Green School Lunches That Won’t Turn Your Child Green
Aug 13, 2007 Budget Environmentalism, Eco Friendly Parenting
School is going to start up again very soon in my area. My daughter will be entering kindergarten this year, and I’m having to face making lunches for her to bring to school, as her class runs until 1:00 in the afternoon.
I’ve had to deal with snacktime during her time in preschool, but this will be the first time I have to get her a lunch ready. And she loathes peanut butter, which has to be “genetic” or something. I don’t like it either, nor does my paternal grandmother. And yes, I am pretty much joking about the genetic aspect. It’s just funny seeing so much of that in one family.
I’m loving the sound of the Laptop Lunches Bento Box from ReusableBags.com. They look so clever, and would give me the flexibility I think I’ll need to cope with such a picky eater. 5 reusable containers in one box, and the option to buy a sleeve with room for an ice pack to keep things cool.
I should take back that picky eater part, though. She’s not that picky in a lot of ways. Loves most vegetables and fruits. It’s just the classic lunch foods that disinterest her.
What’s really nice is that they include a little recipe book with the box. I know I need ideas! I have about a week and a half before school starts (yes, midweek).
So far, I’m thinking pasta salads, rice dishes, nuts, and of course lots of fruits and vegetables. Many of these I need to test on her to figure out which she will enjoy day after day. Much too hard to make a single serving for just one 5 year old. I’d rather make enough to not need to prepare something every day.
I just love the idea of being able to provide her with healthy lunches without all the disposable junk that so often accompanies children’s lunches at school. Last year she was almost the only kid in her preschool class using reusable containers for snacktime – beyond the lunch bag the snacks were carried in, of course.
What do you have your kids bring to school for their lunches? Do their schools offer a good lunch?
Technorati Tags: back to school, school lunches, bento box, laptop lunches
Office Depot’s Green Tips
Aug 10, 2007 Eco Friendly Home, Environmentally Friendly
I was reading over at TreeHugger about the work Office Depot is doing to encourage people to be more green. I’d noticed the campaign before, but hadn’t looked at it much. I buy office supplies so rarely.
They have a pretty good guide for buying green on their site, as well as other information for those wanting to consider the environment as they shop.
No matter where you do your shopping, having an idea as to how to keep it greener is nice. So much comes down to simply recycling and using recycled items, along with knowing how much you really need to buy.
At this time of year, I’m more interested in how to green my school supply shopping than anything else. In some ways that’s similar to how you shop for an office, especially as the kids get older. My daughter is entering kindergarten, however, so there aren’t too many similarities yet. She just has so few needs.
Technorati Tags: office depot, green office supplies
Newsweek and the Global Warming Hoax
Aug 9, 2007 Environmental News
Looks like the current Newsweek should be an interesting read. I read about it over on Green Options. They’re looking into the global warming deniers. You can read the article online, which saves needing to buy the magazine.
With a $10,000 reward for scientists willing to deny global warming, the people who don’t want it to exist are pretty serious about making it look bad. Never mind the chances that it’s a real problem. They’d rather keep earning their money without worrying about consequences.
I’ve said it before. Global warming or no, the environment needs better care. We’ve made progress in some ways through the years, and now have more rules protecting the environment from the most obvious of abuses. But global warming is one heck of a risk to take.
Let’s see… if we’re wrong about global warming and/or the causes, the worst that happens is we spend money cutting back on pollution for no reason.
At best, we give the human race a chance to survive in reasonable comfort. Hmm… that’s such a difficult choice, really. Your money or your life, potentially.
Go read the article. It’s always good to keep up on what the naesayers are trying to get people to believe.
Technorati Tags: global warming, global warming hoax, politics, newsweek
Getting Out of the House
Aug 7, 2007 Eco Friendly Parenting, Going Green
Have you taken much advantage of summer yet?
Getting out into nature is an absolute must so far as I’m concerned. I don’t much care whether it’s a trip to the beach, camping or hiking, but I love to get my family out and active.
I’ll be the first to admit that this is not easy. It’s especially true in my case where we only have one car, so if my husband is at work the rest of us are limited to where we can walk to. No problem – the park is about 10-15 minutes away by foot, even with kids. And they do love the playground there.
But for serious, getting out of the house stuff, we haven’t done that well this year. Not the way I would like, at least. No camping trips yet, and none on the horizon. It’s just been a busy, busy summer.
We are taking a trip soon, but it’s to visit my dad, not to camp or anything like that. It’s been about 3 years since we went to his house (but we’ve seen him other times), so we’re really due for that as I see it. But I’m thinking if we can swing it, next year needs a nice, long camping trip. We’ve really done much too little of that.
What is your family’s favorite way to get out of the house?
Technorati Tags: family, parenting, environement, getting outside, getting out of the house, vacations, hiking, nature
