Caring for the environment is everyone’s responsibility, and in our daily lives, our choices can either help protect nature or, on the contrary, contribute to its deterioration. That is why it is important for all of us to think about what we can do to reduce both the energy we consume and the waste we generate, mainly packaging and plastic.
And the schoolyard is a great place to start. In many schools, more and more teachers are encouraging students and their families to say goodbye to plastics and aluminum foil, opting instead for practical and reusable lunch boxes for mealtime. There are many ways to have a greener and more affordable back to school.

For instance, bringing cookies, sandwiches, juices, and cakes to class can become a sustainability exercise that shows children the importance of taking care of nature and limiting the waste we generate. And if the lunch boxes are metal, even better.

Exchanging books and reusing school supplies, when possible, is also a sustainable and cost-effective approach to back to school.

Checking cupboards and drawers to see what items are still usable is a way to avoid wasting natural resources. It’s a good idea to take inventory and prepare a shopping list to avoid buying things we don’t need.

You can also choose school supplies made from recycled materials. There is an increasing range of pens, notebooks, paper, and pencils that are either made from recycled elements or produced following sustainability and environmental quality standards, with materials from well-managed forests, just like the furniture we create at FG.

Additionally, putting all cardboard packaging and paper wrappers in the blue recycling bin gives them a second life, turning them into recycled paper materials. For electronic devices, the appropriate recycling spots are the clean points or eco-parks, not the trash.

Walking or biking is always the best option to get to class. Using public transport is also a way to reduce the pollution caused by our daily commutes.

In conclusion, to achieve a greener back to school, everyone needs to contribute, and it is very important to involve the younger generation in taking care of nature by teaching them eco-friendly values and habits, which should increasingly become part of the school environment with the collaboration of everyone: students, families, and teachers.