How to Pack an Eco-Friendly School Lunch
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA 
on 09. 5.07
Photo credit: e_hmm
Using reusable containers, instead of single-use disposable brown bags, of course, is a garbage-reducing no-brainer, especially considering that U.S. residents, businesses, and institutions produced more than 245 million tons of trash in 2005 alone, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Just be sure to avoid lead-containing vinyl lunch boxes.
If you want to give your future honors student a real head start, forget the mini-packs of Cheetos and Doritos. Apples, oranges, bananas, and other fruit are heathful, waste-free snackables that come with their own compostable wrapping. For extra credit, instead of throwing out enough plastic zippered baggies to smother a herd of rhinos, consider a reusable option such as the Wrap-n-Mat, which you can easily wipe down or toss into the wash. ::Gaylord Herald
Difficulty level: Easy
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I like the wrap-n-mat idea! And while I know that taste is entirely subjective -- de gustibus et coloribus non disputandum est -- but why are they all so ugly?
I like the wrap-n-mat idea! And while I know that taste is entirely subjective -- de gustibus et coloribus non disputandum est -- why are they all so ugly?
"Using reusable containers, instead of single-use disposable brown bags, of course, is a garbage-reducing no-brainer, "
It really isn't. The energy cost of making a steel lunchbox is hundreds of recyclable lunch-bags worth. (Re-using a brown paper bag a couple of times is much more of a no-brainer.)
But AP, think of it this way. There are something like 200 school days per year (and a lot of kids whose parents work go to summer day camps where they continue to bring lunch). If the production of a metal lunchbox is "worth" 200 paper bags, that evens out for a year's use. But if you keep using that metal lunch box next year, the lunch box pulls ahead. I used my Muppet Show lunchbox for all of elementary school, and when I started buying cafeteria lunch in high school, it became nifty storage on my dresser. I sold it at a garage sale only a few years ago, so I'd like to think somebody out there is still using that 25 year old lunch box for something. Even if just as a "collectible".
Beat that, paper bags!
Definitely checkout Laptop Lunches and their reusable bento box containers..very cool. The link above is to a podcast show interview I did with their founder recently.
The wrap-a-mat is great, my wife and I are both teachers therefore plenty of people see and comment on them. The great benefit is seeing others use them later. However, do not put them in the dryer, like a friend of mine did.
I had been hunting around for no-waste lunch solutions for awhile, but I kept seeing plastic and more plastic. I had a hard time finding options that didn't involve plastic, with all of its issues during its lifecyle.... starting with its conception to its potential for leaching during use and finally its accumulation in our landfills. I came up with an ECOlunchbox Kit that worked well for my family and now I'm making it available to others through my Website www.ecolunchboxes.com
I hope you take a peek and let me know what you think!