- Thrive-bynature
Start school sustainably
School has officially started back up in most parts of the world, even if it is kind of a different way (which no one wants to hear about anymore probably). So now most kids are heading to the shops, or the internet to get school supplies. Some, mostly the youngsters under the students, may even be really excited to buy erasers that have the shape of a unicorn or a new pen that is "bedazzled" and leaves traces of glitter all over your paper. And that is all fun and part of school, even if you are a high school senior, barely takin' notes and just getting a few plain ol' notebooks, pens and pads, all for the sheer necessity of it. But lets be honest, the run of the mill school supplies are really not good for the environment and some of you may even be rolling your eyes now and thinking "I can't hear this anymore", "I am not going to be running around to find sustainable choices and spend hours and dollars looking for some extravagant utensils", or "It won't make a difference for the world if I buy it or not." Which I can understand how people might think like that, but let's be honest, some people are just too damn lazy or comfortable in their ways to even make the tiniest changes even if they're easy and someone tells them exactly what to change. So here are some tips that you can apply when doing the dirty deed of BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING:
✅buy pads and notebooks, anything paper out of recycled paper (sometimes they're right next to the regular ones and the pages are not a pure white, but who the hell cares)
✅magic markers and pens out of recycled plastic, biodegradable material or ones that are refillable
✅keep old notebook covers or folders from last year even if they are not perfect, as long as they're not falling apart. they'll hold your papers
✅buy school books or the ones from your dreaded reading list secondhand, there are great second hand bookstores and online platforms that resell used books, and after your done readin' you can give it to a younger sibling who may need it in a few years or resell or donate it, that is sustainable and even profitable
✅don't discount the "little" things you do, you don't have to do it all at once, chip away at it, remind yourself of it and the longer you do it the more natural it will be to do those things and they'll become like flesh and blood
✅if you order things online because sustainable options are not available to you, then try to find a website that "has it all" and where you can order several things in one place, and also make sure that it is a online store that has their warehouse somewhat close to you and doesn't ship to your house in Switzerland from Indonesia --> to make this a little easier I will list some sample online stores for different parts of the world. I cannot list a store explicitly for every country, but if you search a little online you will quickly find some cool shops that offer better choices and after a while you will have your favorites memorized and will automatically know where to go. Also if you search on Instagram and put in the something related like 'eco, sustainable, nature' or so one there will be so many cool profiles with even more to explore on the suggested list and not just for school and office supplies.
Happy shopping!
Europe :
USA:
https://earthhero.com/product-category/home/office-supplies/
https://www.thegreenoffice.com/
Australia:
https://www.buyecogreen.com.au/
approx. 2.47 million trees are cut down every day - you have a choice of what you buy