Dual Flusher Doesn't Require New Toilet

It's not unusual to see dual-flush toilets in other countries. If you've never seen one before, they are just like any other toilet, only they allow users to choose one of two flushing options. When you need less water you push one button, or one lever. When you need more water, you push the other button or lever.

The idea is to conserve water by not using maximum water flushing if it isn't necessary. One downside to adopting this technology in America is the need to replace millions of toilets already in existence.

A company called Brondell has come up with a solution for us Americans seeking more than one flushing option. The "Perfect Flush" is a toilet modification that provides two buttons connected to a sensor in your toilet tank. One button tells the sensor to let all the water out, while the other tells the sensor to let half the water out.

The company claims anyone can install the Perfect Flush and that it takes just 30 minutes to set-up. It works with about 90% of existing toilets and comes with a one-year warranty. The system is designed to provide 50% water savings.

If you want to check out the Perfect Flush, go to their website by clicking HERE.

Make the Holidays Greener

About now, you are thinking about your holiday budget, your travel plans, your shopping list, or your holiday meal. These are all pieces of your December puzzle. Of course there is one more piece, the green piece. You can't forget that one!

This holiday season its really easy to incorporate some eco-thinking into your routine. Newsweek has some great tips on doing just that, most of them we've addressed before, but we'll organize them into one easy post.

1. Use LED Lights: Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc. all sell LED holiday light strings that look just like traditional lights. How are they different? They're technologically advanced! A string of these lights will last longer and use 80-90% less energy. Make sure you attach all of your lights to timers so they don't stay on when nobody can see them.


2. Bring Your Own Bags: This year, bring your own bags to the mall and reduce the clutter of paper shopping bags around your house. Bring a clip to attach receipts to the outside of your bag so you don't have to worry about being detained for shoplifting.


3. Make Your Wrapping Part of the Gift: Isn't gift wrap one of the biggest wastes of money and resources? Instead, buy some scarves, wraps, sweaters, etc. to wrap those gifts and give them something extra they can keep. Or better yet, wrap gifts with materials you have at home. Retailers also sell recycled wrapping paper for you traditionalists.


4. Buy A Real Tree: Fake trees are manufactured using petroleum and contain lead. They're also not biodegradable. This year, buy a real tree and bring it to the recycling drop-off point in your community so they can make mulch out of it.


5. Throw Greener Parties: At your holiday party, make sure you buy food that is organic and grown locally as much as possible. Only use plates, glasses, utensils, etc. that are reusable. Keep recycling containers convenient for your guests.

You can read more HERE.

Real Tree vs. Fake Tree

Its that time again, time to make the decision whether to pull out your old boxed fake tree and start attaching those color coded wire branches, or drive down to the farmer's market and tie a real tree to the roof of your car.

Maybe you never though much about it, but there are some pretty significant differences between fake and real trees when it comes to their impact on the health of your family and the environment. Since this blog is all about integrating the "Green Piece" into your daily life, let me explain those differences, they might surprise you!

Your first instinct might be to think fake trees are better for the earth because they are "renewable." Although they are used year-after-year, the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used to create them is horribly destructive to the planet and relies on gasoline as its base. You can learn more about PVC HERE.

Additionally, PVC manufacturing generates multiple types of carcinogens. Because 85% of America's fake trees are produced in China, this manufacturing process is even more unregulated and unruly.

We all know how China loves its lead. This love extends to your fake tree. Lead is used to strengthen the otherwise weak PVC. The Children's Health Environmental Coalition has warned consumers that fake trees shed lead-laced dust. That's why your fake tree will probably contain a warning not to inhale or eat any dust or parts that may come loose. So much for eating out of that box of chocolates sitting under your fake tree this year.

Real trees aren't perfect either. Because farmers may use pesticides or fertilizers to improve growth time and crop abundance, real trees could contribute to pollution of lakes and streams. Not to mention the annual waste generated by all those trees dumped on January 2nd.

Your best bet is to buy your real tree from a Farmer's Market where a local farmer can testify to whether the tree was grown organically or with chemicals. After you are done with the real tree, chop it into smaller pieces so it is easier for garbage processing. Go to THIS SITE to find tree recycling areas in your community. If you can, buy your tree at a farm where its roots are still in tact a week before Christmas and re-plant it in your yard after the holidays.

I hope that makes your decision over which Christmas tree to use this year a little easier.

Find out more HERE.

