The greenest way to go back to school may be to not do the whole "back-to-school" thing at all.
Bombarded with marketing campaigns from clothing and school supply retailers, students and parents are encouraged to hit the aisles and open up their wallets for the start of the school season.
But experts say the most environmentally-friendly way to get ready for a return to the classrooms is to do as little shopping as possible.
"There's a notion that when we go back to school everything has to be new," says Keith Treffry, a spokesperson for Earth Day Canada.
"That's really a disservice to our children, and creating a challenge to having a green system."
"We talk about the three Rs, the focus should be on reduce and reuse."
He says students and parents should look at what they need for school compared to what they want.
Chances are, many students may already have most of the things they need around the house.
"We don't always have to have the newest (items)," says Treffry, adding that students can reuse binders and pencil cases from previous years, or fix broken items (like zippers on knapsacks).
Refillable pens and pencils with recycled content also help students to stay green.
Treffry says students and their parents should look to buy environmentally-friendly supplies, but be aware of how "green" they actually are.
With companies battling to sell the most environmentally-friendly products and few rules and regulations to help consumers decide what is legitimately green and what is not, shoppers may have a tough time making informed decisions.
"The ability of the consumer to make an informed decision is very low, it's a challenging environment," says Treffry.
Cash-strapped college and university students are also encouraged to buy used textbooks. Not only will it save paper, but students can save some money for other aspects of their educational life.
Parents who pack lunches - or students who take care of their own meals - can spare the environment for the entire school year by using reusable containers for their lunches.
Treffry says a little bit of planning can help reduce a whole lot of trash just by using reusable containers for everything from snacks to beverages.
"Lunches are the most overlooked thing to be green," he says.
"The amount of garbage produced by throw-away packaging for lunches is incredible."
The Recycling Council of Ontario found an average student's lunch generated about 30 kilograms of waste per school year. Using reusable containers is not just a way to save the environment but it's healthier for kids too, says Hugh McDonald of Canadian Thermos Products.
McDonald says Thermos products are made of anti-bacterial materials and can better control food temperature than conventional - and disposable - packaging.
While cleaning and preparing meals for students in reusable containers can take a little more time in someone's daily routine, it's something that is worthwhile.
Students should also avoid using one of the worst trash bin offenders - plastic water bottles. McDonald recommends using durable refillable bottles that are lightweight and can be used over and over again.
He also says that while parents have had concerns about biphenyl-A (BPA) in plastic containers, none of Thermos products contain the chemical.
Meanwhile, students are also going green through projects in their schools. The Toronto District School Board, for example, has the Eco Schools certification program.
Schools are audited and awarded bronze, silver, gold or platinum certification through the program - depending on how green they get.
In the past three years, the program has grown from 13 to 311 schools as more and more students shift to environmentally-friendly practices, says Richard Christie, TDSB co-ordinator for ecological literacy and sustainable development.
To succeed in the program, students need to reduce waste and energy consumption; practice ecological literacy in the classroom; maintain green space and show environmental leadership and teamwork - among other things.
When it comes to technology, families can also look at recycling. Old computers can be donated to charities or "handed up" to parents, who - according to a recent study - are using outdated technology.
An Angus Reid-Intel survey found 45 per cent of students handed up older technology to their parents when they got something newer. They passed on devices such as desktops, laptops and MP3 players to the older generation in their household.
Intel Canada manager Doug Cooper says the "handing up" practice is also a good way to recycle technology that could otherwise end up in the dumps.
While tech gadgets used to have an average lifespan of two to three years, it's been stretched to about four years with this new trend.
"In the end, it's productive for both [parents and teens]," says Cooper.
- With files from Mary Gazze
