Go big green!

OK, eco coeds. School starts next week; are you fully green-fitted?

Water issues: You’ve probably already armed yourself in the fight against plastic water bottles with a spankin’-new Klean Kanteen, so let’s skip to …

Forestry service: Again, you’re already on this one, right? Paper and folders made from recycled materials can be found, well, everywhere. There are also rescued-paper products by Sukie (www.sukie.co.uk) and fun elephant-dung paper available at www.elephantdungpaper.com.

The reused look: For clothes, you’ve likely already cobbled together a shabby-chic mélange of vegan threads and recycled finds from your local thrift stores. In case you didn’t realize, in preparation for your arrival, Chico’s second-hand stores have fully stocked themselves with gently used furniture items, kitchen supplies and of course clothes for you to purchase and reuse on the cheap.

Carrying the weight: Backpacks: For a cheap, quick solution, there’s always the locally available cotton canvas military surplus backpacks and messenger bags (available in Chico at Gates Resale, 1142 Park Ave., or Paradise Surplus, 7691 Skyway, in Paradise), but if that’s too lo-fi, you can always go hemp. Rawganique.com has a few different attractive sweatshop-free, organic-hemp shoulder packs and back packs (from $39 to $99), and EcoBodyWear (www.ecobodywear.com) features a couple of sizes of El Hemp backpacks ($34.99 and $52.99). The most attractive of the eco-friendly packs are probably the wide variety made by Simple Shoes (www.simpleshoes.com). The styles range from the colorful cotton/wool/hemp feedbag-style bags ($70, in angel blue, bubble gum or Nile green) to the tricked-out hemp-and-recycled plastic bottle overload messenger bags.

Find more school-supply tips at www.thedailygreen.com.