Kids Konserve introduced me to the 4th and 5th R this week… Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover and REMEMBER! I have about 10 reusable shopping bags because I have forgotten to Remember to put them in the car. It’s so easy to forget to bring a reusable bag, easy to forget your reusable cup, forget to pack your lunch… I can go on because I have a horrible memory. But once you train yourself to do these things and they become habits and the Remembering part becomes second nature- just like reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Earth Year 2011 is dedicated to making A Billion Acts of Green happen before 2012. Waste Reduction is a category for green act pledges, and I thought this would be a perfect time to pledge to Remember to pack a greener lunch! Packing your own lunch to take to work, school, the park, or even when you know you will be out and about, cuts back on literally TONS of waste.

Here are some lunch related statistics:

• The National Park Services estimates that America produces more than 250,000 square miles of plastic wrap every year – enough to shrink wrap the state of Texas

• They also predict that Americans go through 25 billion plastic bottles every year! If 1 out of 10 plastic bottle are recycled, 200 million pounds of plastic would be saved yearly from landfills
• The Clean Air Counsel says that the average American office worker uses about 500 disposable cups each year and consumes 2.5 cans of soda per day

• Earth 911 said that every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times
• Clean Air Counsel also said that plastic bags do not biodegrade. Light breaks them down into smaller and smaller particles that contaminate the soil and water and are expensive and difficult to remove

• Waste Free Lunches say that a person who brings disposable lunches (plastic bags, juice boxes, plastic silverware, wrappers) to work or school creates an average waste of 67 pounds during the year

Last week for my birthday we took a picnic lunch to our local botanical garden. I used our Kids Konserve lunch kit, which includes: a lunch bag, 2 stainless steel containers, a water bottle, a food kozy (sandwich wrap), and reusable napkin. Since I packed for 2, I also added a yogurt container and packed another sandwich in a reused bag that came with shredded carrots. I chose all finger foods so no utensils were needed.

We stored grapes and local cheeses in the Kids Konserve stainless containers. I packed them the night before, so the stainless steel containers kept the food nice and cold. The stainless water bottle has a clip that attaches to the lunch bag, which is awesome to keep up with! I love the reusable napkin, which matches the kit. The kit is perfect for adults and kids!

This is from the Kids Konserve website:

“How is Kids Konserve different from other waste-free lunch systems?

Non-Toxic: Our complete line of reusable waste-free lunch packing products are made from the safest, non-leaching, non-toxic, BPA, PVC, phthalate, and lead-free materials! That is a mouthful, but true! Lead, BPA, PVC, and phthalates are substances that are known to be harmful to our bodies with repeated exposure.

Stainless Steel: We offer a wide range of 304 food grade stainless steel solutions as it is proven to be the safest material to house food in.

Product Line: Our products are what we call ‘eco-chic’, and graphically appealing to kids and adults alike. Kids Konserve Waste-free Lunch kits are designed to be fun, stylish, and easy for kids to use, while offering maximum convenience and flexibility for parents. Our reusable product line gives you convenience of coordinated lunch kit components that may be used together in our Waste-free Lunch Kit or in a lunch box of your choice. All with the underlying aim of creating a Zero Waste Lunch.”

During the month of April, you can get 20% off all Kids Konserve by entering reuse2011 at the checkout!! They also have some amazing deals like $6 stainless bottles!

Do you pack your own lunch? What are some of your favorite green lunch foods?