Green is cool for back to school! So to make sure your tot is ready for the first day, we’ve teamed up with Instinctive and Stubby Pencil Studio to outfit one lucky Tot in eco-friendly style. The backpack is probably the most important piece of gear your kid needs. Instinctive‘s new recycled Trunk Pack gets our approval — we love the cute panda graphics on the eco pack and it’s just the right size for little kids. The bag is made from 100% recycled polyester and even the webbing and plastic buckles are made from 100% recycled materials. But what good is a backpack without anything to put inside? You’ll also win a $100 shopping spree from Stubby Pencil Studio, so you can fill the bag with eco-friendly school supplies. Stubby Pencil Studio is stocked with all kinds of green stationary products for kids including colored pencils made from FSC certified wood, PVC-free lunch bags, recycled cardboard pencil sharpeners, soy crayons, recycled newspaper pencils, banana paper notebooks and more. Enter to win after the jump!
Here’s how to enter and win the Inhabitots Back-to-School Prize Package!
**We’re sorry – this giveaway is now close to new entrants. **
1) Sign up for our weekly newsletter (if you haven’t already!). We’ll be notifying the winner in our newsletter — so you need to sign up and receive our newsletter to find out if you have won.
2) Add a comment to this post with your answer to the following question: How are you planning to go green this school year? *extra points for poems and verse
Contest end Tuesday, August 28, 2010 at 12 midnight EST. Winner will be announced in the following week’s newsletter!
+ Instinctive Trunk Pack $24.99
+ Stubby Pencil Studio’s Green School Supplies
We’ll go green by walking to school on good weather days and carpooling on the others
we plan to go green by walking and biking to school. yay!
Ella will be eating locally grown/produced foods in her lunches. 100 mile diet! All of this will be sent to school in tupperware for reuse.
i’ve made our own sandwich wraps out of fabric and potato chip bags! they last ALL year and save on hundreds of plastic sandwich bags.
I am going to go green this year by encouraging other to recycle!!
my son goes to a zero waste school. all the kids are taught recycling and composting, and they use their own compost on the school’s edible garden.
this little girl is such a big girl this school year-
she remembers to draw on both sides of the paper
she will have nothing disposable in her lunchbox
and always her favorite organic fruits and veggies from our local market
her long legs will carry her to school each morning
after she reprimands me for leaving the water on while I brushed my teeth
I will continue volunteering in our school’s Green Garden,
and my husband-in the school’s carpool program
And at bath time, the girls are bathed together, though their pregnant mama
cant quite hop in right now.
We’ll be packing lunches in reusable bags and containers. We’re also going to use as much out of our garden as possible (FROZEN!!)
we will be eating only local farmed food this school year. We are about 80% raw.
(I’m an art teacher.)
Be earth smart
in art.
Use both sides of your paper.
Keep it out of the can later.
Always put your paper in
the big blue bin.
We are making our own sandwich bags out of fabric, same fabric I used to make my cloth diaper covers. Making lunches everyday for all family members, not just those in school.
Lunch will be packet w/ wipable oilcloth sandwich bag. Snacks will be in recycled plastic containers. We use “Capri Sun” juice packs which the school takes for recycled bags. Each of my daughters also have their own recycled water bottle. We buy recycled paper, folder, and copybooks. We donate ” Seventh generation” wipes for classroom cleaning. We shop at second hand stores for back to school clothing to cut down on the cost and to be GREEN.
We’ll be going green by continuing to use and maintain our garden! We will also use recycle school supplies like pencils and scissors (yes scissors). Pack our own vegetarian lunch and do plenty of walking to and from school.
We have already gone green and plan to go even more . We walk to school or bike. We buy recycled pencil and utensils. We never throw out the old supplies we just keep them for next year. We use reusable lunch bags and pack with organic fruits and vegetables. We are even trying to get others to follow. Show them how easy it is to be green!
Lily Paige is her name,
Going green is her game.
First year at school would be so cool
With this neat Instinctive bag on her back,
We would walk to school
Cause pollution is whack and why drive a car
When you can enjoy a stroll with Dad!
Homegrown and local grown food for lunches. Walking and biking when possible.
We go green by buying only reusable products, purchasing as much as possible from our local farmers market and making fresh homeade snacks and fruits instead of the ever popular prepackage high fructosed sugar snacks at the supermarket! The challenge is trying to get my 10 yr old son to excited enough to participate with out argument!
we aim for 100 recycle and only reusable containers and bags
My daughter will bring reusable containers for her lunch.