Tree Hugger Christmas Gifts

You might have some greenies on your shopping list this year. They can be kind of hard to shop for.

If you've already helped them become carbon neutral with a TerraPass, you've bought them fluorescent light bulbs and cloth shopping bags, and you've ordered them a great green book, what more can you do to satisfy their organic desires?

How about a kit that will save them $460 in energy bills and 7,442 pounds of carbon per year? Earth Aid Enterprises has put together a great array of gift packs for environmentally conscious folks on your shopping list.

At Earth Aid Enterprises' website, you can design a kit of products that conserve resources and cut utility costs at the same time. Among some of the products you can choose from are: programmable thermostats, tire pressure gauges, weather sensors, faucet & shower head aerators, dryer balls, smart strips, and more.

I really think it would be cool to get a big package of all these different products to fulfill that new year's resolution of becoming greener in the new year. Go get your favorite tree hugger one now!

A Must Read: Finding an Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaner

From the Wall Street Journal:

Industry reps say such research is inconclusive. "We don't have any hard data, but as far as cancer in our industry, there is no higher rate," says Alan Spielvogel, director of technical services for the cleaners association. "And we try to have our [cleaners] handle the solvents in an environmentally friendly manner." Nevertheless, the Environmental Protection Agency is requiring a phase-out of perc at dry cleaners located in residential buildings. And some individual states are clamping down, including California, which last year passed a law to ban use of the solvent in dry cleaning by 2023.

These moves, coupled with consumer appetite for eco-anything, are fueling the growth of professional cleaners who dub themselves as "greener." They're ditching perc for myriad alternatives, such as liquefied carbon dioxide, silicone and gentle, biodegradable detergents.

To read the full article, click HERE.

Green Christmas Card Alternatives

Every year we pull out the big address book and start compiling a list of Christmas/Holiday card recipients. It's a great tradition because it allows us to reach out to friends and relatives we rarely communicate with. Unfortunately, it's also a tradition that places a great demand on important resources like trees and petroleum.

This year I presented myself with a challenge: Create an alternative to traditional Christmas cards that mirrors the authenticity of the real thing.

The most obvious choice for this project was the electronic card, or ecard. These are greeting cards that are sent via email. They can be simple, featuring a picture with a message, or complex, featuring animation with music.

The complexity of the ecard is up to you, I wanted something that combined my eco-message with some holiday music and animation. I chose THIS card from Hallmark.com. Several environmental organizations also offer holiday ecards like THESE from the Nature Conservancy. I just found the Hallmark cards to be more interesting and easier to send in bulk.

Once you've selected your card, put together a holiday message for the recipients and include a line like..."We're choosing Christmas ecards this year to reduce demand on our forests. In addition, a donation of one planted tree has been made for each ecard we send." Input the email addresses of your recipients, select a time to send the cards and you're done.

Well, almost. To make good on your promise to plant these trees, go to AmericanForests.org where every dollar donated plants one tree. Donate an amount eqivolent to the number of cards you're sending out.

I felt like this combination of charity and message will let your recipients know that you're not sending out ecards just because you've run out of time and/or patience. This ecard shows you live your eco-values but you still want to reach out during the holidays.

If you choose to send ecards rather than traditional holiday cards this year, let us know what direction you took in the comment section.

Recycle Your Brita Filter!

Everyone using a Brita filter instead of buying bottled water is doing a great thing for the environment. You're conserving petroleum that is used to make those plastic bottles and fuel it takes to transport them.

But what about those plastic Brita water filters you change every few months? If you toss them in the garbage to rot for centuries, is the Brita system still that green?

Put aside your Brita filter worries because now those used plastic menaces are recyclable.

Brita announced yesterday (11/18/08) that beginning Janurary 2009 their filters can be recycled by either taking them to a local participating Whole Food store or by mailing them in.

Clorox Company, who owns Brita, is working with a plastics reycling company called Preserve. Preserve is going to take the plastic filters made of No. 5 polypropylene plastic and turn them into eco-friendly, 100% recyclable personal care, tableware and kitchen products.

According to Clorox, "Preserve will recycle 100 percent of each Brita plastic pitcher filter casing collected. The No. 5 polypropylene plastic from the casing will be used by Preserve in their line of products. The filter ingredients - activated carbon for creating great-tasting water and additional ion-exchange resin that reduces lead, mercury, copper, cadmium and zinc that might be found in tap water - will be regenerated for alternative use or converted into energy."

