Back-to-School Checklist

PAPER

One hundred million tons of paper are used in the United States each year, making up 40 percent of our municipal solid waste stream. The paper industry is the third-largest energy consumer in the nation and one of the largest water polluters in the world. Before you buy paper, look for "PCF" on the label, which means the paper has been processed chlorine-free, and pick the product with the highest percentage of postconsumer recycled content. Staples carries postconsumer, chlorine-free copy paper and college-ruled filler paper. Visit treecycle.com for a wide variety of PCF and recycled paper products, including spiral notebooks.

WRITING IMPLEMENTS

Pens and pencils now come in many sustainable varieties, including Forest Stewardship Council-certified pencils made out of wood from well-managed forests, and refillable pens and highlighters made from recycled materials. Try pentel.com for pens, mechanical pencils and highlighters made from at least 50 percent postconsumer recycled plastic, and greenearthofficesupply.com for refillable ballpoint pens made from 50 percent postconsumer rubber tires and 10 percent preconsumer recycled plastic.

STUFF HOLDERS

Whatever it is meant to hold, make sure you don't buy anything made of PVC vinyl, which can contain lead, a neurotoxin that causes learning deficits in high doses. Also avoid phthalate plasticizers, suspected of raising the risk of developmental harm and liver cancer. Look instead for products made out of durable recycled materials and chemically inert materials, such as stainless steel.

BINDERS AND FOLDERS

Check out www.greenhome.com for three-ring binders made from 100-percent recycled corrugated material and www.sustainablegroup.net for two-pocket folders made from 100 percent recycled fibers.

LUNCH BOXES AND FOOD CONTAINERS

According to the New York State Department of Conservation, parents who pack a child's lunch in disposable bags or containers generate 45 to 90 pounds of garbage every year. That makes roughly 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school. Help lighten that load with reusable lunch bags and food storage containers. Avoid soft vinyl lunch carriers and products made with PVC, which can leach hormone-disrupting bisphenol A. The ECOlunchbox  kit comes with a machine-washable cotton drawstring bag, three matching napkins, a two-tier stainless steel food container, and a bamboo spork. If you use plastic sandwich bags, have your child bring them home to be washed and reused, and avoid sending him off with a prepackaged single serving of juice or water. Refill a reusable stainless steel Thermos instead.

BOOK BAGS AND BACKPACKS

Children's backpacks are commonly made with vinyl, which can release harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air around your child. Look for backpacks made from hemp, organic cotton or recycled materials, including rubber and plastic bags. Try rawganique.com for backpacks made with certified-organic European hemp.

ARTS AND CRAFTS

Conventional art supplies can contain harmful ingredients, like headache-triggering xylene in markers and high-VOC solvents in glues. Outfit your budding artist with safer supplies, like Elmer's Washable School Glue and AusPen Dry Erase Markers (www.ecosmartworld.com). Look for crayons made from soybean wax, like Prang Soybean Crayons (www.staples.com), instead of petroleum-based paraffin wax.