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With the new school year soon upon us, there’s no escaping the sales, the shopping and the seemingly endless list of “needed” supplies.

It’s a good time to ask some fundamental questions, such as: Is all this consumption critical to my child’s success? Can we create a more sustainable (and sane) approach to preparing for the academic year? Just what do we want to be teaching our kids, anyway? Let’s go back to the environmental ABCs for some guidance:

A - Assess Your True Needs: It’s an advertiser’s job to try to sell you everything he can—from newfangled technologies to the latest trends. But you probably already have a lot of what your kids will need for school. Reuse old backpacks and binders and refill pen cartridges. An older sibling’s castoffs work just as well as something new from the store.

B - Begin with the Basics: Of course, your kids will require some new things. Make a list of the true daily necessities—pencils, paper, etc.—then stick to it. Look for products with less packaging and buy in bulk to cut down on return trips, packaging and cost. Avoid battery-powered objects and gimmicks like pens that record your voice.

C - Create a Sustainable Action Plan: The new school year is not just about hitting the books, but is also an opportunity to rethink many different areas of your family’s life, such as transportation and diet. Make this a chance to analyze daily habits and make simple changes to cut back on waste.

Try these tips for real-world applications of the ABCs:

• Look for products using recycled materials, including recycled paper and corrugated cardboard. The Sustainable Group offers an eco-friendly back-to-school kit and many common chain stores like Office Depot carry recycled products.
• Pack your child’s lunch in a reusable (metal or cloth) lunchbox, rather than in paper or plastic bags. Then, pay attention to what you’re putting in it. Buy local and organic seasonal produce whenever possible—it’s better for both your kids and the planet. And don’t forget the health and environmental benefits of a vegetarian and especially vegan diet.
• Avoid products made of PVC, a plastic that contains chemical toxins and can’t be recycled. The Center for Health, Environment and Justice has a great list of PVC-free school supplies (pdf).
• Encourage walking and bicycling as your and your children’s favored modes of transport. It’s great exercise and cuts down on pollution. The National Center for Safe Routes to School offers state contacts to find the best routes near you.
• Where walking and cycling aren’t options, organize carpooling among your neighbors or condense bus stops for more efficient pick-ups.
• Shop at thrift stores and spruce up hand-me-downs. If kids complain about style, tell them retro is in.
• Use discussions about back-to-school shopping as teachable moments for your children. Dedicate time to educate your children on how to act as the Earth’s stewards. They need to know that the planet has a finite set of resources we must use in a sustainable way for us and future generations to live comfortably and survive.

These are just a few things you can do to start off this school year in a more eco-friendly fashion. In collaboration with your kids, you can come up with more of your own. Allowing your kids to contribute suggestions helps get their buy-in to the effort.

In these times,"reduce, reuse and recycle" is just as crucial a curriculum as “reading, writing and arithmetic.” And aren’t these larger values what we most hope our children will learn?

Additional resources:
Top 10 Ways to Green Your Kids at School
The EcoHearth Eco Parenting blog
EcoHearth's Eco Shop

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