We’re officially a few months into the school year and by now you’ve probably found a groove that works for your daily school prep. Wake up at 6 am, take a shower, get the kids up at 7 am, fix breakfast, pack lunches, carpool drop off line, rinse and repeat. Before it starts to feel like an old hat, now might be the perfect time to change up your routine and try a new way of packing lunch.
When sack lunches are a must have, you don’t want to stick with the same old thing everyday, especially if that thing travels to school in a plastic baggy that goes right into the landfill. According to Simmons National Consumer Survey during the year 2017, Americans used an estimated 21 or more sandwich bags per week.
We’ve rounded up our favorite Eco-friendly Essentials to help you liven up your routine and pack a plastic-free school lunch every day of the week.
Eco-Friendly Essential Tip 1: Use a reusable lunch sack
An insulated lunch sack will keep school meals the proper temperture and lower the amount of paper you consume each day. Made from recycled plastic, the Purple Owl Children’s Lunch Bag from Earth Hero is the perfect go to lunch bag for your little eco-warrior.
Large enough to fit a full meal and water bottle, this cute owl sack will bring a smile to your face each morning as you prepare lunch.
Eco-Friendly Essential Tip 2: Pack Utensils
Most schools do not provide true silverware, and one-time use plastics can become wasteful. If packing a lunch that requires cutlery, the Kids Bamboo Utensil Set will last meal after meal. The convenient stow case keeps utensils together and bamboo is both stain-resistant and dishwasher safe.
Eco-Friendly Essential Tip 3: Adopt Reusable Baggies
Small snacks on the menu? Get rid of plastic baggies you trash and start using Full Circle Home’s Reusable Snack bags. These BPA Free, food safe storage bags will become an essential item in your kitchen and the cute patterns will entertain the kiddos over mealtimes.
The Ziptuck Snack bags stand upright to make filling easy and seal with a leak-proof, air-tight lock.
Eco-Friendly Essential Tip 4: Use Beeswax Wraps
If you might usually wrap a sandwich or muffin in plastic wrap, swap out for Bee’s Wrap. Beeswax wraps are reusuable and can be used on bread, cheese, fruit or veggies. Simply use the warmth of your hands to tightly wrap the item you wish to pack in order to create an airtight seal that keeps food fresh. At the end of the day, rinse the wrap in cool water and lay flat to dry overnight.
Bee’s Wraps last for a year or more and will prevent hundreds of scraps of plastic wrap from making it into the water systems.
Eco-Friendly Essential Tip 5: Don’t stop at lunch
Lunchtime isn’t the only time you can be environmentally conscious! When school is through, bring the learning home and have your children finger paint or color an image of the planet while you prep dinner.
EcoKids provides non-toxic paints and crayons so your little artist can have a world of fun without being exposed to harsh chemicals or adding toxins to the water systems when playtime is over.
How to shop sustainably for lunch essentials and more
Being environmentally conscious goes beyond recycling a few cans here and there. The team of environmental experts at EarthHero have worked to curate the best sustainable products on the market, so you don’t have to hunt for the best way to be conscious of your impact on our environment. EarthHero sells only brands that are sourced, manufactured and shipped with both the health of our planet and those who inhabit it in mind.
As you navigate through their website, easy to understand icons appear on each product, outlining whether it is made from certain recycled materials, organic, or natural or low impact like compostable or BPA free products. EarthHero has truly made it easy to become an environmental hero and teach your children how to maintain the health of our planet for generations to come.
Looking for more ways to eliminate plastics? Check out our picks for products that help lower the plastics in the ocean.
