Eat Green!... School Lunches

Recently the New York Times did a wonderful profile on Michelle Obama's focus on healthy living, specifically healthful eating habits of fresh, unprocessed and locally grown foods. One step further to making changes in the food you eat at home is making changes to how you prepare & package your child's school lunches. Pottery Barn Kids has some great reusable lunch bags & boxes that will actually involve your children in everyday eco-friendly decision making. Bringing them into the process will help stir their imagination for other ways to live an environmentally conscious lifestyle (& did we mention they are cool & coordinated too?!).

Tips from Pottery Barn Kids on School Lunches going Green:

• A good reusable lunch box or bag eliminates the need to waste 180, or more, brown paper bags over the course of a school year. Plus, the insulation helps keep food fresh.
• Be sure to pack two cloth napkins – one can be used as a placemat to keep food off dirty lunch tables. 100% recycled paper napkins are a good alternative.
• Use reusable storage containers to pack sandwiches, snacks or leftovers. This will save hundreds of plastic bags per child, per year from winding up in landfills.
• Make sure you use a reusable bottle rather than juice boxes or plastic water bottles.
• Pack fresh fruit like apples, bananas and oranges for snacks because they need no wrap at all – nature has provided it already.