All-purpose cleaner Mix a really gentle castile soap, like Dr. Bronner’s, with warm water. Use a clean sponge, rags, or a brush, and scrub! One cup of soap in 3.8 litres (1 gallon) of water is a good concentration for walls, floors, and counters. One part castile soap to one part water in a foaming…
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Dear P.U. in FL: What a tough, but not unique situation. Many children are experiencing asthma and allergy flare-ups due to indoor air pollution in schools. I can read in your email that this is now impacting you and your son directly. It sounds like you are working to have open communication with your school…
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Dear Mr. Green: Funny you should ask, I just went through a very similar process.  I finally decided to invest in postcards and new business cards and I decided that recycled paper and soy ink wasn’t enough. I must admit, however, I didn’t know much about what enough would be.  Many printers now offer recycled…
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Dear Admin I am so glad to hear you have read the Green Your Classroom article. For administrators and school officials of all sorts, I also highly recommend you read The Green Mama’s Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools. This guide includes some healthier, green alternatives to bleach. There are many commonly available options now…
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I’ll start with the bad news: At best, air filters are just not that effective.  If, however, you decide you must have an air filter, then you should know that 1) some air filters actually do more harm than good and 2) even the good ones won’t really clean the air or relieve asthma symptoms,…
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Ideally every school setting would be green and healthy. After all, your child will spend 1/3 of his or her day there.  Studies show that more than half of U.S. schools suffer from problems related to indoor air quality (which is typically more polluted than outdoor air even in the best situations). Indoor air quality issues can affect teacher retention, student performance, (and ultimately) school funding.