Welcome back for part two of our three part series of back to school green tips that will help you make this school year a little more eco-friendly. When starting a new school year you are given a fresh start and can break old habits. One of the worst offenders for school waste is lunches. The average American school-age child throws away 67 pounds of packaging a year including plastic water bottles, sandwich baggies, and juice boxes.  With the population of kids in the US alone accounting for over 70 million, that’s over 4.6 trillion pounds of packaging.

Here are some simple and easy green tips that will help you reduce landfill waste and the carbon footprint of your kid’s lunch:

1. Pack a lunch. This is a great tip especially for older kids. Instead of eating unhealthy cafeteria food, bring lunch with you. This way kids can eat something nutritious that they will enjoy. Not to mention there will be less waste, as there will not be a paper plate, disposable fork, or plastic drink bottle.
2. Reusable bottles. Theses don’t have to be boring, just look at our line of stainless steel bottles which give you sizes and rainbow of colors to choose from. Not to mention they’re on sale and currently range in price from $7-$10. By switching to reusable stainless steel bottles you can buy your family’s favorite drinks in bulk and refill the bottles.  By purchasing one large container of sports drink you are saving money and putting less plastic in landfills, by not buying a case of individual bottles. Not to mention kids can refill these sustainable bottles at school water fountains rather than purchasing another drink.
3. Reusable lunch bags.  Switching to a reusable lunch box (like Planet Forward’s Urban Epicurean currently half-price at $7.50CAD) instead of plastic or paper bag you are cutting down on waste.
4. Food storage containers. Don’t pack your child’s sandwich in a plastic baggie or wrap it in wax paper, it’s just making waste. If you buy appropriate Tupperware you can drastically reduce the carbon footprint of their lunch. Think of it this way, if you put their sandwich in a plastic bag everyday, you could be putting approximately 200 of those bags in landfills—not to mention snacks. Buy smaller containers for snacks. Even if you want to send them to school with cookies or some other little treat, don’t buy the individual bags, buy a large bag and just fill a little container. These tips will reduce your shopping list, save you money, and help the environment.
5. Reusable cutlery. You can purchase sets of sturdy plastic cutlery, which come in a little carrier box. That way kids can bring anything they like to school with them for lunch and you won’t have to keep disposable cutlery in the house.
6. Stock up on organic and/or locally grown in-season produce. Everyone knows the benefits of organic foods. However, by buying local and in-season you will also be reducing your food costs and carbon footprint.
7. Fruits that come in “wrappers.” By purchasing foods like a bananas or apples you don’t need to find a way to wrap them up…they are the ideal zero waste food for lunches.

Hopefully these back to school green tips will help you and your family rethink how lunches are packed. These may seem like simple, common sense ideas, because they are. Just remember KISS when packing a lunch Keep It Simply Sustainable.