Teachers who understand the importance of a healthy classroom can be valuable partners in greening the rest of the school.

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH?
Having little control over the
environmental hazards of a
school building is frustrating,
to say the least, for parents.
All the more reason to fully
embrace what you can con-
trol: lunch. When your child’s
only alternative is heavily
processed, low-quality
cafeteria fare, pack nutritious
goodies in non-vinyl, lead-
free lunch boxes. Thankfully,
most large retailers no
longer sell vinyl lunch boxes
because of the numerous
recalls of lead-tainted vinyl
products last year.
A few stylin’ and safe totes:
*EcoBags recycled cotton
canvas lunch bag ($6;
ecobags.com)
*BuiltNY Munchlers animal-
shaped, lead-free lunch
boxes that fold out into
placemats ($10; builtny.com)
*To-Go Ware stainless steel
food carrier ($15.95;
greenfeet.com)
*For a wide selection of
lead-free kids’ lunch
bags from plain to patterned,
insulated and not, visit
reusablebags.com.

Green the Classroom

Your kid may have the “good” notebooks, but what’s the entire class using for construction paper, crayons, paint, markers and more? Teachers buy many of their own supplies these days, so see if they’re willing to invest in safer, less-toxic versions (if your teacher is on a tight budget, organize a group of parents to chip in). Fortunately, office supply stores now carry a wide array of green products for bulk purchasing, and some may even give

educators a discount. Steer teachers toward low-odor dry erase markers, “no dust” chalk and recycled-content construction paper. (For a shopping list, see our Guide to Greener School Supplies, right.) By starting small—one classroom at a time—moms and dads might just wind up with the teacher-comrade they need to help change the administration’s views on bigger ticket issues like pesticides and cleaners.