I do believe that we have to start somewhere, but as an elementary teacher, I can tell you that some of the suggestions in this post are just not realistic for underprivileged families and schools that are underfunded. Most underprivileged students are reliant on the schools or their teacher (we all know how underpaid teachers are) to provide them with school supplies. As a teacher, if I have to provide supplies (and I have and still do), I can’t afford to buy supplies that are at the price point on the Wisdom site or rely on parents to reimburse me.
I do try and do my part that is in my control by returning supplies to families that are not used at the end of the year, in hopes they will be used the next year.
I hope that the mission of Wisdom does make some headway so that one day their products are more affordable and we can start supplying all children with earth friendly supplies.
I hear you - I believe Wisdom Supply Co. is a trailblazing company, but since they're still on quite a small scale they can't offer a lower price point - yet. Hopefully bigger stores will take note and find a way to produce more sustainable products at more accessible prices!
Also! Next year Wisdom is shifting from BCorp status to becoming a non-profit organization and will continue their mission working directly with schools x
I guess we have to pressure the big stores to find substitute packaging. There is a professor at Cornell whose team is exploring dissolvable “plastics.” I have to refresh my memory about his name.
This is amazing – thank you! I've been thinking a lot about plastic recently. Remember how Roland Barthes wrote about plastic as the material of the future in the 1960s – it was the material of dreams, but today it has turned into a nightmare. Plastic is in everything, from medicine to cars. I doubt modern society would function even a day without it, and that's a frightening thought considering what it does to the bodies of especially young people (infertility in men, etc).
Such a good point. Plastic is a part of life these days, but I think we always get to choose what and how we consume. The optimist in me wants to believe that if we all made small, sustainable swaps we could collectively have a huge positive impact. Thanks for reading! x
I do believe that we have to start somewhere, but as an elementary teacher, I can tell you that some of the suggestions in this post are just not realistic for underprivileged families and schools that are underfunded. Most underprivileged students are reliant on the schools or their teacher (we all know how underpaid teachers are) to provide them with school supplies. As a teacher, if I have to provide supplies (and I have and still do), I can’t afford to buy supplies that are at the price point on the Wisdom site or rely on parents to reimburse me.
I do try and do my part that is in my control by returning supplies to families that are not used at the end of the year, in hopes they will be used the next year.
I hope that the mission of Wisdom does make some headway so that one day their products are more affordable and we can start supplying all children with earth friendly supplies.
I hear you - I believe Wisdom Supply Co. is a trailblazing company, but since they're still on quite a small scale they can't offer a lower price point - yet. Hopefully bigger stores will take note and find a way to produce more sustainable products at more accessible prices!
Also! Next year Wisdom is shifting from BCorp status to becoming a non-profit organization and will continue their mission working directly with schools x
Thanks for this important work. But my question is “How can I buy my blueberries or raspberries which always come in hard plastic containers?”
I have found them without packaging at my local Farmer's Markets or bulk grocery stores but agree that they are hard to track down without plastic!
I guess we have to pressure the big stores to find substitute packaging. There is a professor at Cornell whose team is exploring dissolvable “plastics.” I have to refresh my memory about his name.
It’s Geoffrey Coates in the Chemistry Dept.
Thanks for sharing - Yes, I think we can "vote" with our dollars as a way of showing big box stores that we value sustainable products and packaging!
This is amazing – thank you! I've been thinking a lot about plastic recently. Remember how Roland Barthes wrote about plastic as the material of the future in the 1960s – it was the material of dreams, but today it has turned into a nightmare. Plastic is in everything, from medicine to cars. I doubt modern society would function even a day without it, and that's a frightening thought considering what it does to the bodies of especially young people (infertility in men, etc).
Such a good point. Plastic is a part of life these days, but I think we always get to choose what and how we consume. The optimist in me wants to believe that if we all made small, sustainable swaps we could collectively have a huge positive impact. Thanks for reading! x