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There is more to lunching green than salad… Do you pack a lunch for work or school? Ever stop to think about how much waste that generates? Between paper lunch bags, plastic sandwich bags, packaging, and wrapping…. It adds up to quite a bit.
Prefer to dine out instead? Do you generally drive to your favorite eateries? Ever consider how much fuel you are using to score your carryout?
The good news is that it is easy –and cheap- to reduce both your carbon footprint and landfill waste when it comes to the midday munchies.
Packaging. The first step to a greener lunch is to consider packing your lunch -at least a few times a week- to reduce fuel consumption. Buy a reusable lunch bag. eBags has a wide selection. Pottery Barn makes 2 monogrammable styles in multiple colors. Pristine Planet sells a variety of green lunch supplies, from lunch bags to reusable mats to keep sandwiches fresh.
 Another way to keep the lunch waste to a minimum is to use reusable, resealable plastic containers instead of plastic sandwich bags. Sure, you are can purchase these from Zip-loc, Glad, or Tupperware, but consider reusing the plastic containers that your groceries came in, e.g., whipped topping container, cottage cheese container, sour cream container, or lunch meat containers. Any resealable, dishwasher-safe container will do! Using a reusable lunch bag and plastic containers in place of disposable bags decreases waste sent to landfills.
What’s for lunch? Choose items with as little packaging, as possible. Organic fruits and veggies are a great way to go. They are typically grown with little environmental impact, often locally on small farms, and they come in their own biodegradable packaging. Eating organic decreases waste sent to landfills and reduces your carbon footprint because the food was not transported to your grocer’s shelves from hundreds of miles away. Eating organic also supports local growers and your local economy. So many benefits!
...And to drink? Choose a water bottle to refill and reuse, rather than disposable bottled waters, sodas, and juices. Camelbak and others are now producing BPA-free water bottles at a pretty minimal cost, considering the reuse you will get out of them. Reusing a water bottle will also cut down on your daily spending, on top of its green benefits.
Reusable coffee travel mugs are another great way to get green and happily caffeinated all at the same time. My favorite is the Oxo Goodgrips Liquiseal Travel mug. It does not leak – honest! I fill it faithfully at the coffee house or from my home coffee maker each day.
When you do go out for lunch, opt out of the paper receipt whenever you can. Many restaurants and coffee houses – and even gas stations - are now asking their customers if they want a receipt. Always decline whenever you can to cut down on waste.
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