The start of a new season is an ideal time for families to learn “green” habits and routines. From purchasing goods made from recycled materials to donning eco-friendly clothing, green-living expert and TV host Sara Snow knows about decreasing a family’s impact on the environment.

Snow, author of “Sara Snow’s Fresh Living,” provides these tips to make going green as easy as ABC.

•At-home tools. Start living green at home with an easy-tolocate recycling center for paper, plastic, aluminum and glass. Use chalkboard paint and chalk to label old buckets or bins to make sorting recyclables easy for the whole family.

•Bagged lunches. Avoid prepackaged food, which creates excess waste and often is not as healthy as fresh snack options. Wrap homemade sandwiches or lunches in foil from recycled aluminum and ration healthy snacks into individual servings. Send family members off to school and work with refillable bottles of water, milk or juice instead of disposable containers.

When considering what to pack for lunch, think organic foods first.

•Clothes and supplies. Going green can be quite stylish. More and more clothing labels offer eco-friendly apparel, and backpacks and lunch sacks made from organic or recycled materials are available.

Stock on up eco-friendly notebooks, paper, pencils and other products to green the classroom or office.

“It doesn’t take much effort these days to find recycled or recyclable products,” said Snow. “By making just a few small changes in our everyday lives, we can truly make a big impact on the health of our families and our environment.”

This story provided by North American Precis Syndicate Inc.