Back to School, Not Back to Waste: Teaching Kids Sustainability That Sticks

I promise this isn’t one of those “perfect parenting back to school blog posts” that will sell you $500 organizational charts and systems that will guarantee your life is easier…..but I will tell you that back-to-school season is the perfect moment to teach kids sustainable habits. Here’s how South Shore families (and beyond!) can prep for the year with less waste, working together.

As a parent, the back to school time feels like a fresh slate for me. (If I haven’t been a parent of school age kids, I’ve been a teacher or in school, so I’m curious if this ‘feeling’ exists for those outside of those categories just because you’re bombarded from every angle?) It’s time for a fresh start, implementing new routines and habits. General consumer marketing and social media would have you believe that everyone is getting a new backpack and lunchbox, a whole new wardrobe and a shopping cart of back to school supplies….and the average back to school shopping experience generates a surprising amount of single-use plastics and waste……This isn’t about spending more or not giving your kids what they want and need to start their school year successfully, it’s about establishing new norms and habits with your kids that stick. While I’m talking about kids and back to school, this isn’t exclusive to families, many of these lessons are for anyone.

Lesson One: Shop your home first

• Those supplies that came home two months ago? Probably just fine. Throw out the junk that’s beyond good use, give the markers a test and a little wipe down…and then do a supply audit WITH your kids. Grab that list and WITH the kids see what you have and what you need. Are they resistant? Make it a game. This is NOT about creating more work for mom (and yes, today I am making this generalization, sorry other caregivers). This is a life-long lesson. Don’t just grab that list and walk blindly into Target. For so many people I think we get excited about that “back to school shopping” dopamine hit…this isn’t about taking that away, it’s about centering it on something else that brings joy and excitement.

• Backpack looking a little dingy? We love a good “backpack soup” AKA soak that in the bathtub or large container with HOT water, a little Oxygen Brightener and Laundry Soap. This post from @going.zero.waste in that same vein made me laugh out loud the other day. So yeah wash that backpack and those clothes…..

Lesson Two: Sustainable Supply Swaps

Turns out you need a few things, I get it, the….the elmo backpack isn’t working for your 8 year old? Get a QUALITY backpack and lunch box that will last, something that will be surely loved for a few years, won’t go out of “style,” and isn’t going to break on you. Better yet, look on Facebook Marketplace or eBay. My boys have had Topo Designs backpacks for the last 4 years. (yes they are pricey but if you can swing it, they LAST and have a great sustainability record). My daughter…well she’s trickier. She got a new backpack this year, because her other one was just too small to hold her work. It’s North Face, and while I don’t love their sustainability scorecard…but we pick our battles and girl isn’t getting a new one for a few years (my rule, if you want something new that you don’t need, you pay for it yourself. I’m not saying no, I’m just saying, that’s something you pay for- Mom and Dad pay for the things that are needed). We do have some super cute Fluf lunchboxes if you are needing an upgrade.

Supplies…(again if you can afford to) get the Ticonderoga pencils. None of this flashy stuff or off brand. They work better, they sharpen well, and they aren’t jamming your teachers pencil sharpener with that plastic crap. IYKYK. I’m a pencil snob, but nothing drives me more nuts than a pencil wrapped in a plastic sheath. Okay…or an unsharpened point. Yes, I realize this is a niche weird me- thing.

Heres the other thing…Who has ever used 15 pens? At least for me if I have ONE or two pens I know where it is at all times or I take better care of it. Skip the bulk pack….go look in a drawer. Find the pen. Taking care of your things is a good lesson.

Lesson Three: Reducing Waste in the Lunchbox

The lunch box. Parents…don’t give yourself another thing to do, outsource that (in an age appropriate way of course). Kids should help…ownership helps build habits. Reusable containers, real forks, a cloth napkin, skip the single serve packages, a fun “trash free lunch challenge.” Some parents, “but my kids will throw out the fork by accident.” When my kids were younger at least they just put everything right back in their bag. I appreciated seeing what they actually ate, and when nothing is disposable, they aren’t just going to dump the whole box out in the trash.

We have some stainless steel style style lunch boxes, paper sandwich bags (can’t get behind a reusable stasher? Next best thing). Want more suggestions? Reach out, we have all the recs.

The buy in?

Teach kids about caring for their home, their planet. None of this doomsday climate change crap (we don’t need more anxious kids!!). Use age-appropriate ways to explain why we don’t want more trash and plastic……for little kids, maybe it’s helping the animals and the oceans, for older kids, connect it to things that they care about. And yes, leading by example and guiding them to make their own choice (they participate in willingly) is always a good way. As my kids get older and approach the teen years, I’ve changed my own rules a bit…they pack their lunches independently, and while some of those choices are not my favorite, I take a deep breath and explain why I choose to purchase this versus that. It’s not perfect, but I have zero desire to create a power struggle over food (and we definitely don’t pass judgement on other people’s food, its a “this is what we do in our family. Every family is different”). So yeah, sometimes I get the flaming hot cheetos for them…and that works for my family.

Any teacher will tell you those first two weeks of school…set the tone for the rest of the year. So yeah, sometimes that “don’t forget to hang the backpack up” SUCKS when you’re dead tired at the end of the day and you’ve just come home from work for the second shift that is parenting.….but future you will thank you! Whether its for yourself or your kiddo, you can’t just make a chart, stick it on the wall and hope for the best..….lasting habits require actual implementation.

1. Start small, one or two habits that don’t overwhelm you or them.

2. Build a simple after school routine like unpacking lunch box and rinsing containers (i’m not always home when my kids get home from school….so it might just be a daily reminder at 6pm (set an alert in your phone…hey kids, did you unpack your lunch box?!)

3. Celebrate progress. Seriously, a “thank you for unloading your lunch box” goes a long way.

4. Connect to the bigger picture. These little humans will inherit this planet and starting these habits now really matters

It’s no easy feat raising the next generation of conscious consumers, but we think you are doing awesome! We’re always here to help and we are serious when we say bring the kids into the store to refill- let them see sustainability in action! We LOVE helping kids refill (and can assure that adults are always the ones who make the bigger messes) plus they will ALWAYS come up with the best ideas and ask the best questions. BUT if you’re ever too busy to stop in, remember that in-store pickup and local delivery are available, because yeah, we get it.