The mail-in address has not yet provided but we will post it as soon as we get it. If you mail your filters into Brita, even the box will be recycled! Brita users rejoice!

The Greenest Christmas Tree

Every year I get the same question, "What is greener, a real tree or a fake tree?"

You can read my blog posts about which one of those two trees is the greenest HERE, but this year I want to suggest something radical for your Christmas tree.

Rather than driving to the Christmas tree lot to find the perfect evergreen or scrounging around in your attic for that trusty fake tree, why not buy the greenest tree that will last long after December 25th?

Go to your local plant store, landscape shop, greenhouse, etc. and find a beautiful tree that is native to your geographic region. Put the tree in a beautiful pot and decorate it with your favorite ornaments. After the holidays, plant the tree in the ground, water it and watch it grow for years to come.

Imagine this new tradition. Each year you add more trees to your community, providing more oxygen and CO2 absorption. Your family can watch the trees grow as kids get bigger and things change. Then every year, around the holidays, you can take a walk and reminisce about the past and all the memories captured in the roots of those old Christmas trees.

Rather than homogeneous holidays when so many American households have the same type of tree plopped in the corner of the living room, we could have Red Ceders in Maryland, Ponderosa Pines in Colorado, Pinons (pronounced Pinion) in New Mexico and even a Palm Tree in Florida.

Let's leave a legacy of tree-lined streets and clean air by making each Christmas an opportunity to plant a new tree in our community, it really is the gift that keeps on giving.

Insulating Windows From Winter Cold

If you've ever sat near a window on a winter day, you know the cold temperatures can sneak through the glass. This problem costs you hundreds of dollars in heating expenses and makes your home more uncomfortable.

There are ways to keep the cold air out and the warm air in during the winter. In fact, these changes will also keep the warm air out and cold air in during summer.

First, caulk around the perimeter of your windows. If you have an older house, its important to check caulking after about 5 years when it will start to decompose. Use your hand to feel around the frames of your windows to see if any cool air is escaping into the house. Just plug up those leaks with caulk.

Second, purchase a shrink film window kit like THIS one. Its easy to install the sheets over your windows and the difference they make is surprising. If you follow the instructions properly, you'll never even know the film is there.

Third, close blinds and drapes when possible. During the evening and while you're at work, you can keep the cold temperatures out by keeping the windows covered with blinds and drapes.

Reuse Fallen Leaves in Autumn

The Fall has arrived in many parts of the country. This means apple cider, pumpkin pie, acorn squash, cooler weather and, of course, thousands of falling leaves.

Leaves may be beautiful when they're turning bright orange, yellow and red, but the beauty wears off when they're covering your lawn. Is there a way to reuse these leaves rather than bundle them up and send them to the dump? Yes.

According to Sustainityourself.blogspot.com, leaves can have a second life all over your yard if you know how to use them.

First, simply mow over the leaves with your lawn mower. Dicing up the leaves and allowing them to decompose into your yard preserves their nutrients and feeds the lawn for the Spring.

Second, rake up leaves into a ring around the base of your trees. The leaves will protect the tree from freezing Winter temperatures and will feed the roots as they break down.

Third, spread leaves over your garden to prevent weeds, provide nutrition and slow soil erosion. In the Spring, rake the decaying leaves into the soil as fertilizer.

Fourth, load excess leaves into biodegradable garbage bags so the whole bunch can degrade together in the landfill, eventually leaving no trace. You can buy biodegradable garbage bags HERE.

Its important to keep in mind that many fertilizers contain toxic chemicals and unnatural nutrients that can be dangerous to your family and the local environment. Using natural products like leaves to feed your yard and gardens is a healthier and cheaper alternative.

Read the Sustain It Yourself post HERE.

Recycle Your Crocs

So you own Crocs. There might be a million different explanations for how you gained possession of a pair. Whether you love them or hate them, whether you have Croc pride or Croc shame and whether you plan to buy a new pair or stay away from them completely, you should know how to dispose of your Crocs when the time comes.

SolesUnited is a first-of-its-kind footwear recycling program for Crocs. They accept old worn out Crocs that are recycled into new shoes and donated to some of the poorest people in the world. 

There are two ways to get your Crocs to SolesUnited. First, you can go to one of the authorized retail locations which are listed HERE. Second, you can ship your Crocs to SolesUnited by clicking HERE. 

SolesUnited has set a goal of distributing 2 million shoes made from recycled donated Crocs to poor people in developing nations. So far they have given out 1 million. They accept all styles of Crocs footwear.

