| Going green for school is cool! Practice this year's | | | | Reuse. Ditch the disposable paper sacks and |
| new set of 3 Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - by | | | | throwaway plastic utensils and instead pack |
| selecting eco-friendly school supplies, now more | | | | lunches in a lunchbox or reusable container. Reuse |
| important than ever considering the following: | | | | your ink cartridges. The vast majority are used |
| - Americans produce about 4.54 pounds of | | | | just once and tossed out, yet every cartridge |
| garbage per person, per day. (source: EPA) | | | | refilled is one less cartridge in the landfill. |
| - Paper and packaging account for the greatest | | | | Donate. Most office furniture that is usually |
| amount of waste in a landfill, about 34 percent. | | | | discarded by companies can actually be reused at |
| Newspapers alone account for 14 percent. | | | | schools and home offices. Look for a way to |
| (source: EPA) | | | | donate your file cabinets and other office furniture |
| - Plastics make up 11.8 percent of landfill waste, | | | | before throwing it away. |
| metals 7.6 percent and wood 5.7%. (source: EPA) | | | | Recycle and Buy Recycled. Partner with your |
| - In one typical New York City school, paper alone | | | | school to start or expand its recycling program |
| generated 28 pounds per year per student and | | | | for supplies as well as cafeteria waste like milk |
| teacher. (source: The greenguide.com) | | | | cartons, aluminum cans and plastic and glass |
| - It can take as long as 450 years for an ink | | | | bottles. While recycling is important, it's equally |
| cartridge to decompose in a landfill. (source: Clear | | | | important to buy recycled products. Top on the |
| Water Conservancy) | | | | list is paper. In addition to reducing the amount of |
| - Every year in the United States each person | | | | landfill waste, recycled paper does not need |
| uses the equivalent of one tree, 100 feet tall and | | | | re-bleaching, so fewer harmful chemicals are |
| 16 inches in diameter, to fulfill their wood and | | | | released. Recycled pencils, made of reclaimed |
| paper needs. (source: agday.org) | | | | wood from old bridges, railroad ties and buildings, |
| Reduce waste. The single most important effort | | | | are all the rage this year. Even the eraser is |
| you can make is to reduce waste, especially | | | | rubber-tree free. Look for eco-friendly companies |
| paper. Keeping paper out of landfills also reduces | | | | that use recycled materials in their products and |
| the amount of methane gas, a byproduct of | | | | packaging and offer recycling programs on their |
| decomposing paper and a potent greenhouse gas. | | | | products, especially ink and toner cartridges. |
| Always be sure to use both sides of the paper, | | | | With these tips in mind and you'll be on your way |
| think twice before printing out hard copies of | | | | to earning an A+ in this year's new 3Rs in no |
| emails or websites, and proofread documents on | | | | time. Your local school supply store has a wide |
| the computer screen rather than printing out hard | | | | range of environmentally-friendly products from |
| copies to edit. | | | | which to choose. Just ask. |