According to New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation each typical school student produces 45 to 90 pounds of garbage a year in disposable lunches. Now consider all the adults who also lug lunches around. That’s a ton of trash. Bags, plastic wrap, foil, straws, juice boxes and more all add up to a whopping load of garbage, and while some workplaces and schools do recycle, people just don’t recycle all they should.

Here are some ideas for packing a trash-free lunch…

1. GRAB A REUSABLE LUNCH CARRIER - Any old reusable lunch carrier will do but points for looking for one that’s made from eco-friendly materials and that will last a long time. Insulated carriers are also a pro as they allow you to carry colder foods even in the summer heat. Shown above are some great reusable lunch carrier options.

1. Bento Box Set – cool and come in many colors.
2. Built NY’s lunch tote – Sophisticated pick for adult lunches, safe, and comes in many color choices.
3. Waste-free lunch kit: Reusable, waste-free lunch kit includes recycled cotton sack, cloth napkin, food-grade stainless steel beverage bottle, food kozy and two food-grade stainless steel food containers. Many color styles available.
4. Lunchopolis kits are safe, cute, and hold a bunch of lunch goodness.
5. Basic 100% certified organic cotton lunch sacks. Many designs available.

2. GRAB A REUSABLE DRINK CONTAINER – see the links below for good choices…

• NEW SIGG Wide Mouth Bottles!
• The Best Looking Reusable Water Bottles on the Planet
• Kid’s reusable bottles
• G2 Stainless Steel Drink Bottles

3. GRAB SOME REUSABLE FOOD CONTAINERS , WRAPS & BAGGIES – Nowadays there are plenty of good reusable bag, wrap, and container options available that can take the place of plastic baggies, foil, and plastic wrap.

• 10 oz Leak-proof Food Jar – BPA free
• Plum Creek Mercantile Reusable Cloth Snack Bags
• Reusable food containers
• Reusable sandwich bags

4. PACK FOODS & DRINKS FROM HOME – Ban prepackaged foods and instead make food that will save up nicely in your reusable lunch gear.

Are you still carrying around paper or plastic lunch sacks? Have you been considering a switch?

Post from: Blisstree

Plan for trash-free lunches

School lunch menus are linked to obesity and host of other diet-related diseases. School lunches are over-processed and include a load of starches, fats and meats that have been genetically modified, and shot up with hormones and antibiotics. Plus unless the school is organic, foods most likely contain pesticides. Kids often have no vegetarian meal choices. Lastly you see very few fresh fruits and veggies included in school lunches, even though we all know this is key in a healthy diet. All in all, school lunches mostly suck and our kids are the ones who suffer the health consequences. In fact, the Daily Green notes that the nutrition standards of school lunches haven’t been updated for over 30 years!

According to Organic Consumer:

“Chantal Wei-Ying Clement, who is working on the Appetite for a Change campaign, is lobbying Congress for healthy local and organic food to be included in the Child Nutrition Act. Click here to read Chantal’s first report reviewing the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations for updating the school lunch and breakfast programs.“

What you can do:

• Organic Consumers is urging everyone to get involved with the 2009 Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. The act is a good opportunity to create positive change. We can help change where the food comes from, how nutritious is it, and how healthy our kids will be.
• Read: How to Change School Food Policy: An Organizing Kit
  Write to Congress about the changes you’d like to see for school lunches.
• Send an action alert about school lunches to Congress.

What else you can do: Talk to your kids about making smart lunch decisions. Pack them a healthy lunch vs. giving them money to buy lunch. It may seem like more work, but my son goes to a private school with no lunch program at all and once you get into the swing of packing a lunch daily, you get fast.

Do you know what’s being served for lunch at your kid’s school? What do you think of the menu?

[images via stock.xchng and Organic Consumers]

Post from: Blisstree

Score Healthy, Local & Organic School Food

Concentrate Fruit Friendly Lunch Box from John Lewis – holds fruit safely! Very cool.

Lunch & Go Lunchbox from Aladdin.

Double Lunch Box (with name added) from Letterbox.

Find more… (including many eco-choices)

Modern Kids Lunch Tote

Metal Lunch Boxes

Pack Your Kids An Eco-Lunch

Simple Organic Cotton Lunch Bags

Earth friendly lunch boxes

Make Your Own Oilcloth Bags

Post from: Blisstree

Last Minute Lunch Boxes