If you are getting ready for heading back to school for yourself or for your kids, chances are you will be stocking up on supplies or refreshing your wardrobe. Education is about planning for the future, so it is more important than ever to think about how your choices affect the planet. With a bit of planning, you can make greener choices this year.

Back to school shopping is big business in Canada. Aside from Christmas, this is the highest revenue period for the retail industry. Each year, Manitoba families plan to spend almost $300 each on school supplies. Between July and September, Canadians spend almost a billion dollars on school related supplies like stationery and office supplies, and over half a billion on children's clothes. How families spend their back to school budgets can have a big impact on the environment.

Here are some tips to make your trip back to school softer on the environment:

1)  Look for low toxic materials-

Many of the products made for children contain dangerous and chemicals. Although BPA has been banned from baby bottles, it is still found in countless products including canned food and lined water bottled. Vinyl PVC is used in everything from backpacks and binders to lunchboxes and plastic sandwich wrap. PVC can harm your children and is toxic to the communities where it is produced and ultimately disposed. Instead choose non-plastic, sustainably harvested materials including organic cotton, recycled paper, and uncoated metal for things like paperclips or lunch boxes.

2)  Consider used items

Thrift shops and used clothing stores offer many good quality articles and supplies, often at a fraction of the cost of new clothing stores. By giving these items a second home, you reduce the amount that goes to landfills and can save money at the same time. Also many items made from synthetic chemicals like vinyl will emit dangerous gases called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) for months after they are produced. By buying second hand, you can substantially reduce your exposure to VOCs.

3)  Sustainably produced products-

Look for products that are made from recycled content. Where possible choose 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper since it uses over 40% less energy to make and doesn't add to clear cuts or destroy forests. If you are going to use non-recycled wood products, be sure they are FSC certified to ensure that they were harvested sustainably.

4)  Eat local and sustainably-

Plan to make your school lunches litter less by using recycled containers and no individual wrapping. Choose locally produced, organic food where possible. Pack fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables instead of highly processed foods that contain genetically engineered or synthetic chemical ingredients.

5)  Plan to walk or cycle to school -

Walk or cycle to school instead of driving. Healthier kids are ready to learn. Fewer cars on the road means less idling in front of the school and fewer toxic fumes for kids to breathe in. Children growing up today will have to live with climate change. Reducing greenhouse gases will make everyone's future more secure.

6)  Beware of greenwashing-

Increasingly, companies use environmental claims to promote their products, while covering up their environmental or social impacts. Look out for labels that use confusing, or unwarranted claims, or logos that imply they are environmentally friendly without any certification or information to back up their claims. Ask questions from your retailer if you are uncertain how a product is produced or where it comes from.

7)  Reduce your back to school consumption-

These days the list of school supplies ranges well beyond the traditional pens, pencils, erasers and paper, though these items are still needed in most cases. Many families will be looking for calculators, washable and permanent markers, flash drives, DVD drives, laptops, and more. Consumption for kids is driven even faster by a marketing push that includes characters from their favourite TV shows and movies. Resisting this pressure can be difficult, but it can also provide an opportunity to teach your kids a valuable lesson: increased stuff is rarely associated with greater happiness. That is a lesson we should all remember.

Reducing your ecological footprint doesn't have to mean going without. You and your family can live green while living well. As you or your family get ready for school, think about your health and the health of the planet. Make choices we can all live with.

Some other resources:

Take National Geographic's Green Guide School Quiz to test your knowledge of what is takes to get green as you head back to school this year.

Tips for avoiding PVC in your school supplies from the Center for Health, Environment & Justice.

Living Green, Living Well guide to Litterless Lunches.

Statistics Canada, Back to school... by the numbers (including data on back to school shopping).

Resource Conservation Manitoba's Active and Safe Routes to School program helps kids with planning walking or cycling school buses, and choosing healthier school travel plans.

Ideas for green school supplies including calculators, pens and binders.