It’s August. In just a few short weeks, summer will be over and kids will be going back to school. This means shopping for school supplies. Follow these tips to help save money and teach green habits to the kids.

Sort through the backpacks that are still full from the end of last year for keepsakes, recyclables, and “free” supplies

Put the keepsakes in a place that is safe from moisture so they can be preserved in their original condition.

Sift through the recyclables and pull out anything that can be reused as scratch paper and donate it to the school or use it at home. Recycle the rest.

The reusables would be considered old school supplies that can be saved for future use. This includes (but is not limited to) folders, pens, crayons, paper, notebooks, hand sanitizer, highlighters, rulers, erasers, pencils and so on. When the next year’s supply list is available, have the kids help you sort through this pile and pick out what can be reused for the upcoming school year. This saves you money by shortening the current year’s supply list and helps teach your kids sustainability.

And they want the new backpack although the one they have is perfectly fine…

Get a group of kids together and have them each bring a backpack that is in good, usable condition. See if they’d like to trade for a month or possibly the entire school year. Give it a cool name like Backpack Swap or Backpack Depot and to make it fun for them.

Visit local thrift stores to see if there are any washable backpacks in good condition. Chances are they will find one that is a fraction of the cost of the designer brands.

Now it is your turn. We want to hear from you. What tips do you have to share for saving money on school supplies? Do you get your kids involved in eco-friendly activities? Are you a sustainability rockstar?  Connect with us via Twitter, find us on Facebook or call us at 314-732-0194.

Recycling is in!!! Today the recycling movement is considered “hip” and “trendy” by just about everyone in the know. Although true, recycling has become a huge economical resource that has led to the creation of an industry that employs over 1.1 million in the United States alone and has seen steady growth for the better part of three decades.

Here are 3 facts about recycling and how it has positively affected the economy:

1. Recycling has become a booming business that has continued to create jobs in a stagnant economy. On average, recycling based paper mills and plastic manufacturers employ more than 60 times the number of works landfills do. It has become its own multi-billion dollar industry capable of creating jobs during tough economic times.

2. Since 1967 it has seen 8.3% annual job growth and 12.7% annual growth in sales according to a 2002 study by the Institute for Sustainability and Self-Reliance.

3. In 2010, Recycling was a 236 billion dollar per year industry in the United States alone. It was estimated that there were 56,000 companies nationwide, employing over 1.1 million workers. As our country continues to try to become more sustainable in its practices, recycling will grow to become an ever present part of our daily lives.

Three Prime examples of how WR is sustainable:

1. We print our invoices on paper that contains recycled materials.

2. We donate our usable scratch/recycled paper to local schools.

3. Our office places emphasis on recycling all unnecessary or old papers and documents and buys its paper from the same place that does our recycling.

We want to hear from you. Does your company recycle? Do you have a green job? Are you a sustainability rockstar? Would you like to find out more about what you can do to contribute to this global movement? Connect with us via Twitter, find us on Facebook or call us at 314-732-0194.

You may also like:

Recycling Facts from Recycling Revolution

10 Great Reasons to Recycle