Now that the new school season is beginning, I would like parents to advocate for school uniforms.  From an eco-friendly perspective, school uniforms are great!  You have minimal clothing purchases for your children during the school year and there is a lack of clothing peer pressure since everyone is wearing the same uniform.  Also, similar to our local cub scouts organization, you can organize a "hand me down" ceremony at the end of the year for gently used uniforms to be passed on to the next group of youngsters.

A number of public schools have adopted a school uniform policy (which I fully support) and it makes so much sense.  

I am not advocating for school uniforms due to its' effects on academic performance (which so far, there has not been any definitive study that suggests its' impact).  I am advocating for school uniforms because of it's eco-friendly impact and inherent cost savings for families with children.  Imagine saving hundreds of dollars from children clothing purchases and re-investing that towards your children's educational pursuits.

To support exploring school uniform policy at your local elementary school, you can reach out to the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and get a sense of what the active parental leaders support, then with the PTA support, you can propose the policy to the school administration (e.g. principal).  

Parents are preparing to send their kids back to school.  A number of parents stock up on new school supplies for their children before the beginning of the school year.  Instead of having gently used school supplies scattered around the house or collecting dust in the attic, basement or garage, consider donating the gently used school supplies to your children's classroom.  A number of parents are embarrassed to offer used school supplies but the reality is, a number of teachers are more than happy to take the opened box of crayons and partially used erasers off your hands.  

The following is a list of school supplies that are always in demand at schools:
- # 2 pencils
- erasers
- crayons (the status of the box container is irrelevant)
- markers
- clipboards
- binders
- plastic folders
- plain 8.5 x 11 reams of paper
- glue / glue sticks
- paper bags
- staplers
- tape / tape dispenser

Whole Foods has recently launched a free Wellness Club pilot in five locations throughout the United States.  These clubs provide free and/or low cost classes to community residents interested in learning more about healthy eating, healthy exercises (yoga) and other eco-friendly topics.  Wellenss club members receive discounts to Whole Food purchases and other benefits.

Unfortunately, the program is only in a pilot stage with only five locations so far.  To advocate the offering of a wellness club at your local Whole Foods store, you can do one or more of the following:
-speak with the store manager and tell him or her that you want the store to offer a wellness program
-develop a list of interested individuals (think family and friends) who would be interested in participating in such a program and forward that list to the local Whole Foods store manager
-Contact Whole Foods headquarters via email directly by visiting the following link: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/customer-service

Did you know that the average household daily postal mail consists of up to 75% of unsolicited direct mail offers?  Even though you may promptly recycle these mailers, they cause a lot of unnecessary environmental waste.  You can either contact each of the catalog companies individually and request that they stop sending you the ongoing solicitation or you can visit the Federal Trade Commission website at www.ftc.gov which shows you a couple of phone numbers to call to get your mailing address off these lists.

By connecting these companies via the numbers on the www.ftc.gov, you will reduce your mail by up to 75%!  No more having unnecessary direct mail catalogs lying around and credit card offers that may increase the likelihood of identity theft.  

I recently visited my local Lowe's Home Improvement store and found out that they now offer a great recycling program which includes recycling compact fluorescent light bulbs, rechargeable batteries and plastic bags.  

In addition to partnering with manufacturing companies in offering eco-friendly products, Lowe's is also revamping their customer service checkout process.  Similar to a number of other stores (such as Barnes and Noble), when you checkout of the checkout line, the cashier usually asks whether you need a bag.  Yes, a simple question of whether you need a bag enables customers to refuse the plastic bag and simply push their bought items (in the shopping cart) and load it directly into their cars.  

For more information about their sustainability efforts, please visit www.lowes.com.   

I am advocating that Lowe's and other home improvement stores start accepting used leftover renovation items (e.g. old tiles, toilets, carpets, etc.) on behalf of contractors who renovate homes instead of having all of these items going to landfills.  Similar to car battery exchange programs and gas grill exchange programs, Lowe's should consider offering durable goods items exchange program so that they can ship the used items back to manufacturers for recycling.  

Eco-friendly items to always keep in the trunk of your car
How many times have you drove up to the supermarket parking lot and remembered that you “forgot” to bring your recycled shopping bags?  The following is a list of “must pack” items that you should always keep in your trunk of your car before you leave your driveway.
1)    Recycled Shopping Bags – great for supermarket shopping and clothing shopping as well.  Refuse to take that GAP, OLD NAVY , ANN TAYLOR LOFT or other brand name shopping bag, instead use your own.  

2)    Empty and Cleaned Pyrex Storage Containers – bring these containers with you the next time you go to a restaurant and refuse to take the non-eco-friendly plastic doggie bag/container home.  Instead, use your own container.

3)    Filled Water Bottles – Stop making impulsive drink purchases by having a filled water bottle in your car before you start your trip.  You will save money and the environment.

4)    Clothing Hangers – Always have some clothing hangers ready in your car trunk so you can bring them to your dry cleaners and have your newly dry cleaned clothes hanging from your own hangers (don’t take those metal hangers with you).

5)    Loose Change/Coins Container – Always have a loose change/coins container in your car and make sure you use them for small purchases.  The average American loses over $50 a year in loose change by misplacement or dropping the change in transit to their destination.

6)    Notepad/Pen – Use the notepad/pen to track purchases (e.g. gas and other small purchases). You can avoid printing unnecessary receipts and de clutter your car.  The next time you are given an option, decline having a gasoline receipt and jolt down the amount you paid in your notepad instead.

7)    Colored Pencils/Notepad – Have a set of colored pencils and notepad handy for each of your children stored in the car, encourage them to entertain themselves by drawing pictures or planning the next family trip.  This enables you to avoid “throwaway” toys and impulsive purchases at supermarkets or grocery lines.

8)  Extra change of clothes and jacket - For seasoned parents, this suggestion is a no-brainer.  Kids make a mess and tend to get their clothes dirty so have a spare set of clothes for each child so you don't have to worry about impulsive clothing purchases if the weather suddenly changes on you.

Instead of paying for costly services, you can consider exchanging services or engaging in a barter system.  For example,  when you want tax advice you can obtain some free advice from a friend who is an accountant and in exchange for his or her advice, you can offer your services (e.g. lawn mowing, hair styling/cutting, etc.).  There are a number of online barter systems that award points among different individuals in local areas that are interested in such exchanges.  If you are wary of entering such a system, you can always find out whether there is any local interest by posting information at your local library.