Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Packing Lunches Part II

Now that you've got a healthy menu, let's check out clever waste reducing ways to pack it. On average a school age child using disposable lunch packing materials generates 67 lbs of waste per school year. For the average size elementary school, that adds up to 18,760 lbs a year!

Sandwich containment:
Wrap N Mat is a great alternative to plastic baggies. It is designed to securely wrap around your sandwhich to ensure the contents stay put, plus it doubles as a place mat in case that cafeteria table or park bench isn't the cleanest. The mats are machine washable and rather fashion friendly. $4.99 to $6.50


All In One:
Laptop Lunches are American sytle bento-boxes designed to be practical and Earth friendly. The boxes themselves are made from corn starch. No PVCs here! The containers fit neatly together and to display your lunch beautifully and eliminate the need for aluminum foil or plastic baggies.


Lunch boxes:
If you are looking to avoid plastic lunch boxes, stainless steal ones are still around.
Fabric is fabulous too, try Mimi the Sardine which offers acrylic coated cotton bags with nylon lining. Made is San Fransisco and produced in accordance with strict environmental laws.


Drinks:
Sigg and Nalgene are the most popular, and for good reason. SIGG bottles are manufactured in an ecologically-friendly environment and are 100% recyclable, non-toxic and dishwasher safe. SIGGs lining is resistant to fruit juice acids and won't carry the taste of your last drink. The liner reduces the chances of bacteria build-up and will not flake or chip even if dented.
Nalgene bottles are extremely durable, resistant to retaining odors and staining. They are top rack dishwasher safe and
withstands temperatures from -211ºF to 275ºF. Yup. They've been up Everest and back.

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