THE ECO HAS LANDED

GREEN-MINDED MAMA FRANCESCA OLIVIERI SERVES UP HEALTHIER WAYS TO DO LUNCH

HOLD THE MAYO AND SKIP THE PLASTIC

It’s September—the start of a new school year.
Three kids. Busy is the only way to describe it.
If you have to pack lunch, a cheese stick, a single
serving of apple sauce or a yogurt, for instance, is
easy. You can buy a bunch all together, keep them
in the fridge and just throw one in the box each day.
No hassles, no fuss. I do it myself.

The problem is that some of these quick plastic fixes turn out to be really bad for us and the planet. Phthalates, which have been linked to a variety of diseases like autism and ADD, are in all those handy little wrappers. In addition, plastic is not biodegradable. All that wrapping from the cheese sticks stays in the dump for decades.

So now that I know the science, I need to come up with creative lunches for my kids that don’t include things like prepackaged cheese sticks, sandwich bags, juice boxes or apple sauce containers—plastic-free and packaging-free.

Pics to Inspire

It is too easy to get into a rut and provide the same turkey sandwich on wheat bread and an apple every day. What if instead you packed celery sticks with hummus, a fresh berry salad or slices of cheese and crackers? Check out this great collection of photos of lunches at Laptop Lunches for some inspiration.

Plastic-Free Shopping Tips

The next step is to plan ahead and buy fresh foods for the week.

Make a menu plan for the week. Read this article from Katherine Pennington, nutritionist and lifestyle counselor, for some great ideas for healthy lunches, including adding sauces or dressing for dipping vegetables and including multiple textures and colors in the lunch box.

Remember to bring your own shopping bags. You can also save plastic produce bags and reuse them. Or better yet, reuse glass jars—empty pickle or tomato sauce jars or air-tight containers.

Shop at farmers’ markets where you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid the salads that come in plastic bags or the cherry tomatoes in the plastic tubs.
Buy in bulk at places like Whole Foods or your local health food store.

When All Else Fails

This is clearly a bad habit, but when I am running late, I run over early in the morning to Yura, an amazing local store, where they have delicious premade sandwiches and chicken fingers. They are familiar with my stainless steel bento box. They weigh the box and then put the food directly into my container and weigh again, subtracting the weight of the box to figure out the cost. Not a proud moment in my lunch-making career, but there’s no packaging involved, and my daughter thinks of it as an amazing treat.

For some serious inspiration, read The Zero Waste Home blog for the extraordinary tale of a woman who has set out to rid her home of all waste. And you have to buy yourself one of my all-time favorite eco-things, the stainless steel bento boxes. Love them!

I will keep you posted on how successful I am at being plastic-free with my lunch preparation. And, of course, please send me your own ideas for school lunches.

In 2006, Francesca Olivieri co-founded the company sage baby, an online eco-friendly baby store offering everything from organic clothes and skincare to furniture. She also writes a monthly blog for Scenic Hudson as well as contributes articles to Daily Candy Kids, CitiScoop and NRDC’s Simple Steps. She continues to watch her green business grow while seeking to apply her values to her own home and family. Francesca lives in New York City with her husband and three kids, 9, 7 and 4.