Today is Blog Action Day. Over 15,000 bloggers around the world will be writing a post today about how to improve the environment. Here is my contribution.

Every day I pack lunches for three of my children. And every day I am disgusted about the amount of trash that one lunch can generate. Everything comes prepackaged these days. On the extreme side you could get away without actually preparing anything - think Uncrustable PB&J, applesauce individually packed and plastic spoon, bag of crackers or cookies, and juice box or water bottle. Sure, it’s convenient but this kind of a lunch is horrible for the environment.

My way of fighting back is reusable containers. My kids each have two Thermos’. One is for holding a drink - I pack them milk from home every day. If they bought milk at school it would cost me more money and the carton that they drank from would become trash. Their other Thermos is a wide mouth bottle. Perfect for packing hot soups, warm leftovers, even chicken nuggets that I heat up in the morning. The kids say that their food is still hot at lunch time and quite delicious. This is a bit more work for me as I have to wash out the containers every night but the kids get a hot meal and they don’t create more trash.

I also use reusable containers to pack their side dishes like sliced fruit, carrot sticks, a few chips, crackers, or cookies. Nothing gets crushed, what could be better? I even make Jell-O in reusable containers with lids. These are excellent for lunchboxes or desserts. Why buy the expensive single serve variety when you can so easily make your own for less? Or try making some homemade Rice Krispie Treats instead of the prepackaged kind. (For those with allergies this recipe is easily morphed into dairy free Rice Krispie Treats).

And let’s not forget the lunchbox itself. (Find personalized lunchboxes at Lillian Vernon: Lunch box camouflage pink) Instead of brown bags a reusable lunchbox protects food better and keeps it fresher.

You can use the same philosophy for parent lunches. If possible, take your lunch to work (in reusable containers) instead of eating out. You’ll save money and the environment too!