Another school year, another round of PTA activities...  The following are some easy and effective eco-friendly ideas to make PTA efforts less costly and better for the overall environment.

- Eliminate all paper based communications (only supply paper communications to parents who do not have any internet access.  For the few paper based communications, use only white paper.
- Perform fundraising efforts online (in addition to Scholastic Book Clubs and Target, a number of your local restaurants and community organizations have their own website presence and can easily offer a percent of their sales to schools as part of their overall advertising and marketing efforts).  Great establishments to approach include your local pizza and fast food chain restaurants, local arts/crafts stores, sporting good stores, etc.)
- Organize recycled clothing drives (where the older children can donate their out-growned clothes to younger elementary school children.
- As you approach the end of the school year, organize a school supply donation project where PTA members and teachers collect binders, scissors, rulers and other non-perishable school supplies to be used for next year students.
- When organizing fundraising events such as outdoor festivals, instead of visiting the local dollar stores to buy toys/prizes, visit the local goodwill/thrift shop for such items.
- For all signage, remove any reference to the event date and year so that you can reuse the signage for many more years to come.