Buy recycled As much as you may be fantastic at reusing last year’s supplies, you will need to buy some new things for the upcoming school year. The best way to maintain your green credentials is to buy upcycled products. For example, rather than purchasing a regular backpack you can check out Terracycle’s backpack made from upcycled drink pouches (saved from ending up in dumpsters and landfills across America) or TreeSmart’s recycled newspaper pencils. To start the new year off with some new threads, shop for hip and gently used clothes at fashion forward thrift stores like Buffalo Exchange.