(written by Cherise Udell)
How is this for an incentive: create a waste-free school lunch every day and
save $250 per child! If you have two kids that is a $500 savings and essentially
a free weekend away with your sweetie! Four kids and your bank account will
bulge with an extra $1000. Hmmmm…what are all of the things you could do with
an extra $1,000….
Okay, other than saving money, why should you care about making waste-free
lunches? How about these scary numbers:
The average school-aged child generates 67 pounds of lunchbox trash per school
year. With approximately 25 million American children carrying lunch to school
five days a week that translates to 3.5 billion pounds of lunchbox
garbage each school year. YIKES!
Just consider the innocuous napkin: Americans use about 2,200 napkins a year,
per person, on average six a day, most of which end up in the trash, many
without even being used. In addition to napkins being tossed, plastic baggies,
tin foil, milk cartons, straws, plastic silverware and general plastic packaging
all follow with a kerplunk right into the trash bin. As our planet groans
under the weight of our human-generated trash (did you know there is an island
of trash floating in the Pacific ocean that is twice the size of Texas?!), we
need to re-evaluate our everyday habits. A waste-free lunch is an easy
achievable goal that can be put into practice with only a little preparation, so
ditch the disposables and show your kids you care about the planet and their
future.
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For more information about waste-free lunches, great lunchbox menu ideas and
reusable kid-friendly containers please visit these websites:
www.laptoplunches.com
Great selection of BPA, lead, PVC and phthalates-free bento boxes, plus a
creative menu archive with accompanying photos for inspiration.
www.kidskonserve.com
Fun BPA, lead, PVC and phthalates-free products. Offers a cost-comparison chart
to show you how much money you can save by replacing disposable items with those
that are reusuable.
www.wastefreelunches.org
Non-profit organization promoting waste-free lunches.
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By Cherise Udell
Founder, Utah Moms for Clean Air
utahmomsforcleanair.org
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