Kate Hall: Sustainable back to school tips

With the school year kicking in soon, the time has come to complete the costly task of back-to-school shopping. Kate ‘Ethically Kate’ Hall has a few tips on picking sustainable options that could save you some money.  

 
Start at Home  
  
Use unfinished exercise books by removing used pages and calling it new.  Deep clean old lunch boxes, sharpen short pencils, and repair cracked rulers.  Embrace resourcefulness - clever parenting and saves money!  

 
  
Treasure Hunt for Supplies  
  
Before you visit a store, turn finding existing school supplies into a fun game with the kids. Ask school leaver families if they have leftover supplies, or share your extras with others.

  
  
Shop Second-Hand  
  
Explore second-hand stores for pens, pencils, books, and folders. Unique and vintage stationery can often be found here. Shop at places like All Heart Store who have high-quality second-hand stationery and office supplies - second hand and supporting an amazing charity.  

  

Ditch the Plastic  
  
Avoid plastic adhesive covers; try reusable options like DIY fabric covers.  

 

Opt for Sustainable lunchware  
  
Invest in eco-friendly options like Bento Ninja’s stainless steel lunch boxes with dividers to minimize single-use packaging.  

 

Challenge the “New Only” mentality 

Push back against the stigma around second-hand school supplies – value doesn’t decrease with use.  Cover books with fun, second-hand fabric and embrace vintage stationery for a unique touch. 

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
A b.

Speaker 3 (00:13):
Tea and our sustainability commentator Kate Hall is back for
the new year calder Kate. Hey Jack, Yeah, very good,
thank you, Yeah, really good. A little bit of outdoor time,
but of socializing, a little bit of time on couch,
on the couch with covid as well, but such as life.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, I know, the on the couch. I was on
the couch too, but with Billy, pregnancy, sickness of benge,
watching Modern Family, So I feel you.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Okay, Well, as long as you can binge watch something
you know, you can make the most of that time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So you're probably a bit like us then, haven't had
the wildest summer that you might have had otherwise. Anyway, Hey,
this morning you have for some really practical tips on
getting ready to go back to school in a sustainable way,

(00:57):
because it's one of those times that there's kind of
all sorts of demands for various bits and pieces that
you know, for the kids, and you want to be
as sustainable possible. So maybe you should start us off
with some of the things you can do at home
to be a bit more sustainable getting ready for school totally.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
So one thing I love about CENTL back to school
tips is they're also financially sustainable because like, just between
uniforms and all the new things they get given us
a big list about stuff that they need to buy
and bring to school, it can be really overwhelming. So
my first tip is to start at home, literally by

(01:34):
shopping in your own home for things you already have.
So until you've done an actual stock take of you know,
things you've got left over from other kids or asked
your friends that have school leavers. Until you've done a
proper stock take of what actually already exists in your home,
don't go out to the shops or buy anything. So yeah,

(01:55):
look around. I do things like I actually even have
some school exercise books that I use just writing and
drawing and writing down notes. That are my old book
from school. Because it's still paper, it's still useful. You
can just take out the paper.

Speaker 3 (02:11):
You're I mean, I know you're young, k, but you
have your school schoolbooks.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, yeah, I have a few.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
Yeah, well that's really it's pretty good at Yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah, there are three of us kids and so yeah, no,
there's they're really good at saving. I mean it's paper, right,
even if the book's field, you can still yeah, use
it up. So yeah, shop around what you do have,
ask other people. Just be really conscious about using what
already exists. And if you do need to buy things,

(02:41):
I mean obviously there's always pencils, books or different things
that the school does require, shop at second hand stores.
So there's so much stationary at second hand stores. I
think often it's something we don't think about buying sick
and hands. There's even specific stationary kind of stores we
can find great high quality, brand new stuff. All Hat

(03:03):
stores is well In christ Church, Aucklan, Kokoe, Wellington, and
that's all kind of office supplies that have been redirected
from corporates. You don't need it or use it.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
Hey, I've never heard of this. What's it called?

