I saw my first daffodil in my yard yesterday and after six months of snow, all I could do is smile at the sky and scream YAYYYY! But then I saw a plastic bag, caught in a branch in a roadside bush: A sad reminder it’s time to clean up.
April is a time of new beginnings. I think of it like a New Year’s for nature and as I look around at the strewn debris of winter in my yard, I resolve each year to be a better caretaker for this planet. If I can pick up my yard, what can I do to green up the rest of the globe? It doesn’t take much, just a few small changes that can have a big impact. Earth Day is only three weeks away but to get a head start, I’m posting a green tip a day.
Green Tip of the Day: Green Up Your Lunch Sundays and Mondays are when I like to plan my meals for the week ahead. One of the things I like to do is browse eatingwell.com for recipes that I can pack into a healthy meal to take to work. There are so, so many good reasons to do this:
1) It’s healthier than what I might grab at a nearby deli. 2) It’s will be portion controlled so I won’t be tempted to go for a larger serving size or to reach for the chips and candy at the checkout counter 3) It will help me use up leftovers 4) It will save me time, versus running out and then waiting in a lunch line 5) It will save me money
But an even better reason? I’m going to save on gas and plastic by packing what I like to call an “eco friendly” lunch. Did you know that lunches packed with disposable items, such as plastic baggies and yogurt containers, create an average of 67 pounds of waste per year, per person, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. That’s why eco-conscious California moms Amy Hemmert and Tammy Pelstring created a line of reusable bento-style containers called Laptop Lunches that make packing a lunch fashionable and launched a website of useful resources, Waste-Free Lunches (wastefreelunches.org) Read EatingWell Web Editor Michelle Edelbaum’s story about them and get more great ideas for pack-your-own lunches. What You Can Do: Try making your own waste-free lunches by using a “bento” box, a container popular in Japan that has portions for various foods. EatingWell has some amazing recipes such as Salmon Bento Salad or Pizza Roll-ups that kids will love and advice on where to find the bento boxes and how to put together lunches. Or try doing what many of us do at EatingWell and portion out yogurt into a ball jar and mixing in fresh, seasonal fruit. Instead of buying water or a soft drink, use one of the new glass water bottles Associate Nutriiton Editor Kerri-Ann Jennings writes about in the April issue of EatingWell from Bamboo Bottle, Takeya or Life Factor and learn about 9 must-have products to green up your kitchen from Web Writer Penelope Wall.
Speak Up! What are your best tips for greening up your lunch and your favorite EatingWell recipes for lunch on the go?
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