Laptop Lunches

Until tomorrow, 12/16/08, Laptop Lunches is offering 20% off any purchase on their site. I used this opportunity to replace my kids’ insulated carrying cases, which after 3 years of use, were pretty ragged.

In addition to lunch boxes, they also carry stainless steel water bottles, insulated lunch jars and beautiful adult lunch sets which would make any office-goer happy. A great way to get a couple items off your holiday gift list. Better yet, make a pledge to go trash-free in the new year!

Salad for lunch

Susana, who has 3rd graders and preschoolers, sent these tips on how her family is reducing lunch waste:

To avoid waste from the get-go, we make an effort to buy organic food that is as minimally packaged as possible, or at least packaged in compostable containers.

My daughters have had the same lunch boxes since they were 2 1/2, when they started preschool. If their main meal is a salad, we use a reusable container for it. If they take a stew, we use a thermos. They always take a regular, metal spoon or fork that come back home.

For snacks, such as nuts or carrots or raspberries, we use reusable containers. We also buy yogurt and hummus in large containers and put a smaller amount into reusable tupperware for them to take to school.

As for water, they use the water fountains at school. A little walking never hurt anyone!

The one thing we haven’t solved is the napkin. We still use paper, and I haven’t found a kind of recycled paper napkin that doesn’t smell!

Photo courtesy of Catsper.

Lisa, who has a 1st grader and preschooler, sent these tips on how her family is reducing lunch waste:

This year, my kids and I have made a few changes to their lunches that have been very convenient and greener.

We replaced Ziploc bags with small plastic reusable containers. There are plenty of choices for these small containers, but I have a preference for the fun rainbow colored sets you find in the toddler section. Cut fruit, crackers, pretzels, cookies, etc. all fit in easily.  It’s really quick to pop them in the dishwasher, and they are ready to go again.

Another change we have made is replacing juice boxes with Thermoses.  We found a nice selection of stainless steel ones with built-in straws at Target, with various kid themes.  An added benefit is that because they are insulated, I throw away a lot less old, gross, forgotten juice.

With both of these changes, I like that we’re being more ecological and more cost effective.  An excellent extra bonus is fewer items on my shopping list!

Photo courtesy of Thermos.

Green:

• Include items that can be purchased in bulk, such as dried fruit and nuts
• Include items that come in their own natural packaging, such as bananas, oranges and hard-boiled eggs
• To avoid food waste, cut fruits and vegetables into pieces so that your child can eat some at lunchtime and save the rest for a later snack

Greener:

• Use a thermos or other reusable bottle for drinks, reusable plastic containers for food, and utensils that can be washed and reused
• Label all containers and water bottles to ensure they will make it back home
• Avoid throwaway bags, plastic wrap, foil, single-use cans and cartons and paper napkins
• Pack lunches in lunch boxes, small packs or cloth bags

Greenest:

• Purchase or make cloth napkins that your child can decorate
• Invite children to help plan, prepare and pack their own lunches
• Prepare extra food at dinnertime and use leftovers for lunch
• Pack lunches the night before and store in the refrigerator overnight

- Pregnant women and children should limit their consumption of canned foods, the liners of which can contain BPA. Rinsing canned fruits and vegetables before consuming may be helpful.

- Avoid putting plastic containers in the microwave, and wash plastic containers by hand or in the top rack of the dishwasher

- Chose powdered formula for your baby, if they tolerate it. Avoid canned formula.

- Chose glass containers if you can.

How are you reducing BPA plastic in your home?

5 Reasons to bring your own water bottle

• It is more cost-effective to drink tap water (NY Times)
• Tap water is safer to drink; it is more highly regulated than bottled water
• Bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year (NY Times)
• Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 cars for a year (NY Times)
• At least 40 percent of bottled water is tap water anyway (Natural Resources Defense Council)

Sources: Break the Bottled Water Habit, Lighter Footstep, and Acterra.

Webb Ranch Pumpkin

While trolling the net today, I found a couple great blogs with ideas for making Halloween a little greener. Over at the Crunchy Domestic Goddess, Amy gives some great suggestions for alternatives to Halloween candy. And the Green Mommy Guide has put together an entire Hallow-Green Guide for 2008, with suggestions on everything from green decorations to avoiding plastic costumes.

At our house, we have a big box of old costume stuff, bits and pieces we picked up along the way (a good deal of it from Ultimate Frisbee tournaments of the past!), and the kids love the opportunity to pick through it and see what they would like to be. We also encourage making costumes from stuff on hand – this year, our son wants to be a computer and is currently working with his dad to figure out how to make an old box look like a laptop.

As for treats, I liked the idea of Clif Kid Organic ZBars. We let our kids go trick-o-treating of course, but at our house, we have a candy buy-back program. For each piece of candy, I give them $.10. Works great for my son who is very fiscally motivated; less well for my daughter, although she has decided to save up for an iPod, so it might be easier this year. Last year, one of our local dentists collected all the candy and gave tooth brushes. Not sure what he ended up doing with it, and part of me is concerned about the overall waste, but my motto is to do what you can!

What is your favorite green Halloween idea?

“The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.”

Do you have any shopping recommendations you would like to share? Let us know!

Idle Free New Jersey, from Clean Water Action

New Jersey Environmental Federation is encouraging folks to turn off their cars instead of idling, especially around schools. Did you know that idling for 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting the car? Check out Clean Water Action for more details.