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What’s the relationship – Treats, Books, Binders and Climate Change? In fact the relationship between all three and climate change is KEY if we hope to get a handle on reining in the worst impacts of climate change – We MUST learn how to adapt to the human caused changes happening to our climate that are already with us, AND mitigate the impacts that are coming our way – So, the types of treats we give our kids, where we source their back to school supplies (and all the products we purchase) and the messages and information we share with our kids about climate change are all important for our planet and serve as valuable life skills and lessons for our kids. We need to learn and model how to live our lives with a “lighter footprint” with less impact on our planet. The kids in our life are never too young, nor too old to learn these life lessons.

Check out our “Top 3” back to school items that we see as ways to help connect the dots for you and the kids in your life between how we live our lives and empowering us all to take action on climate change.

BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES: We LOVE our Naked Binder school and office supplies! Last year was the first time we tried out these supplies. Over the course of the year, my kids “Naked binders” were personalized, and “made their own” standing up incredibly well to the test of time, wear and tear! The binders and folders were often the topic of conversation amongst their friends and teachers, helping everyone see how we can be

“school cool” and mindful and caring of our planet at the same time. Naked binder makes pocket folders, tab dividers and 3 ring binders from FSC certified, 100% post-consumer waste binder board, 100% cotton cloth, a FSC certified papers and metal rings – no plastics, vinyls or toxins. All Naked Binder products are made and sourced in the US.

Naked Binder “thinks sustainably” and makes sure it’s clear from the moment you visit their website. They define a sustainable product as: one that is economical; efficient to create; crafted from renewable non-harming sources; works better for a longer period of time; and it’s easily returned into the recycling stream. Sounds good to us! You can buy the products directly from their website, also making your footprint smaller as you do less driving around!

TREATS: Our friends at Healthy Child Healthy World have turned us on to UNREAL, a new type of candy that is “UNJUNKED.” I know the “candy” caught your attention. Candy and back to school?? Yes, we all try to teach our children that healthy snacks are important. And while I am all for promoting organic whole fruit, veggies and nuts as snacks, sometimes I just want my CHOCOLATE (and I know my kids occasionally feel the same way TOO!) So, as you start planning those after school treats, consider stocking up on some Unreal candy.

Unreal was started at the behest of a kid, Nicky, who wanted to find treats that were free of things he couldn’t pronounce and contained ingredients that he knew, recognized and were made out of “good” things, not junk. Unreal uses real cane sugar, real milk from grass eating cows, no artificial flavors, no corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, fats or artificial preservatives and twice the cacao as other leading brands. The ingredients used are non-GMO and are sourced responsibly. Unreal tells us they are ready to compete, head to head, dollar to dollar, taste test to taste test with leading brands of candy.

My kids and official taster friends loved the cool design on the packaging (which Unreal is working on making in a more sustainable way) and thought the candy tasted amazing. But was it actually better then the regular chocolate bars and candy coated chocolates and peanuts they sometimes eat? The verdict – certainly as good and maybe even better, so as a replacement it was a home run! Unreal seems to have all the right “ingredients” down to the people that are working at the company, and the right game plan to encourage other companies to unjunk their food too!

BOOKS: A shout out to author and our new friend, Chuck McCutcheon. A while back we wrote a post about our chat with Chuck and his book: “What are Global Warming and Climate Change? Answers for Young Readers.” As one friend recently told me: “Talking to my kids about sex was easier then trying to explain climate change!” So as with the sex talk, having a great book that serves as a reference for your discussion is key. Chuck’s book helps you answer many of those tough questions. In honor of the second anniversary of the publication of his book, Chuck is offering a giveaway: Simply buy one copy on Amazon.com, notify him via his website and he will send a second copy to you or to anyone you want for free!

This post is in solidarity and in support of the Green Mom’s Annual Back School Carnival! Check out Mindful Momma for a full listing of supporting blog posts and a wealth of information on how to make your kids transition to school “greener” and a little more “sustainable!”

Yours,

Climate Mama