And when the weather is nice, we’ll walk to school a bunch!
We’re using our Kids Konserve Food Kozie for sandwiches, our Thermos sippy, and our Snack Taxi pouch and Kinderville Little Bites Storage Jars for snacks. All reusable and PVC and BPA-free!
We have purchased some tree free paper and notebooks (ecopaper.com and ecojot.com). I am also on the lookout for any deals on organic lothing and eco shoes. But the main thing we do is hit thrist stores and consignment shops for gently used clothing.
We will go green by making our own applesauce, from locally grown fruit, and canning it in individual sized jars. My kids love to add berries to it too.
Just green it….greeeeen it
everyone wants being wasteful defeated
showin how green and resourceful you are
going to school by bike instead of car
just green it, green it, green it, green it
~channeling a little michael jackson for that one
I’m new to green, but we just got a recycled backpack and fabric/oil cloth sandwich baggies for Dad’s and little guy’s lunches. Its hard to find good green school supplied where I live any suggestions on crayons?
I will be incorporating reusable sacks for lunch and snacks that are from local farms, dairies, etc.
We were able to donate outgrown uniforms and buy used uniforms at our school uniform co-op.
We are recycling backpacks and messenger bahs by continuing to use those that will be roomy enough for the increase no#of books this coming year or donating them if they are in good shape and are in good shape.
we use re-usable wraps, bento boxes, and bottles. we helped the school use eco friendly cleaners, we gave the school veggies to plant in their garden, and we changed all the hand sanitizer to a more health friendly brand. also, on nice days – we walk home from school
Off to School Green Haiku
Kindergarten Yeah!
Carrots, Toms, Hummus, Bento
Walk, sing… Bye Mom! Hey!
We are doing more online and saving electronic files to save paper.
We are buying used books from others to save trees.
We are packing lunches in reusable containers and not throwing out a lot of waste.
We reduce & recycle & reuse.
As a teacher, I am going to be more consistent in my recycling efforts. Schools go through so much paper, perhaps I can encourage other teacher to be more paper friendly as well. As for my son, I was thinking of making some of those reusable snack and sandwich bags. We switched last year to the Lunchsense bags and it has made a difference in the amount of plastic bags that we use. I would like to eliminate them in lunches all together.
Alhtough he is not quite three
He helps his mommy recycle faithfully
We pack uor recycables in three big bags filled to the top
Locally grown produce is what we shop
We clean house with vinegar, essential oils and lemon
Venturing into our back yard to collect our chicken’s eggs is most fun!
we are growing our own food; free tomatoes, potatoes, and squash. That will be good!
kermit said greens great
follow your heart and you take
greener leap of faith
packing a waste free lunch
rebelling against the school supply list
walking to school or taking the bus
trying to explain to her friends what hummus is
…my daughter is the most environmentally aware 6 year old I know.
though she loves her hand-me-down backpack,
wouldn’t it be a thrill to receive the Trunk Pack!
This school year we are using fabric resealable, washable sandwich and snack bags for our lunches instead of a gazillion zippered plastic ones.
My girls and I are planning on making our book covers.
We grow a lot of our snack food.
We ride our bikes or walk to school.
Improve (verb) : To make or become something better.
[trans.] I am planning to improve myself by expanding the boundaries of my knowledge both academically and physically (,I’m still growing you know!)
plastic bags no more
ziplocks, single size, au revoir
reduce recycle
less lunch waste
I am buying stainless steel water bottles for our lunch boxes
I’m going green by keeping my lunch food at work, so I can make as much as I need without making too much, and it also eliminates the need for any baggie or wrapping.
We are not going to use any plastic bags this year
I intend to purchase back to school products made from recycled materials.
My twins are starting school this year so we are for sure thinking about greening our school experience. We have already ordered two organic lunch bags, non-toxic reusable sandwich and food wraps, stainless steel water bottles and organic cotton clothing. We still hope to get non-toxic back packs, non-toxic markers, pencils, crayons, etc. and pack local grown and organic food as much as possible. We do a lot of recycling and will use some of that to donate to the school for arts and crafts projects. We are always striving to be a greener family, as well as teach and raise our children to be green. They are well aware of why we do it and that it is important for the environment and it’s future preservation. Schools and our school experience can be green too.
This year as my daughter goes back to school,
We’re going green, I ain’t no fool.
