Be a back-to-school green machine

By Kate Levinson

Walking past the chaotic school supplies section at Target the other day, I thought, “Thank god I’m done with that!” And then I remembered: I’m starting grad school in exactly two weeks. And I have a feeling I’m going to want to write some stuff down.

OK, so you’re not quite ready to sign your kids (or yourself) up for EcoSchool. That’s fine. But you would like a little eco-sanity in the back-to-school supply-buying frenzy.

Join the club.

From safety scissors for little hands to big-kid writing utensils and professional office gear, earth-friendly school and office supplies are more common and easier to find than ever before.

If you want to go the all-green-all-the-time route, there are tons of specialty “stores” dedicated to selling green office products (check out The Green Office for a great selection).

But if you’re like me – with a tight schedule and an even tighter wallet – don’t assume the only things you’ll find at the big box stores are 50-cent Bic packs and bundled one-subject Meads. It might take a little more digging, but the biggies are going green, slowly but surely.

Target carries a whole slew of recycled paper products, as well some other green goodies, including the Smencil.

Office Depot has a whole online storefront dedicated to its green office products, including recycled papers, binders and writing utensils.

Staples is trying to jump on the green bandwagon, too, incorporating “environmentally preferable products” into their company pillars. Nearly 3,000 of their products are produced with at least some post-consumer waste.

OfficeMax partnered with zero-waste leader TerraCycle to create an ultra-green line of supplies and cleaners -- try three-ring binders made out of 100 percent recycled stuff; the metal rings are 90 percent recycled. And OfficeMax will even take them back when you’re done with them and throw them back into the pot.

Not a big shopper? Or trying to save some green (the other kind)? Dig through your drawers and boxes and bookshelves for leftovers from years gone by, September clearance sales, the remnants of that one class you quit taking notes in after the first week. You might already have more than you think.

Photo by cgines