Back to school is a time for new things — clothes, binders, pens, friends, thoughts and ideas. It’s a perfect opportunity for parents and the college-bound to embrace the numerous green resources that have exploded across the Web and in the marketplace over the last two years.

Get a fresh start to the new school year and educate children about green living and the human impact on the environment — with talk, books, educational materials and everyday living. The following Green Quick Fixes are a great way to green your back-to-school ramp-up.

Take public transportation or establish neighborhood carpools to reduce fuel costs, air pollution and traffic congestion.

Turn your car off when you are waiting curbside for your kids to get out of school. Remember for just two minutes of idling, you could have driven your car one more mile, according to the California Energy Commission. Also, if more parents make a conscience effort to avoid idling, the ambient air quality will be improved for all the kids getting out of school.

Instruct children to walk or ride their bikes to friends’ houses, schools that are close by and neighborhood parks when they are venturing out.

Pack lunches in reusable containers and carriers. Pouring beverages in thermoses or reusable bottles will reduce the amount of temporary-use plastic bottles and cartons generated in the school cafeteria, and they will stay colder longer.

Encourage kids on days they are buying lunch to follow the “just-one rule” — one plastic spork, one napkin, etc., and to recycle cans, bottles, paper and other items the school supports separating.

Reuse unfinished notebooks, old binders and pens. Go through all the desks, junk drawers and bookshelves in your home to see what can be salvaged. You’ll spend less when you hit the stores.

Buy recycled pencils, binders, notebooks, paper and more when back-to-school shopping. Many school supplies have a percentage of post-consumer content, just check the labels. Also, look for products that have less packaging, such as bulk products that you can share with your children, so there is less to recycle or throw away.

Look and ask for vegetable-based inks; soy-based or beeswax crayons; correction tape rather than its liquid counterpart; water-based paints, markers and glue; recyclable-plastic lunch boxes rather than lead-based; chlorine-free recycled paper; Energy Star and lead-free electronic products; and reusable batteries with low or no mercury content to reduce chemical toxicity at home and in the marketplace. (Note: Mercury is known to be poisonous, and it can take a long time for the body to purge once exposed. Zinc-carbon alkaline batteries are said to have a near-zero mercury content.)

Choose and request clothing with organic cotton, hemp, and recycled content and natural soy-based or vegetable-based dyes. There are many eco-fashion options available today.

Buy quality backpacks (hemp is a good, strong option) that can be reused for many years rather than cheaply made, fad-driven plastic bags that are the latest trend and tomorrow’s trash. Also, bags with two straps reduce the amount of back strain, which is a growing youth health concern, because they spread weight evenly. Note: Ask your pediatrician annually about the maximum amount your child’s backpack should weigh to avoid serious straining at his or her physical fitness level.

Save cardboard packaging, paper, cartons, paper rolls, paper bags, popsicle sticks, and other items for the numerous arts and crafts projects that fill-up the school year.

Cover textbooks with reused paper bags.

Talk to your children about global warming, sharing natural resources, and environmental problems. Kids for Saving Earth (www.kidsforsavingearth.org) and numerous other Web sites have resources, including short films and Flash demonstrations that can help answer questions. National Geographic’s film, “Arctic Tale,” which utilizes more than 20 years of documentary footage, explains what is happening at the North Pole in a poignant way that young children easily understand.

Get involved with your child’s school parent-teacher association and have an open dialogue with the school administration to address environment and health issues at school — use of pesticides, cleaning agents and other chemicals, reducing energy and resource needs, and preventing environmental impacts are all areas where the school and the administration could be improved by parent involvement and action. The Green Schools Initiative (www.greenschools.net/index.html) and Healthy Schools Network, Inc. (www.healthyschools.org) have Web sites with more information.

Want to go a step further? Organize green plantings; local park, beach, and community clean-ups; hazardous and electronic waste pick-ups; or adoption programs that are designed for environmental preservation, protection or renewal.

Additionally, International Coast Sweep is Saturday, Sept. 21. Clean up your local favorite after an enjoyable summer. Resources for organizing are posted online by University of Massachusetts Boston at www.coastsweep.umb.edu/index.html.

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Andrea Fox, a Beverly resident, has been writing about environmental sustainability and eco-topics for eight years. She is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and a watershed protection advocate in Salem Sound Watershed.