School Supplies

Reuse / Recycle

School Supplies

It's almost the end of summer, which means it is time to stock up on the kiddos' school supplies.  This is another great opportunity to use some of the Green R's (for more info see post) - Reuse & Recycle (those elementary school years may having you want to Refuse also!).

Let's first consider Reuse. Do you still have some of last year's pencils around the house? How about that really expensive calculator from an older sibling? Try to reuse these items before going shopping for new. If you typically toss all your school supplies at the end of the year, keep Reuse in mind this year and put them aside.

Lunch is another great Reuse area. Buy a great reusable lunchbox and include reusable items - storage, utensils, and napkins. These can be found at local stores or some online options:

• Mightnest (purchases and other actions can raise funds to support your local schools)

• Reuseit lots of options here for back to school

Next is hitting the stores. Think Recycle here. Try to buy products made of recycled materials as well as made of materials that can be recycled or composted.  These can now be found at any store carrying school supplies. Look for the Recycle symbol to compare the % of materials and post-consumer materials used. Some online options:

• The Ultimate Green Store

• Red apple school supply

Note that I am not specifically endorsing any of the websites in this post. Please use caution and secure options when purchasing from an unfamiliar online retailer.

What other ideas do you have for making school supplies greener?

Hope everyone has a happy, safe, and green start to their school years!

~R~

Reuse - Books!

Reuse - Books!

It's summer and many of us are looking for some great summer reads!  New books can be expensive and use precious natural resources.  This is a great opportunity to use one of the Green R's (for more info see post) - Reuse - when you want your next books.  A book that has already been read is just as useful as a new one!

If we look at the Green R's, we may believe we should Reduce our books before considering Reuse, but books provide education and entertainment, both important to society, and the idea of Reducing the amount of books we read should be passed by.

Our reused book options range from free to inexpensive.  Let's break down some options by price.

Free

• Borrow from family, friends, coworkers and/or neighbors.  We should be responsible and always return the items we borrow once we are done with them!  Also be willing to loan out books you have already.
• Borrow from your local library.  Jefferson County Public Library
• Request books as gifts

Reduced Price (up to 90% less than cover price!)

• Thrift stores
• Garage sales
• Used book stores
• Online used book sites
• Library book sales.  Friends of Jefferson County Public Library's holds book sales at the twice a year (in June and October) at the Jeffco County Fairgrounds.  There are 100,000+ books at these events and the proceeds go to a charitable cause.  For more information see their website.  The next book sale is this weekend May 30 - June 1, 2014.

Where are some of your favorite local used books found?

Consider donating and sharing the books once they have been read to keep the cycle going!

~R~