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Yeah, All Heart store.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
All Heart Store yep.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
You can even get you know, office chairs, yeah, like
desks anything. It's really you know, every time you go
in there's all different stuff. But even your paper pens,
things like that, just because often officers have access and
then sending it to landfill. They're send it to Yeah,
I've never.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Heard of what a good idea?

Speaker 3 (03:40):
What a good point of stuff.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, so that's a good one obviously.
If you're thinking about reducing your plastic this year, you
can do that a two different ways. Plastic adhesive covers
I know that, you know, they can be something you
feel like you have to get, but I can pay you.
I've lived often without them, and you can do some

(04:03):
cooled d y like fabric covers things like that. Again,
working within the constraints of the school, right, because I
do know there's regulations and there's kind of must have
that every different school you know talks about. So yeah,
sometimes we can't do it all, but we can try
to do what we can, and that's kind of the
school stationary stuff. But there's also lunch boxes and food.

(04:25):
I think there's another big area we can focus on.
Places like beIN Too and Ninja have stainless steel, really
really good, high quality lunchboxes that will see your kids through.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
Yeah, so that it's like a.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
Been to a box, like a Japanese box.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Right, yes, yeah, yeah, that's where the kind of name
and the kind of main products come from. But they
have all sorts of stuff like, yeah, everything you kind
of need for for back to school lunches and investing
in that so literally your child can use that same
box at university one day potentially is a really really

(05:01):
good idea. And just thinking about what can I do
this year that you can just help improve the well
being of my child but also can reduce petrol things like, Okay,
maybe on Tuesday mornings, we're going to book to school.
Or I have a new friend down the road and
their kid goes to the same school, so I might

(05:22):
be a bit brave and just ask them if we
could couple and share that responsibility. So thinking about these
things now, I know school's going back very very soon,
but planning those things so you can set yourself up
for a good year.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
Yeah, it's like getting the routine sorted early. It's a
kind of cliche obviously you're seting new habits in the
new year, but it is a really good opportunity because
because the school day and getting the kids to and
from school and getting them feed and getting them with
all their various stationary stuff, because that relies on routine,
it's actually just a great opportunity to try and see

(05:57):
a couple of new good habits around sustainability.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
Exactly, especially while you have potentially hopefully if you've had
a relaxing summer a little bit more kind of energy
to do that. You know, it's it's somehow you may
have a bit more time and space to wrap your
head around change, because I know, I mean, just getting
kids after school is a big thing. So I know
it's a big ass to think about sustainability and the

(06:21):
environment when it comes to that. But guarantee you're going
to save money, and yeah, doing things like taking a
scooter taking a bike, you could will probably turn up
for school a whole lot happier as well. So all
these things kind of entertwined with a whole lot of
other benefits that I promise aren't just environmental.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah, hey can I can I ask you feeling a
little less queasy now?

Speaker 2 (06:41):
Okay, yes, a lot less queezy.

Speaker 3 (06:45):
If you any crazy crazy cravings or anything.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
I am am obsessed with ice, Okay, yeah that's good.

Speaker 3 (06:55):
I mean there's they're definitely crazy or no, this isn't
like strawberry milkshakes and olives or something.

Speaker 2 (07:03):
No ice was everything is good.

Speaker 3 (07:07):
Ice is very good. If you're feeling a bit nauseous
as well, this is very very good.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah, yeah, I think that's kind of where it came from.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
I'm pleased to hear you feeling a bit better, and
thank you so much for those tips. We'll make sure
that we put the more news Talks dB dot co,
dot zid forward slash Jack on our show's page and
we will catch you soon.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
Awesome.

Speaker 1 (07:23):
Thanks sack Y Good for more from Saturday Morning with
Jack Tame. Listen live to News Talks he'd be from
nine am Saturday, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.