Green Savings Tip for School Lunch
When it comes to school lunches, finding healthy, organic foods that won’t break the bank and that are packaged sustainably can be quite a chore.
Juice packs are all the rage with kids. But did you ever look at the pile of juice boxes and plastic straws left over after lunch? What a waste of packaging and natural resources! Not to mention the expense of those little boxes! They’re certainly not cheap.
It’s not a good idea to save money by compromising on non-organic juice, particularly if it’s apple juice your child is drinking. Apples are heavily laden with pesticides, and childrens’ bodies are very sensitive to the chemical load of pesticides.
What to do? You can save money and reduce waste by purchasing a large container of organic apple juice and a re-usable juice box or thermos. Plus, you can dilute the apple juice with water to make it an even healthier treat for your child. Diluting with water also makes that large bottle last longer, making it less expensive. Works for me!
And just to make it even easier for you….here’s a link to a printable coupon for 75 cents off a large bottle of Santa Cruz organic juice. If there’s a Whole Foods near you, check out their house brand of 365 Organics – they’re considerably cheaper than the name brands, although with this Santa Cruz coupon, you’ll need to compare prices at your local store.
— Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2008
7 Responses to “Green Savings Tip for School Lunch”
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Great idea! I have been meaning to get a Foogo bz they are metal (trying to avoid plastic) for ages but they’ve been sold out. Know what type of plastic that is? Thanks! Jess
It’s a number 5, so not ideal from a recycling perspective, but better than throwing out juice boxes every week. It’s crazy that it’s still so hard/expensive to find ideal solutions – I often have to go with “better than the alternative” – which in this case was juice boxes. — Lynn
I am a BIG fan of pouring apple juice into smaller containers. Juice boxes make lots of waste and cost more than a single large juice bottle.
Have you tried the small, metal Sigg containers? The easily fit right into lunch boxes.
Hi Gruppie Girl – I couldn’t find them, so I sent DH on a mission to get something re-usable. It’s not perfect, but it’s a better solution than what I had previously. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the Sigg containers! — Lynn
I love Organic apple juice! There is nothing better it (except fresh squeezed)!
I really like your site! It’s very unique and I read the book, The Makers Diet, so we are almost all organic now!
Hey, thanks so much for the compliment on my site! That means a lot coming from you!
— Lynn
I’ll have to check out that book! I have a feeling we’ll be getting to know each other through the bloggy world!
Oops, there is nothing better than it!
Thanks for the tip. I’m just starting to work organic food into our budget slowly. Right now, I start off with milk and poultry. So I sure will check back your blog for more tips.
I send my husband and son to school with a cloth napkin and cloth sandwich wrapper (made by me). Very easy to whip up even with very basic sewing skills. Sigg bottles for drinks and tupperware for snacks. This way we have zero waste and usually the sandwich wrapper and napkin can be spot cleaned daily and then machine washed once a week. Bento boxes are also another great alternative!
Great! Been looking for info like this , thanks for posting, cinch diet.