http://www.care2.com/greenliving/school-lunches-why-not-go-waste-free.html
School Lunches: Why Not Go Waste Free?
We here in the U.S. are a society of convenience. We want everything quick, easily usable, pre-packaged, and single serving so we can grab, use, and dispose of. One place where this is more than apparent is in kid’s school lunches, specifically those that are sent from home. Parents are busy and as a result, have migrated to the idea of packing single serving pre-packaged foods for their kids. This is not only more expensive, but creates an incredible amount of waste as well. Statistically speaking, the average school lunch generates a staggering 67 pounds of waste. Translated to an average school, that’s 18,760 pounds of waste per year - and that’s for just one school. It’s insane.
The waste involved in these lunches isn’t the only problem though. For starters, there’s a health issue. Many of the pre-packaged foods contain preservatives and chemicals that are not part of a waste free lunch, especially where fresh fruits and veggies are involved. There’s a cost factor too. When the same two lunches are compared, pre-packaged to waste free, the waste free lunch comes out ahead by over a dollar a day, or approximately $240 per year! But most importantly, there is the message that we are sending our children. If their formative years include lunchtime routines that involve pre-packaged foods and the disposal of tremendous amounts of packaging, they will grow up to believe that this is the way things should be, when in fact they are not.
So starting tomorrow, if you have kids, why not make the move towards waste free lunches. Don’t have kids, no problem, bringing your own to the office has just as many benefits as it does for school kids.
The first thing you want to do is say no to pre-packaged. Most of the foods that we send our kids off to school with are available in bulk and or fresh and are that much better for them. Fresh cut carrots versus that little bag of carrots that’s who knows how old. A glob of yogurt in a small re-usable container (from a larger container that you have bought) versus those yogurt tubes that seem to be all the rage. A reusable water bottle versus a toss away juice box. Take a look at your child’s lunch tomorrow and pick one thing that you can cut out and see how that goes, then work your way forward until you’ve conquered the whole beast.
Here are a few other ideas as well:
• Pack a reusable napkin instead of paper.
• Re-usable silverware instead of plastic.
• Re-usable sandwich bags like these.
• A re-usable lunch box system with individual compartments like this.
• Why not dust off that old lunch box and have your kids go retro.
*A quick note to point out that I’m not advocating going out and buying more stuff to help you with wasting less, but there are those who need the option, so I’m passing it along. If your kitchen is anything like ours, you’ve saved all sorts of containers over the years that will do just fine.*
The bottom line is that if we look at what we are doing and take a second to recognize how out of wack it all is, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what the alternatives are. In fact, in most cases, you’ll recognize that the “alternatives” are actually the things that were being done 50 years ago before the age of plastic and individual packaging. Just pretend that there are no pre-packaged choices and you’ll be surprised at what you’ll come up with. It’ll be healthier for your kids, save you money in the long run, and most importantly, show them that the “easier” way is not always the best way.
Have any other tips from where you live? Shoot them on over and good luck going waste free.
Dave Chameides is a filmmaker and environmental educator. His website and newsletter are designed to inspire thought and dialogue on environmental solutions and revolve around the idea that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something. “Give people the facts, and they’ll choose to do the right thing.”
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9 comments
add your comment »I'm in the same boat as Marie! My 8-yr-old stepdaughter often forgets to bring things home. And on top of that, one week she's with us & the next with her mom. ANYTHING that goes to her mom's house is never seen again. So...my husband & I have decided that being "green" in this case is difficult. Luckily, she gets the school lunch, so we only have snack to deal with. We would love to get her a Klean Kanteen rather than a juice box, however, the odds of it disappearing are too great. (And the school discourages bringing in glass bottles & plastic is a no-no.) I have, however, stopped putting snacks in plastic bags & opted for reusing those small, flat cream cheese containers. They don't take up much room, snacks don't get crushed & if she looses the container, so what?! Of course, she has yet to forget the freebie containers! Now if I had paid $5 for it...
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All good in theory, but My son can't remember to bring his sweater, lunchbox, etc home! Doubt he would remember do bring back all these great items...ah the joys or parenting and trying to be green...great suggestions about using your Cream Cheese container as well as others...why don't those kinds of things cross my mind??? you think they would since I am 8 of 10 children and my Mom made use of everything! Great site..love the comments :)
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I actually ordered some ReSnackIt bags for my kids and myself and we love them. Easy to clean out and ready to go the next day...
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I'm all for using the re-usable sandwich/snack containers, but not in favor of putting them in the clothes washing machine. It has been suggested that much bacteria lives on in the washer and can contaminate the containers. I would use the dishwasher, personally, well...if I had one. I just wouldn't wash a food container in the same machine that I use to launder under garments. Of course,
that is just me being picky, I suppose.
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When life was simple nothing went to waste in our home because we couldn't really afford a lot of things.
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At our Montessori School when my son was little we emphasized healthy eating and environmentally friendly packing. We strived to achieve "garbage free" lunches and while we were never 100% successful the emphasis really brought focus to the problem and gave parents some "cover" to resist kid demands for all the single serve foods.
By the way Elizabeth Z., reclosable bags can be reused over and over as long as they are properly washed, I use cotton swabs to make sure the corners are clean. We try not to use them much but never throw them away until they're damaged.
I would also suggest that rather than reusable sandwich bags that can be hard to keep clean try sandwich containers. They are much easier to keep clean as they can go into the dishwasher and they last for years!
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We reuse all those endless butter, cream cheese, and yogurt containers, so that any packaging that enters our house gets at least a second run before being thrown out. They have been the handiest addition to our daughter's lunchbox. I also wash barely-used ziplock bags for a second run, although we always stop there. It just never made sense to throw them out after only one use if it wasn't goopy and/or meat.
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Great links! I have been looking for a bento type system for my kids lunches.
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thanks for the link to the reusable sandwich bags - I do make my kids' lunch and pack most of it in reusable containers, but have not had time to shop around for reusable sandwich bags, although I knew they had to exist. perfect!
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