Green Child Magazine Back-to-School 2013 | Page 21

Creating a

Cleaner Classroom
|by Elise Jones

After a summer of outdoor fun and quality
time spent in the fresh air, it’s time to send
children back into the classroom. It is a known
fact that indoor air quality suffers when classrooms are cleaned with traditional, chemicalladen, cleaning products. According to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over
10% of our school populations may be exposed to polluted indoor air, chemical fumes,
pesticides, molds and other toxins. So what’s a
parent to do?

Here are some ideas of ways to get
greener cleaners into your child’s
school and classroom:
• Run a green cleaner drive and/or collection.
• Ask teachers if they can put natural or
green cleaners on their supply list.
• Contact PTA or your school’s Green Team
to get the word out about toxic cleaners and
better alternatives. No, Green Team in your
child’s school? Create one!
• Talk to your school’s custodial team about
green cleaners and different viable solutions

for your school. This may take you supplying different green cleaners for them to test
out.

Looking for some great suggestions
for what to send into your child’s
classroom?
Janelle Sorensen, children’s environmental
health advocate, suggests products from The
Honest Company, Method, Seventh Generation, and, of course, baking soda, vinegar and
water. There is very little water, vinegar and
baking soda can’t do for cleaning up any mess!
“For all of these things, I’d consult Green Seal
which is a third-party organization that tests
and certifies products,” says Sorensen. “It’s recognized by the U.S. Department of Education,
so teachers can feel confident that not only
are their product recommendations green and
safe, they’re also approved for the unique needs
of a school setting.”
Also, it may be beneficial for you to provide
a simple thing that can improve air quality in
any classroom: plants!
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