By thredUP.com‘s Chief Mom, Carly Fauth 
I can’t believe another summer has just flown by! It’s that time of year for parents to pack away the beach towels and bathing suits and pull out the lunch boxes, notebooks, pens and pencils. Unfortunately back-to-school time is all about “new, new, new” and “buy, buy, buy.” This mentality can put a significant amount of stress on our wallets & our planet. I just read that the NRF estimates that we’ll spend $600 on back-to-school gear PER CHILD! 1/3 of all garbage in landfills is packaging (think of all the back-to-school gear packaging you toss in the trash each year…) Having to say goodbye to summer can be depressing enough without the added stress of over consumption and waste. This year, the team at thredUP.com (a new kids clothing swap site) encourages you to make a few changes to save yourself a few bucks & do good by mother earth. Here are some tips to get you started. I guarantee they will help you go green while saving green – sounds like a no brainer, right? Check it out:
- Purchase reusable lunch boxes and sandwich containers.
- Look for school supplies that are made from recycled materials.
- Dig out and decorate last year’s binders, notebooks and pencil boxes!
- Use thredUP to swap your kids clothing instead of buying new! **
- Avoid individually packaged school supplies
- Purchase a reusable drink container to avoid using wasteful juice boxes.
Good luck and hope this school year is great for everyone!
**Visit thredUP and use the code BabyBites to get 20% off your first swap (now through September).
