It's almost back to school time. The time when most parents sigh with relief that they don't have to hear "I'm bored mom" for the 100th time. My son Zane will be going into 3rd grade this year. He will be spending 30+ hours at school per week. That's an awful lot of time...

I am thrilled to see more green schools being built and hope to see it become not only the norm, but a national requirement. But, until then, many schools need to work with what they have... With childhood asthma rates at an all-time high, neurological disorders such as autism soaring off the charts and people becoming more and more environmentally sensitive due to chemical overexposure, it is time for us to start protecting our future - the children.

Children are far more susceptible to risk and harm from indoor air and environmental pollutants. Though pesticides are being phased out of regular use, many schools still use them. What about the cleaning products, the summer remodeling project and the teacher's use of air fresheners? How is the HVAC system maintained? Do they use high quality filters? Is there enough fresh air?

Even if you’re not a person like me, there is something you can do to help improve the indoor air/environmental quality of your child's school. Do it on your own, get the PTA involved or find a local consultant like myself to volunteer a little bit of their time.

The EPA has a free program called the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit. (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/actionkit.html) Did I mention that it's FREE? It's a great program that will assist in making your child's school healthier and safer now. When it's time for the new school, green will be the way to go for sure.

But until then, we can help our future - the children, by making sure they are being educated in safe and non-toxic environments.