If you want to do more, or if you plan on buying another pair of Crocs soon, consider purchasing a pair of SolesUnited Crocs. They are made of 20% recycled product and for each pair you buy, Crocs will donate a pair of shoes to the SolesUnited program. These special edition Crocs are available to children and adults. Click HERE for the adult Crocs and HERE for the kids. 

The Green Craig's List

Craig's List is already a pretty environmentally friendly concept. The site, with its huge array of classified ads, allows people to purchase and sell used products they might otherwise throw away. It has added years of life to computers, furniture, clothes, cars, etc. Now, a new website is taking eco-friendly classfieds to a whole other level. 

EcoFlip.org likes to portray itself as the Green Craig's List. They have classfied ad sites for several countries, states and cities. Each site features ad categories like Green Living, Household Products, Fuel Efficient Vehicles, EcoPersonals and Eco-Friendly Services. 

Posting to EcoFlip.org is free, just like Craig's List. Keep in mind that they do accept donations though, so that the service can continue to exist. We searched through the site a little bit and failed to come up with many classifieds postings, but the word may not yet be out in our community.

Take a minute and stop by EcoFlip. If you're thinking of selling something on Craig's List, why not put it up on EcoFlip too? www.ecoflip.org

Raising a Green Dog

Raising a dog is a pretty straight forward experience. They eat, sleep, potty and play. Where in that routine is there room to make them more environmentally friendly? You'd be surprised.

First, lets get the dirty stuff out of the way and talk about your dog's waste. You should already be picking up any droppings when you're on walks. Dog's waste contains bacteria and nutrients that can get washed into rivers and lakes every time it rains. This has two consequences: 1) Our drinking water could become contaminated and 2) An overload of nutrients in water bodies could kill plants and animals. Always make sure you use biodegradable bags when picking up your dog's droppings (find some HERE).

Second, what kind of food is your dog eating? It might sound silly to feed your dog organic food, but the principle is the same whether its food for you or for your dog. Organic food is grown and raised without pesticides, harmful fertilizers or toxic chemicals. These things also wash away into rivers and streams which eventually lead to the ocean forming "dead zones" where no sea life can exist. Newman's Own has an organic line of dog foods that you can read about HERE.

Third, avoid pet supplies and toys made of plastic. Some dogs have an allergic reaction to plastic. If your dog's mouth area has a rash or breaks out often it might be because of a plastic water dish. Plastic is made using petroleum and, therefore, contributes to our little oil crisis. Instead, look for dog products made of recycled materials. The American Kennel Club has a green collection of products HERE. Planet Dog sells products made of recycled products HERE. Finally, Earthdog sells toys made of durable hemp you can find HERE.

Just by making a few changes, you can significantly decrease the impact you and your dog have on the planet.

How Much to Solar Power Your Home?

If you've been thinking about making changes to your home to make it more energy efficient and eco-friendly, you may have considered installing solar panels on your roof. It is a convenient place to put the panels and it is currently wasted space.

The most difficult aspect of planning a project like this is estimating the possible costs. A new website might make this part a little easier.

RoofRay is a great website that combines Google Maps with solar panel estimating formulas. Once you are on the site, find your property on the Google Maps window. Highlight the area of the roof you plan to cover with solar panels. Input the slope and angle of your roof. RoofRay will give you a rough estimate of the installation costs and potential energy generation based on your plans.

To check it out, click HERE.

Big Box Stores Use Big Roofs for Energy

Its an emotional struggle each time you visit a big box store. You know they pose a threat to local businesses, they sell products made in sweat shops, they treat their employees badly and destroy acres of land with huge impervious structures. The problem is, they do it all while being convenient and cheap.

Apparently the retailers know your inner conflict and they are trying to reconcile their evil deeds by installing solar panels on their giant roofs. The New York Times published an article this week that documents this growing trend of national retailers using renewable energy to save money while attracting "green minded" individuals.

Wal-Mart, Kohl's, Whole Foods and Safeway have initiated programs aimed at taking advantage of a renewable energy tax credit that may expire December 31st. So far, less than 10% of the stores' locations have installed the solar panels but they may continue the program if Congress renews the renewable energy tax credit this year.

Big box stores are generally the biggest users of energy in many small communities. Their roofs provide ample space to offset that energy use. According to the Times' article, if Wal-Mart installed solar panels on all of their stores, including their Sam's stores, the result would roughly equal 23 square miles of solar panels, or an area the size of Manhattan.

