by Erin Walsh

When you send your kids back to school this year, make sure that reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic aren't the only three "R's" you're teaching them. The Oregon Resource Efficiency Program has estimated that each student produces up to 240 pounds of waste a year. When you consider the nearly 75.5 million students who attend school in the United States—well, you can do the math.

Aside from putting your multiplication skills to the test, these numbers highlight the extent to which our nation's schools are contributing to landfill waste—and show just how critical it is that the other three "R's" be put into practice in classrooms. Not only will teaching kids to reduce, reuse and recycle cut down on waste, but it will help them form eco-savvy habits that will last a lifetime.

Elizabeth Rogers, one of our very own Green Mom bloggers and coauthor of The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time, gives us a lesson on the biggest sources of school waste, and shares some simple, budget-friendly tips for making this school year a more environmentally friendly one for your child.