As New Yorkers, since most of us walk or use public transportation to school anyway, the biggest impact we can probably have on the environment when it comes to our children's school lives is to send their lunches in reusable containers. A functional choice is LapTop Lunches, a lunch box system that has several small plastic containers that fit neatly into one lunch box. A more stylish option would be the Stephen Joseph puppy snack pack. You can also replace plastic baggies with the wrap-n-mat or other reusable containers. And, of course, put drinks in aluminum water bottles rather than disposable juice boxes. You'll save money and the earth at the same time. Plus you can add a little water to that sweet juice and it'll be a little healthier too. Perhaps an even bigger impact you could make would be to get involved at your child's school to create a green initiative there. Our school is currently trying to become a green school. This was an initiative started by the fifth graders and it's great to have the students get involved in driving something like this. Our school is trying to cut back paper use by limiting notices, always using the backs of paper that goes home and turning our school into a recycling center for batteries and other products. Talk to your PTA or school leadership team about greening your school this year. One overall thought to keep in mind whether it's back to school shopping or just regular life is before you buy something new consider if you can reuse something or get it used. Especially for babies, toddlers and younger kids, hand me downs and used clothes are usually highly available and as good as new. This goes for toys too. Shop used locally at Craigslist, Freecycle, Janes Exchange or another thrift store. Also check out toy and book swapping sites. A school tag sale is another great way to recycle perfectly good kids' clothing and toys and raise money for your school at the same time. If your school doesn't do a tag sale, offer to help organize one. I kind of got off on a tangent here, but as you can see, this is a topic that I feel passionate about. I'd love to hear other people's ideas about how they are preparing for the school year, if and how they are striving to be more green. And also, if anyone is interested in participating in a toy or clothing swap meet here in NYC, please leave a comment below or email me.