 |
|
BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters buy a backpack made from recycled plastic, we'll avert the equivalent of 70,000 2-liter bottles from entering landfills.
COCKTAIL FACT
Last year, police in Delhi, India, hired a black-faced langur monkey to frighten away wild monkeys, which board trains and freak out human passengers.
| SAVE TO MY BITES |  |
FORWARD TO A FRIEND:
RATE THIS TIP:
How useful is this tip to you?
(5 is the highest)
home › tip library › Eco Backpacks
Does your kid have a PVC monkey on their back?
The Bite
Get it off, and go with alternatives to the high-polluting plastic instead. Their school books won't get any lighter, but an eco-friendlier backpack will help lighten their eco-impact.The Benefits
- No new PVC. Most backpacks and messenger bags are made from PVC, which releases cancer-causing dioxins during production (and less than 1% is recycled).
- Sustainable materials. Materials like recycled billboards and organic hemp are way greener than the fabrics used in regular rucksacks.
- Unique looks. The styles will give 'em somethin' to talk about.
Personally Speaking
A fully packed backpack saved Sara's life when, at age 11, she was hiking and fell backwards, 15 feet off a cliff. She came out unscathed. Her lunch? Not so much.Wanna Try?
- Voltaic Systems - if little Jimmy insists on having his peripherals fully charged, these cool, solar-powered bags recharge cell phones, cameras, and MP3 players; available in four styles ($199-$249).
- Vy & Elle Laptop Pack - one-of-a-kind recycled billboard backpacks with a detachable shoulder strap; great for style-conscious teens ($132).
- Land's End Cordura Wheeled Backpack - all nylon, with PVC-free wheels - in case your kid's toting more than the recommended 15% of their body weight in Harry Potter novels ($70).
Aug 20,2007
Sponsor
All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Too Heavy to Handle
Even after our school district started issuing kids two sets of textbooks (one for school, one for home, so we wouldn't have to lug them back and forth every day), the too-heavy backpack issue was still a problem with me. I was too lazy to go to my locker between periods, so I regularly ended up carrying 20 lb or more around my high school campus.
One not-so-good friend made fun of me for it - he'd catch me bent over under the weight of my books and call me "hunchback." (And I had horrible posture even without the extra weight.)
There's a good solution. Digital textbooks are becoming more and more common. Weighing in at around 5 lb (for the laptop you'll need to view them), not only are they lighter than paper textbooks, they're dogear-immune, and they're tree-free. A totally innovative way to end the textbook-induced hunchback problem...
-Toshio...off to walk with a textbook on my head...
One not-so-good friend made fun of me for it - he'd catch me bent over under the weight of my books and call me "hunchback." (And I had horrible posture even without the extra weight.)
There's a good solution. Digital textbooks are becoming more and more common. Weighing in at around 5 lb (for the laptop you'll need to view them), not only are they lighter than paper textbooks, they're dogear-immune, and they're tree-free. A totally innovative way to end the textbook-induced hunchback problem...
-Toshio...off to walk with a textbook on my head...
Biter Comments...
My son attends a public "cyber" school. Many of their texts are digital, although they send us the regular texts as well. :( I love the digital texts - all his books are accessible anywhere he goes with his laptop. And you are absolutely right Toshio: no dog-eared pages, no highlighting, no silly drawings from previous students, and no trees needed! Maybe we should be demanding the computer manufacturers make eco-friendly parts, or come up with a solution for retired components. Or, maybe WE should not always "have" to have the newest gadget on the market. Maybe, just maybe, we can actually use a computer for years and years and not have to trade up just because something else might be a little faster or sleeker. We all need to do our part. It is just nice to see that textbook publisher have begun to do theirs!! Peace.
It seems the Land's End cordora wheeled backpack is no longer available. is that the only one that is eco-friendly?
Okay... So what do we do with our old backpacks if we want to get a new "green" one? It seems a bit "ungreen" to just toss it!
Having worked in the industry, I can tell you that the problem is not what textbook publishers (and computer manufacturers) would be willing to provide, but what schools can afford to buy.
As for the cost of manufacturing and shipping the educational portion of the system, it's significantly cheaper than printing and manufacturing books.
I have a bag from KEEN that is made from scrap materials from their shoe production and a variety of other recycled materials. It's a great work/school/anytime bag from a company with some gren vision.
Try to post this one a little earlier next year ... by this time (late Aug.), most parents have made their purchases.
Also, it's hard for many (especially those like me with 3 children) to spend $70-$200 a pop on a backpack that never lasts more than a year. Let me know if you find a more economical option ... tx
Two things:
1. I just read an article that the wheeled backpacks may not have been as ergonomic as we originally thought. Lifting them up and down (think stairs and in and out of the car) causes more injuries than wearing a backpack.
2. To Kim: Freecycle.com is just the place for your old, but in good condition, back packs. You could benefit a kid who doesn't have one. Personally, we use old backpacks to store toys and books in the car. Ideal to keep little ones occupied!
I have a pretty amazing laptop case and messenger bag by Simple Shoes (www.simpleshoes.com). They make their linings out of recycled PET and everything else is bascially organic cotton... and the best part is it doesn't look too tech-y or hippie-ish
I don't know any parents who could afford to get their kid a $132 backpack. I have no kids and can't afford that for myself. It's really irritating that "green" options are so cost-prohibitive.
As for digital textbooks: I personally cannot stand reading books on a monitor, and I'm young enough that I grew up using computers. Frankly, if I had kids I'd try hard to minimize how much time they spend staring at a screen, TV or computer. I have a strong suspicion it's terrible for developing eyes. Maybe parents will smugly tell me to have children first, and maybe rightly so, but I know my brother with two kids feels the same way and does very well limiting the time his kids spend staring at TVs and monitors.
It is a series of pros and cons. Recycled plastic isn't really environmentally friendly. It saves 25% of the energy over creating new plastic. You also lose material in the recycling process that is disposed of in landfills eventually. Compare that to recycling glass or metal which save 95% of the energy used to create new products and are reusable 100% in an endless cycle. This isn't to say that we should have metal or glass backpacks but what about renewable resources such as bamboo, cotton and hemp fabics for backpacks. Not only are they sturdy but they can biodegrade and be reused to grow new crops or reused for new products.
I didn't notice any fabric packs in the lineup. These would have the least environmental impact. Though personally I think that, purchasing a $20.00 canvas backpack at Target has less environmental impact than the plastic ones. Even recycled plastic doesn't degrade and was made to exist forever. The best you can hope for is that it breaks down into plastic dust but it will still be here, be inedible and suffocating to the environment. The dust can even be ingested where it creates untold number of harmful effects in animals and humans.
I'll go back to my canvas and leather backpack that I purchase when I entered in Highschool in 1984 and it is still in great shape today. It is what I bought for my kids as well.
It would be nice if blogs with a following such as this could really get off the plastic bandwagon. Recycled or not, we need to eliminate it from packaging, products and our environment as much as possible.
http://www.culturechange.org/Petroleum&Plastics.html
I know we won't eliminate plastic in our lifetime but we should do everything we can to reduce its consumption worldwide.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Harold Jarche | August 20, 2007 at 05:02 AM