Teachers work all day nearly every day of the year to teach and take care of our children. They deserve our thanks! This year, why don’t you show your educator your appreciation while showing love to mother nature.
Schools are starting to become more conscious about protecting our environment and moving toward more sustainable choices, and getting children involved is key. Eco-friendly gifts are a great way to continue the lessons of reduce, reuse and recycle.
Bring Nature Inside:
Find out what plant or flowers your teacher loves, and bring him or her a plant instead of cut flowers. It is the gift that will give all year round. According to the Environmental Protection Agency many plants clean the indoor air from toxic chemicals, which is a gift to everyone. To make the gift even less toxic look for organic plants or buy seeds and plant in organic soil to avoid pesticides.
A Less Toxic Start To His/Her Day:
Most educators have no idea their favorite lotions and bath products contain chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption and more. Give your teacher the gift of a new, less toxic favorite regime to start their day. Check out www.cosmeticsdatabase.com for non-toxic options
Bring Back The Apple:
Most teachers would find it endearing to get an apple as children did in the past. Attach a hand-written note of appreciation. Simple handwritten notes are often forgotten but will touch your teacher’s heart. And to be even more eco-friendly, bring an organic apple! To learn about foods with the highest pesticides check out www.ewg.org/foodnews
A Safer Daily Drink:
Many reusable coffee mugs, water bottles and other drink containers contain BPA or other chemicals linked to health issues, and throw away containers are eco UN friendly. Give your educator and our Earth a break by giving a glass, stainless steel or safer plastic container for his or her daily drink. Avoid plastic numbers #1, #3, #6 and #7.
Reuse Your Lunch:
Lunch waste is a huge burden on our environment, both in trash and the use of plastics. Instead of using plastic bags and other wasteful products, why not give your teacher a reusable lunch container? There are great new products made of stainless steel or polypropylene that will save your teacher money too.
Thinking about the environment can be fun and easy in all aspects of school. Even giving gifts to each other and teachers. Challenge the children in your school to come up with ideas about how they can give a gift to Mother Earth while they are giving back to the wonderful educators at their school.
Sustainability shouldn’t begin and end with a blue bin in the corner of a room, it can be a lifestyle for our future….and theirs!
President and CEO
Organic Baby University
