Back to School !! For Parents, Students and Teachers

Soon the kids will be back at school. As every parent knows, you have to work your way through a sometimes bewildering list of items to purchase for your child to bring to school. Teachers and administrators also have to load up on supplies. Here are some ideas to help you reduce the drag on the environment when you do this. Please provide any other ideas you may have.

Per the EPA handout:

"Students, educators, and school administrators can all play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

1. Reduce/reuse and recycle: Try to purchase less. Does your child need all 10 of those nifty sparkly notebooks? Try to purchase supplies made with recycled content.

2. Do you have items left over from the prior school year? If your returning student can use them, please do so. If not, consider donating them to the school, as there will be children who have less than yours does.

3. All schools have limited budgets. You can help your schools reduce their energy consumption, which will reduce their overall costs. Turn off computers, lights, and other devices that use energy when no one is in the classroom (make sure OK with teacher; teacher could ask a volunteer to do this). Turning off just one 60-watt incandescent bulb that would otherwise burn 8 hours a day can save about 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide over the lifetime of the bulb.

4. Learn about climate change science, impacts, and solutions. Explore the many resources available to learn about climate change. Investigate what other schools and organizations are doing to educate their audiences on climate change. EPA's Climate Change Web site provides educational resources on the "What You Can D At School" page.

5. Calculate your school's carbon footprint. Use EPA's Climate Change Emission Calculator Kit (Climate CHECK for high schools) or EPA's Global Warming Wheel Card Kit (for middle schools) to investigate the link between everyday actions at your school, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change. These interactive tools help students learn about climate change and how to address it.

6. Ask your school administrators if your school has earned the Energy Star. The least efficient schools use 3 times more energy than the best energy performers. By partnering with ENERGY STAR for K-12 program, school districts can serve as environental leaders in their community, become energy efficient, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save 30% or more on energy bills.

7. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycle school or classroom paper, newspapers, beverage containers, electronic equipment, and batteries. Using these "Eco-3 R's" helps conserve energy, minimize pollution, and reduce greenhouse gases. You can practice the "Eco-3 R's" by using two-sided printing and copying, buying supplies made with recycled content, and recycling used electronics and printer cartridges.

EPA's Climate CHECK Tool: www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/downloads/ClimateCHECK_1.0 zip

EPA's Global Warming Wheel Card Kit: www.epa.gov/climatechange/downloads/ActivityKit.pdf

Energy Star for K-12 School districts:
www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=k12_schools.bus_schoolsk12

EPA's Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Website: www.epa.gov/msw/reduce.htm

EPA's Climate Change: What You Can Do at School Web site: www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/school.html

EPA's Climate Change Kid's Web site: www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/