Green your school year by investing in eco friendly school supplies such as binders made from recycled materials and glue made from natural ingredients.
Back-to-school may be a stressful time, but with my eldest daughter entering Kindergarten – I’m actually pretty excited.
I know she’s going to love it what with all the learning and the crafting and the playing.
And – although having her away from home for two (sometimes three!) full days a week will be hard – I think it will be good for us as a family.
Plus, sending her to school means I get to shop for school supplies – something I’ve always had a bit of a fascination with.
And as with all areas of my life, I tried to consider the environment when picking out crayons and glue and all the other things on her back-to-school list. Check out some of my favourite finds below!
Watch the Video!
Where to Find Eco-Friendly School Supplies
I won’t lie, finding earth-friendly versions of everything on the list provided by her school was not easy. It isn’t that eco-friendly school supplies don’t exist, or even that they’re too expensive. But they weren’t easy to find in our local stores or on websites that would ship to us for a reasonable price. But don’t let that discourage you! The more of us that demand these types of products by refusing to buy anything else, the more readily available they’ll be.
And, for those of you who live in other parts of the world, some of these products will be much easier to find. My number one piece of advice would be to always think before you buy. Do your research, read the labels, shop around. And – if you can find any of the items on your school supplies list secondhand or, better yet, you already own them, then yippee for you!
If you prefer to digest information via moving pictures, you can watch the above video of me going through all the eco-friendly school supplies I bought for my daughter – complete with a special (and adorable) appearance of said daughter!
Binders
I very much wanted to find a binder for my daughter that was either secondhand or made of recycled materials, but the school requested a very specific binder – a 1.5″ D-ring binder with a clear overlay. Not really sure why a five year old needs this exact binder, but I obliged. I was able to find a new PVC-free binder that matched the specs, but if you’re able to purchase a binder made from recycled content then I envy you… for real.
Report Covers
So apparently only Canadians call the report covers with the metal prong fasteners duotangs, but that’s what I’ve always known them as. I was also surprised to learn that Hilroy school supplies, which I grew up on, are hard to come by in other countries. Lucky for us Canucks, Hilroy has a line of products made out of recycled content so I snagged these Enviro-Plus Report Covers. If you live elsewhere, these ACCO Report Covers are made from 50% recycled content.
Exercise Books and Composition Books
As mentioned above, Hilroy’s recycled school supplies are pretty much exclusively found in Canada so I bought a few Hilroy exercise books locally. I imagine they’re equivalent to composition books, which I never used as a student, but have seen in many a TV show or movie. These cleverly named decomposition books are made from 100% post-consumer waste and were printed using soy ink.
Glue Sticks
Glue eaters rejoice! These solvent-free glue sticks contains 98% natural ingredients. Plus, the packaging is is made from 58% renewable materials using resource saving production methods. From the well-know Germany-based adhesive company UHU, who outlines their commitment to a more sustainable world on their website.
Liquid Glue
And the natural glue celebration continues! Elmer’s does it again with a liquid glue made with 99% natural ingredients. I actually bought my bottle from our local Walmart. (Not my favourite place to shop – but I’ll shop almost anywhere if it means eco-friendly alternatives.) But like its glue stick cousin, it’s also available on Amazon.
Pencils
If a company goes so far as to call their product “The World’s Best Pencil,” well then they better be some damn good pencils. And they are! Not only do they do all the things pencils are supposed to do, but they’re also made from reforested wood, are printed with non-toxic ink, have latex-free erasers and are 100% recyclable. Another pencil to check out is Onyx + Green’s recycled newspaper pencils.
Scissors
These scissors for kids aged 4+ have a handle made from rice husk fibres, which are a waste byproduct of rice harvesting. They come in a pack of six – so you can have a few pairs for home and a few for school – and are packaged in fully recylable cardboard. And as someone who is married to a lefty, I now it’s important to have scissors that work in either hand!
Markers
Did you know that Crayola markers contain recycled plastic resin and that some of their products are made with the help of solar power? Neither did I! I tend to be skeptical of big companies because they don’t always have the environment’s best interests in mind, but I was happy to learn that one of the biggest school and art supplies corporations in the world does have green initiatives.
Erasers
Much like the very specific binder requirement, my daughter’s kindergarten supplies list asks for white erasers. If it hadn’t, I would have tried to get my hands on these erasers made of natural charcoal. But alas, instead I resorted to new PVC-free white erasers. Why PVC-free? According to Greenpeace, “PVC contaminates humans and the environment throughout its lifecycle: during its production, use, and disposal. Few consumers realize that PVC is the single most environmentally damaging of all plastics.” The solution? Buy PVC-free products!
And here are a few school supplies my daughter didn’t require this year, but are pretty common items for older students.
Paper
Paper is probably one of the easiest eco-friendly school supply items to find. Ampad has lined paper made from 100% post-consumer fibre while Printworks has printer paper made from recycled food and beverage containers. Cheers!
Pens
These retractable ball-point pens by Pilot are made from recycled bottles. Even good ol’ Bic has their Ecolutions pens made from 62% pre-consumer recycled plastic.
Pencil Crayons
Made from Forest Stewardship Council certified wood (meaning wood that comes from sustainably-minded forests), the aptly named “Greencolors” pencil crayons are for kids of all ages. Stabilo is another well-known name in the world of school supplies and the company became the first producers of writing instruments to receive FSC Certification – back in 1998!
Not to mention calculators, dividers, lunch kits and more! Don’t forget to shop for your eco-friendly school supplies at thrift stores, to raid your school supplies stash and to look for products made from recycled and non-toxic materials. And remember to either reuse, donate or recycle everything when you’re done using them!
Former architectural technologist. Current treehugger.
I’m here to help you green your home – and your life.
Subscribe to the Of Houses and Trees monthly newsletter and I’ll send you my FREE list of “The 8 Best Places to Buy Eco-Conscious Decor Online.”
What on earth is sustainable design? Learn all about this eco-focused design method and read the latest posts about green architecture, interior design and decor.
Sustainable living is more than just a thing treehuggers talk about. It’s about making conscious choices everyday. Read the latest posts on living with the planet’s wellbeing always in mind.
Visit the Of Houses and Trees sustainable product directory and support brands trying to make a difference in the world.
Find out more about our 40 acres of land in Parkland County, Alberta and the sustainable home we built amongst the trees.
Need help creating the home of your dreams? Care about the planet? You’ve come to the right place! check out my affordable, sustainable e-design services.
Having a had time choosing paint colours? I’ve got you – and your walls – covered with an interior paint palette sure to compliment your home.
Have questions about creating an eco-conscious home? Go ahead – ask me! Sign up for one of my free online interior design consultations and ask me anything you want.
I like how there are more options now for school supplies. Didn’t know about any of them until I read your blog. Good to see, that the very lucrative back to school retail industry, is getting green…You should do a video 🙂
Haha! Video coming soon 😉 I promise I won’t include your cameo in it even though it was awesome. And yes – it’s great there are green alternatives. I dream of the day when recycled and non-toxic products are the norm!