Kids aren't the only ones who may be experiencing the back-to-school blues right now. Parents, after all, are the ones who must finance most if not all of the clothing, footwear, school supplies and electronics on students' lengthy shopping lists.
The Center for a New American Dream (CNAD) --- a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness of the hidden costs of uninformed and excessive consumption --- is urging us to be "conscientious consumers in the midst of this retail hey-day," concerned with protecting the environment, enhancing quality of life and promoting social justice.
Here are some tips on how to go about this. If your family's back-to-school shopping blitz is already done, keep these in mind for future needs:
---Help each child to take inventory of what she has, then develop a shopping list of essentials. Distinguish between needs and wants.
---Re-use whatever you can, cleaning and repairing as necessary.
---Donate no longer needed items to a charity that can reuse or recycle them.
---Set a budget. Provide younger children with choices to help them learn about managing money. Consider buying older kids essential school supplies and giving them a fixed amount of money to cover everything else. If they want something expensive, they can make trade-offs or contribute their own cash.
---Don't buy things your kids don't need. Or, set only a small allowance for non-essentials.
---Discourage purchasing trendier items --- such as torn clothing or backpacks adorned with faux fur --- your kids won't want to use for long.
---Buy quality products and instruct your kids on their proper care.
The CNAD's suggestions for selecting school supplies include:
---Buy paper products with the highest possible percentage of post-consumer waste (PWC).
---Buy locally manufactured goods; avoid excess packaging.
---Avoid products --- such as pencil cases, binders and backpacks --- containing toxic polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
---Buy energy efficient products, from light bulbs to computers. Visit www.shopbacktoschool.org for a buying guide, online merchant links and tips for getting retailers and school administrators to "make better choices when they stock and buy supplies."
When it comes to supplying food for the school day, rise to the challenge of preparing "litterless" lunches and snacks, with reusable boxes or bags, reusable food storage and drink containers, stainless steel cutlery (buy extras at a thrift store) and perhaps even cloth napkins. Purchase larger sizes of foods such as yogurt, applesauce, cheese, crackers and juice to portion into containers. (Bonus: This costs less than enticingly convenient single-serving meals, snacks and beverages.) Use locally grown produce whenever possible.
If time is a concern, have your kids help prepare their lunch in the evening. They can also be responsible for emptying their lunch bag after school and washing containers.
Instruct your kids to bring home anything recyclable (be sure they know what falls into this category) that can't be deposited at school. Encourage the school to initiate a recycling program if they don't yet have one, advocate for a composting program for organic lunch waste or suggest a litterless lunch campaign.
With clothing, buy pre-owned items as much as possible. This resource-conserving --- and budget-friendly --- practice works well for younger kids. Second-hand sources include thrift stores, consignment shops, yard sales and parent-to-parent sales.
When buying new, among other things the CNAD recommends seeking out sweatshop-free clothing --- that is, garments made in factories where workers are not "subject to extreme exploitation, including the absence of a living wage or long work hours; poor working conditions, such as health and safety hazards; arbitrary discipline, such as verbal or physical abuse; or fear and intimidation when they speak out, organize, or attempt to form a union" (Sweatshop Watch).
You probably won't find any at your local mall, however. In order for that to happen "there will need to be increased pressure on apparel industry giants to eliminate sweatshop abuses throughout their global supply chains" (Maquila Solidarity Network). Check out www.sweatshops.org or www.behindthelabel.org to learn how to help.
Given that back-to-school season is one of the biggest retail seasons of the year, there's no better time to start putting our money where our values are. Sometimes that means paying more for eco-friendly or fairly manufactured goods.
Availability is another obstacle. We need to let retailers know that demand exists, by asking them to stock --- and prominently display --- green and "no sweat" products.
As the CNAD states, "When you choose green, fair trade, sweatshop-free, you send a message: This is the world you want to live in."
It's a world God is calling all of us to help create. Lisa M. Petsche is a mother of three, social worker and freelance journalist with a special interest in environmental and social justice issues. |