We’ll eat organic veggies and drink water too
Wear organic clothing, wear all natural shoes!
The school supplies are all we need
We want only the green ones, to sow that green seed
So I entered this contest, I’ll try try again,
And hopefully bring us home a green win!
bleatham*at*gmail.com
We only use reusable lunch containers, always carry our own water bottles, and buy as much of our food in bulk as possible!
How are you planning to go green this school year?
Bagless lunches,
I have hunches,
that get there by walking,
is better then gawking,
out a car window,
keeping water usage low,
starting a compost,
so that I can boast.
Being Green
is better then being mean!!!
For my first backpack,
I would look so cool,
If I had a cute earthy sack ,
that I could bring to school,
I really love the Panda print,
we saw them at the zoo,
I also love that awesome tint,
My favorite color is blue!
My mom did all the math
and with the shopping spree,
She could stay on her green path
and still get school stuff for me!
We saw Stubby Pencil Studio’s site,
And we knew right a way,
that I could get the tools just right
for me to learn with every day!
This is such a great offer! I had never heard of Stubby Pencil Studio before but after checking them out for this contest I think they are great! I will definitely be ordering school things from them even if we don’t win! Thanks for posting this offer!
We’re going green by reusing backpacks, using recycled notebook paper and pencils, and always packing a lunch in reusable containers and reusable bags.
I will be reusing my son’s school bag even though it’s tempting to get another one.
Oh, school, my green little school…
Recycle, recycle, recycle…
and drive yourself home in a bicycle.
Yeah!
Going green: a haiku
Keeping it simple
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Always natural
Going green in twenty-ten
lunch in glass boxes
Thermos only shun box juice
~ The Green Lunch Haiku
We walk back and forth from school
We reuse and recycle school supplies and clothing
we have our own vegetable garden to help supplement extra fresh,organic food
We shop the local farmers market for our after school snacks and use the local food co-op for our daily meals which means we support our local farmers,butchers and food makers!
We do our best to not waste water and use chemicals while cleaning by using natural cleaners.
Despite all these steps we are still learning and welcoming new ways for us to go green and help the planet by doing so.
We will use reusable lunch containers, bring refillable water bottles, NO plastic bags and we wish school weren’t so far away, or we WOULD walk!
just bought the first ‘school supply’……a stainless steel lunchbox for my kindergarten boy ☺
My goal this year is to get to school by walking or bikinng to school and never taking the car. He is alredy planning his lunches and wants to take an apple on the first day of school from our apple tree.
Veggie Garden
Compost Pile
Fabric Snack & Sammich Baggies.
Mama-made bibs
& Etsy clothing,
also handmade Hair Clippies.
School is closeby,
park is too.
no need to drive.
Preschool; WOO HOO!!!!!!
<3 ♳ <3 ♳ <3 ♳ <3 ♳ <3
I’ll be homeschooling my little one! Well, we will use our resources wisely
1. Use readily available supplies around the house including the internet to teach my child
2. Prepare organic food
3. We’ll be at home alot so less gas usage
4. Minimal amount of money spent on clothes
5. I have fruits and veggies from my garden that I will be canning and freezing, so I’lll be feeding her food grown with love
I’m making lunch & sandwich & snack bags from last years old clothes. Cloth napkins too!
being green is important to us
my little girl will ride the bus
being green is important to us
my little girl will ride the bus!
Not sure if this worked! so if this is a double post sorry!
For my first backpack,
I would look so cool,
If I had a cute earthy sack ,
that I could bring to school,
I really love the Panda print,
we saw them at the zoo,
I also love that awesome tint,
My favorite color is blue!
My mom did all the math
and with the shopping spree,
She could stay on her green path
and still get school stuff for me!
We saw Stubby Pencil Studio’s site,
And we knew right a way,
that I could get the tools just right
for me to learn with every day!
This is such a great offer! I had never heard of Stubby Pencil Studio before but after checking them out for this contest I think they are great! I will definitely be ordering school things from them even if we don’t win! Thanks for posting this offer!
We’ll be green by using a lunch pail, walking to school, and cutting back on paper products!
rafts from recycled materials
always make my girl giggle
Something green this way comes
We’re adding solar panels
And my son will bathe only on Wednesdays
He can bathe every other day at his mom’s
Because we are now divorced
And she has no conscience
How are you planning to go green this school year?
