I’m so honored to introduce our September guest-blogger, the ever-so-inspirational Beth Aldrich. A certified health and nutrition counselor, green lifestyle expert, author and mother of three boys (!), Beth’s website and new book is Real Moms Love To Eat (this just might be the best title ever) and will hit stores next fall. What does Beth have to say about a healthy, organic back-to-school? Listen up—I know I did!

Children love to help out and want to fit in when it comes to going and living green. Give your children earth-friendly responsibilities to add to their daily routines and you’ll create healthy lifestyle habits and earth stewardship for years to come. Back-to-school time presents a great opportunity for children and parents alike to take another look at ways that families can live more earth-friendly throughout the year.

Start out by making a list of healthy-living, earth friendly family goals and post them in a visible location. This creates accountability. Goals could include joining a CSA or visiting the farmer’s market to support local, organic farms, walking to school and/or practicing spelling words while walking after dinner and re-using school supplies—such as backpacks and pencils—to keep them out of landfills.

One easy way to become more earth friendly is to green your child’s lunch. Using reusable containers is responsible, economical and an easy way to save our environment as well as your hard earned dollars—Kids Konserve makes great reusable lunch kits and components. With dozens of great options from lead-, vinyl- and PVC-free to American-made organic cotton, there’s an eco-friendly, reusable lunch bag solution for everyone! When a “brown bag” lunch creates between four to eight ounces of garbage every day—about 100 pounds per year!—it only makes sense to switch to simple, reusable, sustainable solutions. [Editor’s note: And to fill it with organic food, of course! I packed conventional and organic lunches and the organic came out six cents cheaper!]

Sometimes it’s difficult not to use disposable bags for school lunches. If you can’t find waxed paper bags (available at Whole Foods), offer points to your children when they bring the plastic bags back home to be rinsed and re-used later in the week. You’ll save money and keep unwanted plastic out of landfills! Point systems work well with grade-schoolers because they like to keep track of things. When the desired amount of points are earned reward them with a special movie night or plant planted in their honor. They can even help plant, making them feel their efforts created the opportunity.

Go a step further and have your children help you find odd pieces of used silverware at a second-hand store so you don’t lose parts of your good set when they take them to school in their lunchboxes.

Finally, going green also means going healthy. Sandwiches, fresh fruit, vegetables and treats packaged in reusable containers are healthy alternatives to cafeteria and prepackaged processed foods—if they’re organic, even better!

Most earth conscious parents know that using disposable plastic water bottles are a big no-no. Instead, consider using reusable stainless steel water bottles to avoid adding the mounting plastic that occupies our landfills (taking almost 1000 years to break down in nature). These bottles are BPA-free and come in a variety of sizes and colors. [Editor’s note: My kids love sport-cap Klean Kanteen bottles, which benefit Healthy Child, Healthy World!]

By making small changes that really add up, the earth will benefit and your children will, too!

P.S. Is there an inspiration mom like Beth in your ‘hood? Nominate her for Healthy Child’s Mom on a Mission and she could win a trip to Los Angeles, CA—including a two-night stay for at a local green hotel—to receive an award at HCHW’s star-studded benefit dinner in October!