From an early age, children can roll up their sleeves and get involved in helping reduce the amount of trash they produce by participating in recycling programs. Across the country, children will celebrate Earth Day April 22 with science fairs and environmental educational seminars about the importance of recycling. When children start recycling early in life, they’re more likely to continue that behavior as they get older – and pass the practice on to their own kids.

Recycling is a growing program in households, cities and schools across the country. In fact, Americans recycled 82 million tons of materials in 2009 – the most recent year for reported data, and that number keeps increasing, according to Keep America Beautiful.

School programs are a great way to not only promote recycling in younger generations, but also to create a fundraiser for the schools. This year, as Earth Day approaches April 22, schools can organize aluminum can drives and participate in cash-for-schools programs based on recycling lunch packaging. One such program is The Recycle…Reuse…Replenish Earth Day Campaign which encourages school children to recycle their Entenmann’s Little Bites Pouches with TerraCycle, resulting in cash back to the school.

In addition, here are some more recycling, reusing and replenishing tips, perfect for school children to promote every lunch day at the school.

Recycle:

• Know your numbers – Teach your children to look for numbers and recycling symbols on plastic containers to know which containers can be reused through a recycling program.

• Sign up for cash back programs – Sign up your school for the TerraCycle program – if it’s not already registered – and have your children recycle their Little Bites pouches each lunch hour. Visit www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades.html to find a listing of other lunch items TerraCycle collects.

Reuse:

• Keep the container – Send your children to school with their daily sandwich packaged in a reusable container they can bring home and use again the next day. Let them decorate the container to make it a personal item to show off at lunch.

• Craft material supplies – Before throwing anything away, teach your children to think about how the material might be reused in a crafting project. TerraCycle provides several do-it-yourself project ideas at www.terracycle.com/en-US/do-it-yourself-projects.html.

Replenish:

• Have leftovers? – Set up a compost pile at home, and give your children a lesson in biodegradable foods. Ask them to bring leftovers that are biodegradable home in their sandwich container to add to the compost pile.

• Grow new lunch materials – Give your children a small garden to plant and tend that contains their favorite vegetables. Show them how beneficial their lunch compost is for growing those plants they can eat at future lunches.

Entenmann’s will be giving away weekly prizes, including Little Bites coupons home improvement gift cards for starting an Earth Day garden, and a $5,000 cash grand prize through a sweepstakes link at www.facebook.com/Entenmanns. Register your school now for a chance to win the prize and build a beautiful Earth Day garden.

Help teach your children the importance of the three R’s: recycle, reuse and replenish. The earlier they start, the more likely they’ll be to participate the rest of their lives.

*BPT

The post School lunches are gold mines for recycling, reusing and replenishing appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Whether stopping in for a daily to-go cup of coffee or running your weekly grocery store trip, you likely have many purchases throughout the day.

With Earth Day right around the corner, it’s a great time to reflect on your own personal impact on the environment and the world around you. Because so many consumer habits can have a negative effect on the planet, it’s important to take steps to reduce this trend.

“There are many ways to support the green movement,” said Hillary Femal, vice president of marketing for IFCO, the world’s leading producer of eco-friendly Reusable Produce Containers. “But the easiest way is to become an educated consumer.”

BE A GREEN CONSUMER

As a sustainable shopper, you can do your part to cut down on the amount of waste filling landfills and other environmental dangers. Here are a few steps you can implement in your own daily routine or whenever you’re out shopping:

• Know Your Grocer: Many companies and grocers are taking steps to provide greener solutions for the display of their products, such as produce. Recycling cardboard boxes used to display produce is good, but according to the EPA, reuse is better. That’s why many grocers use Reusable Produce Containers (RPCs). Grocers can use and reuse these containers to ship, store and display fresh produce – all in an environmentally friendly way that reduces waste.

• Understand Your Brands: Educate yourself on whether your favorite brands and fresh produce growers support green initiatives. Village Farms is a greenhouse grower of fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers that focuses on green agricultural practices from the farmer to your plate. Village Farms and many other growers choose to use RPCs to pack fresh fruits and vegetables safely from their fields. From there they ship the RPCs to major retailers across the country and the containers keep the produce safe and fresh throughout the journey.

• Choose to Reuse: Keep in mind that recycling is a start, but reuse is smart. You can choose to reuse by choosing products with eco-friendly or reusable packaging and shopping at retailers displaying their fresh produce in RPCs. This packaging is not only good for the fruits and veggies you love, but it’s also great for you and the planet.

• Support Grocers that Reduce Waste: Some specialty food stores may be well known for their green standards, but many major food retailers are also making green choices. Many choose to provide produce brands, such as Village Farms, who recognize the importance of reducing waste when shipping their products and choose RPCs to reduce waste, energy and greenhouse gas emissions. These stores are also able to display the produce directly in their containers, getting even more use out of them and showing their commitment to environmental conservation.

• Bag it Up: According to the EPA, thousands of plastic and paper shopping bags are thrown away every year. Help cut down on this extra waste by using reusable cloth bags for your purchases. Keep them with you in your car, so they’re always handy for shopping trips to the grocery store, drug store or anywhere else you frequently shop.

So, the next time you’re spending the green in your wallet, think about how to make green choices with the products you buy. Visit www.choosereuse.org to learn about Reusable Produce Containers and support and share the cause with your friends by following Choose to Reuse on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

*Family Features 

*Photo courtesy of Getty Images

The post Make Every Day Earth Day appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.