Early to rise this first day of school, short shower to reduce water use
Low-flow showerhead will make you wide eyed & bushy tailed.
Yummy breakfast from local farmers of organic meat, eggs, and dairy
will get you going on your way.
But how do you get there you ask…Walk or bike will save you gas.
Your lunch is packed in reuseable containers everything else gos in the recycling bin.
As you walk home from your first day at school remember this to keep green in everything you do.
i want it for myself but id give it to my younger twin
We have been looking for PVC and recycled (and recyclable) supplies. And of course we will have a waste free lunch!
pack
Use lunch box and we will use train and buss to get to the school.
I want my son to learn how to treasure his stuff. I want him to use pencil till he cant use it any more … so as his school stuff..
A new green school year
through the use of past supplies
could help save the Earth
Back to school it is,
and to go green, i have lots of ideas for this.
Start by using mechanical pencils.
They make for great school utensils.
Follow that with an amazon kindle.
It makes text books tickle my pickle.
Of course you will need a laptop.
For that i will chose the Acer timeline.
It’s attractive, as well as thin and light,
with a battery that will last you day and night.
To get to school don’t forget to use public transportation.
Read a book until I reach my destination.
Also try to buy goods made from recycled materials.
It;s all so simple.
It’s time for a change.
After all, we do live in a new age.
A time to reduce, reuse and recycle,
It isn’t rocket science, much easier than riding a unicycle.
So this year lets all go green,
Help keep the world clean.
My Dad teaches at the greenest school in the UK. His school caters for lots of poor and disadvantaged kids with bad behavioural and learning problems. I want to donate this prize to his school so they can give it to a child who would never have the chance to own something so cool otherwise!
I was really blue
just ask my mom sue
then i decided to reuse, recycle, and reduce,
I can even recycle cartons of juice!
This school year is gonna be fun
i can’t wait to play and run.
Outside is where I love to be
instead of wasting electricity.
I’ve got all my books, pencils, and pens
but it would really help to win this competition!
Everything looks so cute,
I love the eco-friendly loot!
Going Green, going hot!
Just bought the kids some LunchBots.
Now they need a backpack to match
but I don’t have enough cash.
We plan to go green by reusing last years toddler backpack as a lunchbox (it’s insulated), buying metal containers for their food and making bags out of the tons of fabric in the house instead of using plastic bags.
To green up for school
I won’t take the car
I’ll walk when I can
Or bus when it’s far
I’ll carry my lunch
In a woven cloth sack
I’ll bring my own water
Along with some snacks
I’ll use my old crayons
Right down to the ends
And recycle old folders
and reuse my pens
I won’t waste my paper
I’ll use both sides of the page…
There are ways to go green
No matter your age
We’ve been using reusable lunch bags , containers, water bottles to school and will be continuing to do so this year as well. I also send in cloth napkins. We never send in disposable spoons , forks for our daughter and we are continuing that this year as well. We also re use the tons of papers ( in the form of circulars, work sheets etc )that come from schools. Since the other side is blank we use them for artwork, projects, crafts at home. We make notepads out of them sometimes. Kids take active part in this process and they make sure all the papers that come from school go into a box (made out of recycled cardboard box) for future reuse.
less time standing in the shower because “it feels good”.
Going green by not wasting paper ….
We have a victory garden and are going to use as much as we can for lunches & snacks, buying in bulk to cut down on waste, using recyclables for packaging, and walking to school!
This is how we are going green this school year:
Waking up early, to prepare our lunch,
using local, organic, and resuseable stuff
Time to get dressed in the flyest threads,
we get our coolest clothes as secondhands
It’s about that time to hit the door,
so we grab our eco backpack, and our kids konserve
We’ll be walking, biking, or catching the bus….
Can’t be late so we better hurry up!
In the spirit of loving our earth and every other living thing…..sending postive energy!
bring own cup for drinking water & not use the disposable paper cup near water dispenser. reuse unwanted paper for craft
bring own reuseable cup for water, instead of using disposable paper cup
stay away from PVC notebooks ,folders, lunch bags and backpacks,
My wife told me as I took my son supply shopping,
She also said she will be packing organic lunches part from the farm and organic snacks.
No more hand sanitizers off of the shelves,
we buy from local green markets that practice fair trade,
Its USDA organic Ethanol without fragrance that smells.
Stainless steel water bottles filled with filtered water,
organic cotton third party certified comfy etsy clothing,
we teach our kids about the environment , our son and our 2 daughters.
