5 Ways to Make Your Kids’ Lunches “Green”
There’s no better way to protect future generations than to instill the concept of sustainability in our children. And it starts with their lunches
It’s time to ditch plastic, one-time use packaging and consider sustainability when we’re grocery shopping. Fifty percent of the plastic we use is used only once and then just thrown away. That plastic packaging contributes to the billions of pounds of plastic polluting our oceans. What a waste! Fortunately, I have five plastic-free and eco-friendly steps to make your children’s lunches green.
1. Stainless Steel Lunch Boxes and Containers
Purchase a modern, plastic-free lunch box container for your little ones. Lunchbots makes bento box style stainless steel containers with one to five compartments. Klean Kanteen makes small cute little stainless steel containers. Instead of using plastic Tupperware containers or plastic bags, pack lunch in these containers. The compartments in the bento boxes make it easy to combine lunch and snacks into one container.
2. Beeswax Sandwich Wraps
If you usually make sandwiches for your children, use beeswax sandwich wraps instead of the traditional tin/aluminum foil or plastic bags. These wraps last for about one year, so just one beeswax wrap eliminates 180 plastic bags or pieces of tin foil! Bee’s Wrap products are excellent.
3. Produce and Tote Bags
When you go to the supermarket for your weekly grocery shop, bring produce and tote bags to avoid using the one-time use plastic bags. Those single use bags contribute to the approximately 500 million plastic bags used annually and one million plus bags used every minute. If you forget your produce and/or tote bags at home, don’t worry! You can always just throw your fruits and vegetables into your cart loose. And remember to stock up on package-free, healthy snacks. Bananas, apples, and oranges are great snack options for both kids and adults and they have natural packaging protecting them.