Getting Schooled for Back-to-School

Growing Up Green
August 2009

It's time again to gear up for the new school  year. Gone are the days of PeeChee folders with duotone drawings of athletes, black and white TV-snow pattern composition books, and taxi-yellow #2 pencils. Today there is an overwhelming variety of colorful, hi-tech gear for school, many displaying characters from your kid's favorite cartoons, or movies. Unfortunately, with these advances in marketing there have also been advances in the use of toxic chemicals to make these items. But never fear-WTC is here to school you on safe school supplies.

Fortunately, many safe affordable products are available at stores you were probably going to shop at anyway. Here's our quick guide to help you find them:

Lunch Boxes, Wrap, and Food Containers

Choose cloth or bamboo lunch bags and avoid vinyl lunch boxes, which may contain lead and/or phthalates. You can find cloth lunch bags at ReusableBags.com (several brands), ProgressiveKid.com, and MimiTheSardine.com. Vinyl-free lunch bags are also available at Whole Foods Market and many smaller toy stores.

Consider using reuasable cloth bags instead of plastic bags for packing food. You can find a selection at www.reusies.com. If you must use plastic bags, then make sure to look for those made from polyethylene, such as GLAD™ bags and plastic wrap, or try using waxed paper bags. More info about food storage is available on our website at http://www.watoxics.org/safer-products/choosing-safer-products-lunchboxes-and-food-storage.

As an alternative to lunch boxes, try a stand-alone airtight food container made of stainless steel, glass, bamboo, or bpa-free plastic. Many types of these are available at www.lifewithoutplastic.com. Lunchbots "Eco" is an example of the stainless steel variety. You can find these or similar items at Storables, or at many grocery stores.

Water/Juice Bottles

Choose unlined stainless steel. Examples are Klean Kanteen's stainless steel bottles, which also come kid-sized in fun colors. If you are using a plastic bottle, make sure it is the opaque (milky) plastic bottles, or if it is clear plastic make sure it is labeled BPA-free. Both Nalgene and CamelBak now make BPA-free clear plastic bottles. All are available from grocery stores, drug stores, and most retailers who sell sporting equipment. Avoid water bottles made of clear plastic of any color NOT labeled BPA-free. (Clear bottles typically are made of polycarbonate, a type of plastic that leaches the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A.)

Binders

Choose cardboard, fabric, or 'poly' plastic binders and avoid vinyl binders. 'Poly' is short for polypropylene, a safer plastic, and examples include Avery's Round Ring Poly Binder and Mead's Five Star Poly Binder, available at drugstores and office supply stores. Cardboard binders include REbinders, available online and in Seattle at Goods for the Planet, Madison Market, and the University Bookstore; and TerraCycle Eco-Binders, sold at OfficeMax. Choose 'poly' sheet protectors too. If you put book protectors on your child's school books, consider making them our of decorative paper, or even paper grocery bags, rather than using adhesive plastic material.

Backpacks

Choose cloth bags and avoid bags made with vinyl (plastic). Luckily, many companies are now labeling backpacks "lead-free," or even "vinyl-free." There are many vinyl-free materials, including cotton (canvas), nylon, and polyester. Polyester backpacks are available at Target, and other large retailers. JanSport is a common brand for polyester backpacks.

 

Organic Fruits and Veggies

If you pack a lunch for your little (or not so little) one, you probably like to pack lots of fruits and veggies. Choose organic fruits and vegetable to limit your child's exposure to pesticides. To find out which are the most important to buy organic, you can download a "Shopper's Guide to Pesticides" from the Environmental Working Group at http://www.foodnews.org.

 

I hope you were paying attention-there may be a pop quiz ;)

Safe Shopping!

Addtional Resources

 

• Safe Start for Kids: A WTC guide to Healthy Products for your family.
• Fact Sheet about PVC (Vinyl) and Other Plastics
• Parents Guide to Safer School Supplies: from the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ).
• Plastics 101: our quick guide to help you navigate the confusing world of plastic .