Inhabitots gives us great tips and info,
we follow you on Facebook,
The backpack looks great for our son, and our kids love the crayon rocks from Stubby pencil Studio.
Thank you for this fun opportunity
love,
the Seligmans <3
Using recycled papers, recycled pencils, and “paper to be recycled” to make fun paper projects.
to be green and cool, we will walk to school.
I purchased as many recycled items as possible when fulfilling my daughter’s supply list.
earth friendly we try
no waste lunches and drinks
even dog does it
By packing my kids lunch everyday with resusable containers. I’m really going to try not to use baggies at all… thanks, Maureen
We polan on going green this year for school by essentially re-using all the school supplies from last year. Nothing new we need this year but notebooks and they pretty much spell out which brand you *need* to buy to satisfy their hungry souls. or something like that.
Walking, talking, eco-gawking;
Healthy snacks are all we pack;
We like a lunch that makes a crunch;
Water refill is a skill;
But we don’t drink what comes in pink;
Same lunchbox everyday, brought home after play;
Shoes of blue are almost new;
Saving money for a bunny.
I think school is very cool!
I hope I win, otherwise what shall I put it all in?
I buy green when ever I can, we use Stainless steel water bottles, kids walk or ride bikes to school, and I shopped all summer at garage sales for clothes and backpacks
We plan to walk in good weather and I’d like to use reusable snack bags!
I am finally going to use the reuseable snack bags and sandwhich bags for my daughters lunch. Can you imagine how much plastic one person is going to save?
WOW!
Gardens grow
Children know
Recycling is the way to go!
Wow!!! my kids are excited about this product. As a family, we have strived to raise kids that are GREEN!!! They are aware & conscious green consumers, who now insist on buying recycled pencils and reusing old school bags. “Mom, we don’t need a new bag or lunch-bag. It will just increase trash. We can reuse it and throw it a way only when its torn. Save the earth” said my 7 yr. old when I was out looking for lunch-boxes & new backpacks. Healthy & green is our our mantra!
Very cool! We would love to win this prize.
I promise not to use regular paper,
because it is a big back breaker,
I love using recycled paper,
If she doesn’t use it, I’ll make her!
When people come together for a good cause,
Good things happen just because…
So drop your bad habits and get ready for school;
If you don’t recycle, you are not cool for school!
I signed up for your weekly newsletter!
We’re packing our lunches
With local and organic produce
We’ll have carrots in bunches
And corn syrup-free grape juice
Recylced paper and homemade crayons
From which we’ll craft many art projects
Abject excessive consumerism bygones
Replaced with natural found object prospects
As a family we’re helping create a food coop for our city
Our community’s socially accountable forum
Urban agriculture initiatives and sustainable responsibility
Bringing all efforts home to our school’s curriculum
We will go green by not using Ziplocks as much as possible for lunch-items, using multi-use lunch containers and using both sides of the painting pads except when it’s watercolors and it bleeds through the paper.
Also, by asking my daughter to turn off the faucet when she is brushing her teeth, turning lights off when she leaves a room and not wasting her food.
Goin’ green is our motto
Even if we win the lotto!
Here you have offered such a sweet gift
To ease our pocketbooks, to give us a lift.
We already have a pack for our girl
But, a pack for our boy would rule the world!
He’s just getting going on this thing we call “school”
Supplies for the year would be way too cool.
Homeschool is our “school” and is so right for us
It’s one way to be green…we don’t drive or take the bus.
We go to town once or twice a week
To do our errands and take a peek
Into the lives of our homeschoolin’ kin
Where everyone learns, plays hard and wins!
Our town days are for lessons too
Like violin, piano and other to dos.
For us, being green is nothing new
We walk lightly on the land; it’s just what we do.
We live “off the grid” and all is good
You’ll find us tucked way back in the wood.
Living simply is what we do best
Like the pioneer days…we are put to the test.
Of greening up our entire lives
Being mindful, being wise.
Get the word out! Clean water we need
Take care of our Earth…help plant the seed.
The Planet is our church, the environment our steeple
Let’s all do our part and educate the people!
This school year i will be green, that was yesterday my dream.
I was very very smart, that was of my dream first part.
I recycling all the trash, maybe i can get some cash.
Saving plants is working hard, that was of dream second part.
Going green?
We’re green already – canvas backpacks, cotton clothing, recycled products, and very little plastic.