The solar panels can provide 10-40% of each store's electricity needs. This is dependent on weather conditions and the store's demands. Unfortunately, solar power is still more expensive than coal or natural gas. According to an energy expert quoted in the Times' piece, a kilowatt hour of coal costs 6 cents, a kilowatt hour of natural gas costs 9 cents and a kilowatt hour of solar energy costs 25 cents.

There are many ways to bring down the cost of solar energy so that it is competitive with non-renewable sources. The most important way is by encouraging these large-scale commercial installations that increase competition among solar panel manufacturers which drives down prices and increases innovation. The federal government can encourage large-scale commercial installations by providing appropriate tax incentives that reduce barriers to initiating solar panel programs. The federal government's best existing incentive, the Renewable Energy Tax Credit, has not yet been renewed this year.

To read the full New York Times article, click HERE.

Green Back to School Shopping

August generally means back to school. I have already given some tips on how to have eco-friendlier lunches (see HERE), here are some tips on how to make sure your back to school supplies are as green as your lunches will be.

• Backpack: The best advice is to recycle an old backpack or use a bag around the house. If you need a new bag, look for packs made of recycled or organic products. Avoid plastic or vinyl products. Simple Shoes sells packs made of recycled products and hemp, find them HERE.

• Paper Products: If you have notebooks in decent shape from last year that still have paper in them, rip out the stuff you've used and use the rest. For all new paper purchases, look for products made of recycled paper. You can buy recycled paper products at Staples, Office Depot, and OfficeMax. Did you know you can buy elephant dung printer paper? Check it out HERE.

• Binders and Folders: There are three great companies that sell binders and folders made of recycled products. Check out Green Line Paper Company HERE, Green Earth Office Supply HERE and Treecycle HERE.
  

• Pens and Pencils: There are several eco-friendly options when purchasing pens and pencils. You will find pencils made of recycled products at most retailers. Automatic pencils are a good choice too because they are refillable. Wheely pens (HERE) are both refillable and made of recycled rubber. Also, look out for Pilot's new BeGreen pens made of recycled products that can be found in many stores (HERE).
  
  
• Post-Its: This might seem like a strange item, but you can actually purchase Post-It notes made of recycled paper! HERE
  
  

Recycle Dry Cleaner Hangers

This is just a quick tip. This morning I was walking to the Washington Metro when I passed a dry cleaner with a sign asking for recycled hangers. Anyone who has had their clothes dry cleaned on a few occasions knows the metal hangers they give you with your clean clothes can add up pretty quickly. If you're not using those hangers at home, bring them back with you to the dry cleaner the next time you get some clothes cleaned so they can reuse them rather than wasting more.

Also, ask your dry cleaner if they use environmentally safe methods for cleaning clothes. There are plenty of places that now offer the option to use less toxic chemicals rather than the extremely dangerous chemicals that have been used for years. Make sure you always choose the safer alternative.

Simple Green Tips in One Post

I started this blog over a year and a half ago. Since then, I have posted every "green tip" I can find. Buried in the 350 posts are lots of great pieces of advice. For the amateur environmentalist just looking for some good places to start changing their habits, its too time consuming to search through all that information.

So today, when I stumbled on a list of green tips on MSNBC.com, I decided to include the list on my blog so there are a few basic ways to live greener all in one post.

• Clean Green: Rather than using toxic, smelly chemicals to clean your home, use natural products that are equally effective. I have natural home cleanser recipes HERE, HERE and HERE.

• Buy New Candles: Many synthetically scented candles use phthalates, which can negatively affect your health by disrupting your hormones. Instead, purchase naturally scented soy candles.
  

• Improve Your Flushing: According to the EPA, a family's toilet flushing accounts for 1/3 of their water usage. Most toilets use way more water than is required for flushing. Place a full gallon milk jug or a brick in your toilets tank to reduce the amount of water it uses to flush.

• Switch Bulbs: Those old incandescent bulbs you're using produce excess heat and are terribly energy inefficient. Use 75% less electricity by installing florescent CFL light bulbs that are available everywhere. They last 10 times longer than your old bulbs too.
  

• Buy Sustainable Furniture: When its time to retire the old furniture, look for replacements that are certified sustainable. This means sofas and beds made of reclaimed materials, bamboo, organic cotton, etc. The label you're looking for is the FSC label, which indicates sustainable construction.

