Fuel for School with Healthy Lunches!
180 school days means 180 lunches to plan and pack! Thankfully there are great options out there for fun, safe, and stylish lunch containers that will inspire you to get packing.
Growing Up Green - August 2010
180
school days means 180 lunches to plan and pack! Thankfully there are
great options out there for fun, safe, and stylish lunch containers that
will inspire you to get packing.
Packing healthy school lunches means starting with safer food and drink storage options.
Avoid vinyl (PVC) lunch boxes, which may contain lead and/or phthalates. For stand alone airtight food containers choose stainless steel, tempered glass, bamboo or BPA-free plastic. Here are some highlights:
Waste-Free Lunch Kits
(until 9/30)
Just enter "WTC" at checkout of the online store at www.ReUsies.com
For an all in one kit, check out the EcoLunchbag Kit from EcoLunchboxes, or the Waste Free lunch kit from Kids Konserve. Crocodile Creek offers themed lunchboxes you can wipe up with a damp cloth for easy cleaning. Components of a litter-free lunch might include cloth wraps, like these from ReUsies, and for items prone to leaking such as yogurt, this trio of stainless steel containers from Kids Konserve will do the job. www.reusablebags.com sells a variety of safer lunch packing options.
More Ways to Hydrate Safely
Choose unlined stainless steel for reusable drinking containers, such as Klean Kanteens. Try an insulated wide mouth stainless steel drinking container for hot and cold beverages -- or soups or smoothies! Thermos Food Jars are one example.
Pack 'em in: Organic Fruits and Veggies
Choose organic fruits and vegetables to limit your child's exposure to pesticides. Use the Environmental Working Group's "Shopper's Guide to Pesticides" to learn which produce is the most important to buy organic. Chances are your picky eater will have trouble resisting veggies packed into a colorful cloth wrap!
Additional Resources
- Safe Start for Kids: A WTC guide to Healthy Products for your family.
- Plastics 101: our quick guide to navigating the confusing world of plastics.
- Parents Guide to Safer School Supplies, from the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ).
- Safer Art and Hobby Supplies: A WTC guide to what supplies to choose, and which to avoid.
