September is just around the corner and many of us already have the school supply list in hand, ready to get our kids ready for the school year and off on the right foot. This year, how about making a lighter environmental footprint in the process and pack their backpacks with environmentally friendly school supplies?

There are two reasons why it can be difficult to buy green school supplies. The first reason is that, depending on where you live, finding school green school supplies locally can be challenging. The second reason is price. All too often green school supplies cost more than the "regular" school supplies. The good news is that the prices are slowly going down. Also, local businesses are beginning to carry green supplies as they increase in popularity and there is always the option of shopping online for green products.

Online
Right now your best bet is to find the supplies online. To save money some online websites allow you to buy green items in bulk. Consider splitting the cost and supplies with other parents. Other green websites provide coupons for use at local stores. Whereas, others just provide a friendly reminder that though you may pay a few cents more for these green supplies you are also helping the environment in the process.

Here is a great place to start. They carry a variety of earth friendly products for school and for the office. Among these items are: recycled old blue jeans, rulers, rebinders, notepad filler paper, pens and pencils, and Wrap-N-Mat reusable sandwich bag, just to name a few. Best of all, the prices are reasonable too.

Your local store/businesses
Shopping locally is very eco-friendly, but not many places have transitioned to green products yet. If they haven't in your area you have the option of encouraging them to do so. All you need to do is call the store and speak to the manager, fill out comments/suggestion cards at the store or log on to the stores' website and send an email suggestion for green school supplies. It's that easy. Let them know that these are the products you are interested in buying. If you see the store makes no effort for change, you can always shop somewhere else. In the mean time here are a few local nationwide places that carry green school supplies: Office Max, Staples and Office Depot. You can shop online at these stores too.

Can't afford to buy all green school supplies? That's okay. Buy what you can green on the supply list. You will still make a difference.

Just make sure that the recycled products you do buy are truly recycled. "Most recycled paper products contain very little post-consumer waste (PCW), and are actually composed of wood chips and mill scraps. Only recycled paper made with PCW aide in fighting deforestation and reducing landfill waste," according to GreenLinePaper.