Reuse, Reuse, Reuse
Lunch happens every day. Make yours a greener affair by stocking a sturdy lunch box with delectable, healthy fare.
Choose Snacks With Natural Wrappings
Individually wrapped snacks may be convenient, but they add more waste to your meal. Instead, toss a naturally wrapped snack -- like an apple, orange, peach or banana -- in the box.
Skip the Disposables
According to the EPA, plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. Who wants to lunch with that kind of guilt? Instead, stash bulk nuts or dried fruits -- which are earth-friendly and money-saving -- in a reusable bag.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle)
Stay hydrated throughout the day and during lunch with a reusable water bottle. Many come in adult- and kid-friendly designs, so everyone’s sure to find one they love.
Go Cloth
Add a reusable cloth napkin to your lunch, and you’ll be reducing paper waste and eating fancier too. For the kids? Outfit them with fabric markers and inexpensive white cloth napkins to create one-of-a-kind creations. Make sure the little artists add their signature so they can get it back in case of lunchroom losses.
Marisa Belger’s work has appeared in Travel + Leisure Family, Natural Health, Prevention
and TODAYShow.com, where she wrote a column about eco-friendly living. She was an editor at Lime.com and collaborated with author Josh Dorfman on his bestselling books, The Lazy Environmentalist
and The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget. She is the managing editor of and frequent contributor to
Green Goes Simple.