• Eat Locally & Organically: Buying groceries is a time consuming task that usually seems like a chore. Shake things up and visit your local farmers market. You will be supporting local farmers and buying food that hasn't been shipped thousands of miles. Also, try to buy organic so your food isn't connected to pesticides and toxic chemicals.
  

• Change Transportation Habits: Everything related to transportation is changing due to energy costs and this should include you. Consider public transportation options and carpooling. Ride your bike and get some exercise for quick errands around town. Streamline car trips by making a list of chores ahead of time so you drive less.
  

• Eat Reusable Lunches: Rather than bringing lunch to work or school in paper bags, use cloth bags that can be washed and reused. The same goes for baggies, try reusable containers for your food instead of constantly buying new packaging.
  

• Print Carefully: Reduce your printing at work. When you make a mistake, reuse the paper for notes. When you have to print, use recycled paper and print on both sides.
  

• Turn it Off: A large portion of our energy usage comes from electronics we aren't using. This is called phantom power. Your computer, television, stereo, DVD player, etc. burn through a lot of energy when not in use. Make sure all of this equipment is off and not in "standby" mode. This might require plugging the equipment in to power strips and shutting off the power when you're not using them.
  

To see the full article from MSNBC, go HERE.

Drip Irrigation vs. Sprinklers

Its no secret that several states out west are struggling with a terrible dry spell. As California firefighters struggle to put out forest fires, its important for all of us to rethink the way we use water around our homes.

One important change you could make is the method you use to keep your yard and plants watered. Most people use sprinklers for watering. There is a better alternative to sprinklers that offers several great benefits, including water conservation.

Drip irrigation is a network of pipes that carry low pressure water to plants. Holes are placed along the pipes to allow for a slow drip onto the soil. Where traditional sprinklers are only 50-70% effective in watering a yard or garden, drip irrigation is 90% effective. There are other great benefits associated with switching to drip.

• Drip irrigation may be exempt from water restriction laws during droughts.
  
• Water is distributed directly to the soil and plants, reducing evaporation, runoff and loss due to wind.
• The ugly mold marks on the sides of homes and fences from sprinkler splash are not a problem with drip irrigation.
  
• Timers and automatic systems can be attached to drip irrigation pipes just like sprinklers.
• The layout of a drip irrigation system can be easily changed or added on to.
  

If you are interested in installing a drip irrigation system at your home, there is a lot of great information available HERE.

Eco-Friendly Lunches for Kids

In about a month, the malls and Targets of America will be buzzing with lots of students gathering up school supplies and new clothes for the upcoming school year. Of course, part of going to school everyday is eating at school everyday.

Anybody who has seen a school lunch room by 3:00pm knows that garbage and waste is a major problem. Garbage cans are generally overflowing and bags once filled with snacks that end in "-itos" are strewn all over the floor. Eventually, all this stuff ends up in the dump where it will sit for your child's lifetime, or longer.

If you want to send your kid back to school this year a little greener, there are a few things you can do to avoid filling the dump and polluting the earth.

• Use Reuseable Lunch Bags: Cloth lunch bags are easy to store in a backpack and can be thrown in with the laundry at the end of the week. Most aren't plastic (which is made using petroleum) and the whole family can share one set rather than buying individual lunch boxes. Plus, you won't have to worry about buying new paper bags each month.

• Buy the Family Size: There is a push to package everything we eat in individual size containers. This is a bad direction to go in. Rather than creating waste each time your child eats some chips, buy the big bag and give them a handful for lunch. This will save you money too.

• Get Reuseable Food Containers: Since you are buying the family size bags of food now, use small, plastic resueable food containers to hold snacks rather than buying plastic baggies that will be thrown away everyday. Many can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
  

• Feed them Organic Fruit: We have a little obesity issue in America's schools right now, feeding our kids fruit instead of fruit snacks might help resolve this problem. Make sure your kids snacks are organic so they don't consume pesticides or hormones.
  

• Use Reuseable Drink Bottles: Rather than sending your kid to school with a juice box or a soda can, buy a non-toxic, eco-friendly, reuseable drink bottle. Sigg bottles are among the best and there are tons of different color and design combinations to help your child express themself. You can see them HERE

So when you're shopping for all those school supplies this year, avoid the aggravation of constantly buying disposable packaging and the expense of the individually packaged products by giving your child a greener lunch. They might even learn the importance of protecting our world.