Back to school.

Labor Day is coming, so summer camps are dosing and bees are flying in lazier circles on cooler air. The squash season is ending, though apple pie is starting to look like a real possibility, and the kids are outside this morning, waiting for the bus. Perhaps one of the children standing in line holds a hemp backpack, a gift from his eco-conscious parents made by Artisan Gear.

Artisan specializes in bags and accessories made of hemp, chosen for its durability as a fiber and sustainability as a crop. The shoulder bag costs $59, and its dye is made without chlorine bleach or heavy metals. The colors range from indigo to a deep chestnut brown. Also available are hemp wallets ($14), coin pouches ($8), and, for the boarding-school bound, hanging toiletry bags ($39).

Green Earth Office Supply can ensure that the contents of the backpack are as environmentally friendly as the pack itself. Old-school standards are available with a conscious twist: the pens are made of recycled plastic (12 for $7.50), the pencils contain 25 percent shredded currency or denim (six for $31.50), and journal pages are 10 percent banana fiber ($5). For little artists, a set of 36 soybean crayons is $57.60.

Naturally, no back-to-school shopping would be complete without clothes. Garden Kids specializes in organic cotton and hemp clothing for boys and girls between three months and eight years of age. Check out the boy's pirate T-shirts and pants ($52) or girl's flower bowl dress ($32). Round Belly's Eco Sprout Organic Kids Clothes features jumpers ($19 to $45), vests ($9 to $19) and short-sleeved camp shirts ($14 to $30). Round Belly also carries men's, women's and maternity ware and can make school uniforms. Older students might check out Grass Roots Natural Goods, which offers a variety of hemp and organic cotton clothes. A woman's cotton/hemp short sleeve wrap T costs $32, and men's hemp/wool crewneck sweaters can be had for $49. CONTACT: Artisan Gear, www.artisangear. com, [phone]; Eco Sprout Organic Kids Clothes, [phone], www. roundbelly.com; Garden Kids Clothing, www.gardenkidsclothing.com; Green Earth Office Supply, [phone], www.greenearthofficesupply.com; Grass Roots Natural Goods, www.grassrootsnaturalgoods.com.