Birthday Present to Myself

I got one for my friend's birthday, too. (Shhh... don't tell!)

Today is my birthday (yay!) and with working on lives focus to be kind and give back to others, I think it is important to not forget to take care of yourself, too. In light of this weeks theme: REUSE, I decided to purchased myself a reusable lunch bag to carry all of my reusable containers in instead of using plastic or paper bags. In my recent discovery of reusit.com, I was able to find this great bag with a good reminder on it.

Unfortunately for my wallet, but fortunate for the environment, I also found some other great items that made it into my shopping cart. Just a few more things I am able to reuse and transition out of using and tossing items.

Reusable napkins to go with my reusable lunch bag!

Kleenex replacement. Don't worry... I'll wash it!

Reusable veggie bags to use at the grocery store! Good bye plastic!

Looking for a present for yourself or for someone else? There are some great ideas, here!

Week 2: Reduce (Part II)

As a follow-up on how to reduce in our daily lives, Part II will focus on our daily lives during the lunch hour. Here you will read the cold hard fact, along with an easy solution. Enjoy!

Fact 1: Plastic disposable utensils: Plastic cutlery is non-biodegradable, can leach toxic chemicals when handled improperly, and is widely used. Worldcentric.org estimates 40 billion plastic utensils are used every year in just the United States. The majority of these are thrown out after just one use.

Solution: Don’t use the plastic one-time-use utensils. They may be convenient, but they’re not doing the environment any good. Instead, find ones that are biodegradable that you can compost after using or find a set that can be reused over and over again. Here is a large selection to choose from.

Fact 2: The Container Recycling Institute claims that 2.81 million juice boxes were sold in the U.S. in 2006, most of which cannot be recycled due to the inseparability of the cardboard, plastic, and aluminum foil used in the product. Also, an independent study done in June of 2010 by the Environmental Law Foundation found toxic levels of lead in more than 40 different juices and juice boxes.

Solution: Buying juice boxes is an easy solution to sending your kids something to drink in their lunch, but have you every really looking into what is in it? Sugar. So much sugar and after all of the processing that juice has been through, there are barley any nutrients left. Look into investing a juicer at home. You can make fresh juice (even add some vegetables without them knowing) and send it in a reusable container. Not only are you improving the environment, but you are also improving your families health. Win win.