Whether you like it or not, that first day of school is fast approaching! No matter your age or grade, there are a few rules you can follow to help you have the happiest and healthiest school year yet. Get inspired…pack great lunches, and bring great gear, all while taking your health and our planet into consideration every step of the way.
1. Pack Safe Snacks. In a day and age where allergies are increasing, it is even more important to choose snacks that have clear labeling, and to buy from brands you trust who know where their ingredients come from, and care about them being good for our health. Here are some of my favourite packaged snacks that my family enjoys. Most are vegan, gluten-free, and organic, all of them taste great, are gmo-free, and are nut-free (but some are “may contain traces of nuts”). Of course, the snack stuff that doesn’t have packaging and labels is the best — like an organic apple!
2. Standup and Standout. Feel proud about standing up for healthy, delicious foods that feed your brain and your bones, and inspire others to feel comfortable to do the same. We know kids can be mean, and eating differently can be tough, so here are 10 Survival Strategies for healthy kids that have worked for my family, as seen in the current issue of Eco Parent Magazine.
3. Go Waste-free. This is even more important than recycling…why use something disposable in the first place? A waste-free lunch means you have no packaging to throw away when you’re done — nothing other than apple cores, banana and orange peels or cherry pits. Here are our favourites in our free Guide to Packing Eco-Delicious Lunches.
4. Bring Smart School Supplies. Gearing up (literally and figuratively) can be stressful and expensive. By being smart, a.k.a. “green”, you can take away a lot of the running around stress and certainly save plenty of your hard earned dollars and your health, too, now and throughout the year. Read this before you buy anything new!
As you go in and out for your back-to-school prep, remember the most important rule: use what you have already. Less will be in your cart and dollars won’t fly out of your wallet. Buying less keeps you at the head of the class. And, although the stores may not be happy, the entire world will thank you.
