imagination and soon you will be saving money, having fun with your kids, becoming a green mean recycling machine and a great steward of God’s planet!

Do you have additional ideas? Post them below!

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Stay Green!

               

Green Tip – 04/06/09 – Toddlers and Paper

For those of you that have toddlers or young children the issue of using paper to draw on has most likely come up. How can we let our kids enjoy coloring without feeling like we are allowing the waste of paper and the over killing of trees? Well, by being creative, coming up with ways to reuse it, chilling out and teaching your children how to draw and enjoy the paper without wasting it! Children do what they are taught. If we teach them to be green and that God wants them to take care of the environment and be good stewards, they will be conscience of that.

7 Reusing Paper Tips for Toddlers and Young Children

both sides - make sure that when they draw, they are using the whole sheet of paper and both sides as well.

make more art - once the paper has been used, instead of tossing it, throw it in your art scraps for later. Old drawings can be cut up and used to make collages, or to cover an old frozen juice container and make a pen holder or other crafts that require paper.

wrapping paper – it can be used as wrapping paper for gifts your child gives others. A great personal touch…especially for the Grandparents!

make a puzzle - Use the pictures that are clear and have them cut it into medium size pieces to make a puzzle.

scrap for Momma – you can take some of the drawings that can be reused and use them for grocery lists, memos, phone messages, etc.

lining - cover some of the pretty pictures with contact paper and made draw liners. You can also make a couple place mats for snack time.

book covers - protect some of your child’s good books by making book covers with their art. You can use the contact paper for that as well.

It really isn’t that hard to be green. It just requires a change of thinking and the willingness to be creative and make better choices!

Please feel free to share your tips for reusing paper that your children draw on with our readers by posting it in a comment below!

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Stay Green!

               

Paper Matters

It didn’t take me long into my recycling journey to master the art of putting my plastics in their proper bins. The same holds true for glass. Recycling was quickly becoming second nature to me, but the one area that I completely lacked in was recycling paper. When I would finish with a magazine or catalog I would just toss it in the trash. The same goes for all the sheets of paper that my kids would scribble on. I didn’t even think twice about it, I would just throw it in the regular kitchen trash. Then one day my Husband said, “You know, all of that is recyclable too.” I just stared blankly at him. You would think this bit of information would have already crossed my mind, but it never did. It was like this fog suddenly lifted and my mind said, “Oh yeah…Duh!” And thus began my recycling of paper.

Before jumping into the paper recycling world I got on my trusty computer and checked into the information available on recycling paper. What I found is just incredible!

The first thing you notice when researching the subject of paper is just how wasteful we are as a society. It really isn’t something you think a lot about unless you start looking it up. For instance, did you know that around 40% of the garbage in our landfills is from paper? It just sits there, rotting. Also, the average American uses somewhere around 680-700 pounds of paper a year! Wow! What do we do with it all? I mean seriously, look around you and see just where all the paper products are and just what you use them for. As I do this I am amazed at how many things I could stop doing – like I could stop buying more and more notebooks and just use the back sides of the scribbled on paper from my kids for jotting down notes and shopping lists. This would cut down not only paper waste but monetary expense as well.

As I kept researching I came upon some other interesting fact such as, if every American recycled every phone book every year we could save 650,000 TONS of paper! (Paper Facts) Additionally, just by recycling one ton of paper (that is 2000 pounds) we could save about 17 trees! (Recycling Facts)

When you look at those numbers you can’t help but want to get in on recycling paper too. It matters – all of it matters. So thus began my desire to make paper recycling just as second nature as plastics and glass.

So, you may be wondering just what types of paper you can recycle.

There are so many:

• cardboard
• newspapers
• magazines
• catalogs
• construction paper
• computer paper
• the paper you put in the office copy machine
• and even the junk mail you get (like those pesky grocery fliers).

This really is just the tip of the iceberg and yet so many of us throw these items in the garbage every day without giving it any additional thought. Well, not me – not any more. I am now committed and when I get done with any form of paper I have trained myself to march it out to the garage and stick it in the recycle bin. It really is just that easy.

Copyright ©  2009, Becki, Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved