BACK-TO-SCHOOL: GO GREEN & STAY STYLISH

Tastybaby knows how important it is for your kids to have "cool" back-to-school supplies but you don't have to kill the environment to do so! Here we've compiled a list of fun and stylish, eco-friendly back-to-school items from solar-powered backpacks to soy crayons. We're sure there's something on this list for all your back-to-school needs.

Also, check out a great site where kids can connect with like-minded folks from around the world: I Buy Different. Getting your tiny people involved, and seeing that other kids are really getting into cloth lunch boxes, recycling and even “vintage” (read: used) gear is an excellent motivator.

Backpacks

Steer clear of PVC bags and backpacks. Plyvinyl chloride, or vinyl, is chock full of toxinss and chemicals made from artificial compounds. It is also comprised of dioxins, a leading cancer-causing agent according to the EPA. Soft vinyl often has di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, an additive identified by the U.S. National Toxicology Program as a carcinogenic compound. Choose totes, bags, and backpacks made with organic hemp and cotton blends, as well as recycled rubber. Green Earth Office Supply offers a great selection of attractive and simple designs.  Here are our favorite picks for eco-friendly backpacks and bags.

Fleurville Khaki Camo PVC-free™ Kids Messenger Bag – The Kid’s Messenger is Fleurville’s latest product for the back-to-school crowd. This messenger bag, designed for 5 – 10 year olds has backpack straps that can stow away when not in use and comes with a removable insulated lunch bag!  Like all Fleurville products, the Kid’s Messenger is PVC-free, Teflon-free, and lead free

Earth Paks – These super cool and high-quality backpacks are made from 98% recycled materials, including recycled soda bottles. They offer brightly colored fashionable backpacks are not only stylish and eye-catching but they are fully functional and great for the environment.

Hemp-Sisters - These cute multi-colored backpacks by Hemp Sisters are bringing back hemp's good name -- they're lightweight and durable, made of natural fibers and hand-crafted by fair trade women's co-operatives in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Lunchtime

The idea of lunch brought to and from school in a paper or plastic bag seems so '80s, but the use of an actual lunch box or reusable sack (although they've been around for years too) is back in style, and choices in material, colors and sizes make your eco-friendly options all the easier.

Save a few trees by using cloth napkins and do your part by lessening landfill waste with reusable utensils. Both can be ported back home the same way they found their way to school — within a lunch box or reusable sack. Steer clear of prepackaged foods, juice boxes and pouches, which create even more unnecessary hardship on our precious land. And finally, pack your food and drink in reusable containers. Just think of all the money you'd save per child per school year if you packed just two snacks and a drink in reusable containers.

EcoBags – This companies lunch bags are reusable and washer-machine friendly. They offer an assortment of recycled, organic, canvas and cotton lunch sacks that are a great alternative to vinyl lunch bags. If you want to “dump the frump” they have some adorable and brightly colored lunch packs for kids. We personally love the Cool Totes Frog Print (also available in Cats too!)

Sigg – Ditch those toxic plastic water bottles and go with an environmentally responsible alternative. Like all SIGG bottles, the Kids bottles are tested to be 100-percent safe with NO leaching. These Kids bottles are durable, leak-proof, and suitable for all beverages juices, energy drinks and more. SIGG Kids bottles are non-toxic and dishwasher safe. With so many styles to choose from, staying hydrated has never been so much fun!

Wrap-n-Mat – Reduce the amount of junk in your kids' lunchbox, with this great re-usable alternative to plastic bags. Wrap-n-mats are designed to fold up neatly around sandwiches and close securely -- which, as any kid who has ever suffered the indignity of a sloppy sandwich spill can testify, is important. Plus, the mats are machine-washable, and unfold to create a clean, compact eating surface wherever you need one... like in the cafeteria. Do those tables really get wiped down between lunch periods? On second thought, maybe you don't want to know.

School Supplies

Avoid the white paper phenomenon. While stark white paper may be needed for special projects, you can still get away with switching to recycled paper and even tree-free versions that don't make use of chlorine or other chemicals. Try picking up a stack of Dolphin Blue paper that's made from hemp, denim, and kneaf fibers instead. TreeCycle is another company that offers a wide range of paper products. Go green with scissors and paperclips. Keep your eyes peeled for desk supplies that bare a 'post-consumer plastic' logo for scissors, rulers, and other school tools. Office Depot carries some earth-frinedly brand such as Nature Saver for recycled paperclips (the box is made from recycled materials too!)  Here are our favorite picks for eco-friendly school supplies.

Bazura Shop - This bright, beautiful, one-of-a-kind pencil case was produced by Bazura Shop, a women's co-operative in the Phillippines that fashions nifty bags and totes from recycled and re-used materials -- in this case, recycled foil juice packs collected through networking with kids in local schools. The juice packs could have ended up wasting away in landfills for thousands of years; instead, they've been cleverly refashioned to create a super-cool pencil bag, destined to spend its days in another kind of dumping ground: Your child's school bag. What goes around comes around.

GreenLine - Some people won’t even wear the same pair of jeans twice. Fortunately, there's GreenLine desk supplies to help make up for their excess. Their pencils and rulers are made from recycled denim and old money (why are we so tempted to call them "Paris pencils"?). GreenLine also reuses shipping cartons, and does not use plastics or foam packaging.

Green Home – This company offers a veritable platter of environmentally friendly products. When it comes to supplying your needs for any back to school project, we personally like their recycled construction paper which comes in every color under the sun (spectrum). This heavyweight, acid-free construction paper, made by Riverside, is 90% recycled with 10% post consumer content. Get your scissors and glue out and have a ball!

Frog File – Crayons for your kids or the kid in you! Prang soybean crayons are made from soybean oil. They are brighter, lipstick smooth, and flake less than ordinary wax crayons. Blend them together for an even more extensive color palette! These patented soybean crayons are a pleasure to work with and fun too! AP certified non-toxic.