Your Guide To Green

Wait – maybe there is such a thing as a “Free Lunch” after all…pesticide-free, waste-free and guilt-free!

In addition to eating more fresh, nutritious, pesticide-free food, many of us are becoming much more aware of making waste-free lunches. It was staggering to learn that each child taking a disposable lunch to school creates an average of 67 pounds of trash during the school year. With our ever-growing population in the Valley, that translates to millions of pounds of garbage each year. Waste-free lunches not only help reduce garbage in our landfills, but can result in cost savings to our schools in the form of reduced trash fees.

Eliminating waste doesn’t have to be painful. In fact, it has been proven to save time and money. It is estimated that an average disposable lunch costs around $ 4.02 per day compared to $2.65 a day for a waste-free lunch.  In addition to reducing trash, packing green lunches also helps lay the groundwork for a healthier childhood and supports the importance of eating local, organic food.

The options can seem overwhelming when you first get started and it’s important to remember good nutrition.  Here are some suggestions to help get your free lunch started:

• Whenever possible, involve the lunch recipient in the decision making, such as finding a lunchbox box they like and selecting which fruits and vegetables they prefer each day.
• Retire paper and polyester (petroleum-based) lunch bags and select reusable cotton canvas lunch bags.
• Use reusable, easy to open and close stainless steel food containers.
• Choose a garbage free lunch box set that's ready-to-go, such as the Lunchopolis Lunch Box.
• Replace paper napkins with cloth napkins. Consider having the kids decorate a couple of napkins just for their use.
• Replace juice boxes and disposable drink containers with stainless steel bottles. This allows you to purchase bulk-size beverages, reducing costs.
• Use a thermos for hot soups and leftover dinners.
• Purchase a reusable ice pack or an insulated lunchbox to keep foods fresh.
• Pack lunch the night before and store it in your refrigerator for ease and freshness.
• Avoid purchasing pre-packaged goods.
• Consider making a little extra for dinner and pack leftovers the next day.
• Encourage kids to bring home their leftovers. You will learn what they like and don’t like and you can compost most of what is left over.

Here’s to a real planet-friendly garbage-free lunch!

Click here to browse our Stainless Steel and Plastic Guide, for more information on steel, aluminum, and plastic bottles, plus environmental and health issues involving plastic.