Laptop Lunch and the Bento Revolution

Lunch can be a difficult meal for a green connoisseur. Since most kids and adults are away from home at lunch time, options are often limited to buying a hot lunch from a questionable source, or packing your own. And while there are lots of points in favor of packed lunches, from using up leftovers to catering for personal tastes, there are also plenty of ecological pitfalls involved. In particular, packed lunches can generate lots of waste, whether you use pre-made items from the store or pack your own in brown bags and Ziploc baggies. There are also lots of good options in reusable lunch boxes, but the Laptop Lunch system stands out for a few different reasons. First of all, the basic component of the system is a box with four smaller compartments. Packing a lunch with several small dishes encourages you (or your kids) to eat a variety of foods and helps with portion regulation, but more importantly it's appealing and fun. For some healthy and sustainable inspiration, check out Vegan Lunchbox, an amazing blog about the intricate bento-style meals you can make with this system. (The author of the blog has published a cookbook on the subject, too, also called Vegan Lunchbox). As for the system itself, we recommend the hemp "Lunch Date" package ($114.99), similar to that shown above. This offer includes the basic container unit (made of recyclable BPA-free plastic), an ice pack, insulating sleeve, fork, spoon, thermos jar for extras like soup, and a steel water bottle. Plus, you get a beautiful hemp handbag to store everything in until lunchtime. Images from Laptop Lunch and Vegan Lunchbox.

How to Pack Eco-Friendly School Lunches for Your Kids

As a responsible parent, you probably spend time making sure you’ve provided a balanced and nutritious school lunch to keep your little one healthy. After all, every good choice you make for your child will benefit him or her. As you’re packing that lunch, are you also making good choices for the environment? Below, you’ll get some great tips on how to pack school lunches that are healthy for your child and the environment. Skip the Brown Paper Bags – This is an obvious benefit for the earth. When you skip the brown paper bags, you can help keep those bags out of landfills. You’re probably thinking you can pick up one of those vinyl reusable lunch bags for your child and be done with it…not so fast! Some vinyl lunch boxes contain lead and while the US Consumer Product Safety Commission says your child probably won’t be affected – why take the risk? A great alternative is the Hero lunch bag, which is 100% organic cotton and made in the US. It features a zippered top, making it easy for your child to use and when it gets dirty from all those yummy lunches you’ve packed, you can just toss it in the washer. The great news – it’s lead free. You can pick up one of these for about $25 each. No More Paper Napkins or Plastic Utensils – Paper napkins present the same problem as paper bags – more trees to cut down and more waste sitting in our landfills. Fabkins is helping with this dilemma with their adorable and reusable napkins for kids. Featuring bright colors and fun designs, Fabkins’ napkins are 100% cotton and machine washable. Your child is sure to love these as much as you do! You can get a set of 5 napkins for about $23. Pack reusable utensils for your child instead of the plastic disposable ones. It only takes a few extra seconds to wash them when your children get home, but it can do a lot to save our planet! Forget about Plastic Zipper Bags – Rather than putting sandwiches or other snacks in plastic zipper bags that will create more waste, try something reusable. The Wrap-n-Mat helps you solve this problem, providing an eco-friendly alternative to zippered plastic bags and giving your child a clean eating surface as well. You simply wrap your child’s sandwich or snacks in the mat, fold it and secure it closed. At lunch, your child can unwrap the food and use the mat as a clean eating area. It keeps your child’s food fresh and like the other products featured here – you can toss it in the wash to keep it clean. Other Tips for Packing Eco-Friendly School Lunches – Avoid individually packaged snacks like cookies and crackers. Instead, purchase larger boxes and place the snacks in a reusable container. Better yet, choose fruit like bananas, apples or oranges which come in their own eco-friendly packaging. Send your child to school with healthy, organic and locally grown foods. You only want the best for your child and these products make it easy to provide that – along with what’s best for our earth. Photos Courtesy of www.HeroBags.com, www.Fabkins.com, www.Wrap-n-Mat.com