Green Sins

I love my sleep.  That in and of itself is not necessarily a sin, but the actions that arise from my love of sleep may be considered to be such.  For instance, though my alarm clock goes off at 8:30, I'm sound asleep until 8:50 and bounding out the door by 9:00.  This leaves very little time for lunch preparation.  Which leads me to my green sin of the day...TAKEOUT FOOD.  The food itself isn't harmful to the environment (just my sodium levels), it's the packaging that's the real culprit!  From plastics printed with numbers beyond my recyclable "1" & "2" friends, to excessive paper, styrofoam or aluminum, our office kitchen garbage can is often overflowing with the ugly stuff. 

How do I solve this problem?  Aside from preparing my lunch the night before and packing in reusable containers, this is honestly something I don't have figured out just yet.  So for now, here is my confession. I'll keep you updated on my attempts at reconciliation.

Comments

[kc]

I was faced with the same dilemma. I now pack breakfasts and snacks of cereal, mixed fruit, carrots, granola, nuts, and yogurt in their own, separate Tupperware for me and my kids every Sunday night. Lunches I do the night before in Tupperware.

I also set my coffee maker the day ahead and bring two XO ccups (don't leak) and a camelback bottle of ice water to work in my insulated bag.

Honestly, I just divide it all up in an hour or so once on Sunday and then I can grab and go during the week!

My downfall is juice boxes and milk boxes. My kids need a drink at school. I send them with a sippy cup, but it won't last throughout the day! Perhaps I need to get them camelback bottles too (but how much refrigerator space will that eat up????!!!)

[Susan Smith]

I also pack my lunch whenever I can. I do enjoy the indulgence of fast take out food at times. I have gotten better at telling them to not put plastic silver ware and paper napkins in my bag. I have even given them the bag back at times. But the biggest concern I have is when I go places that serve food in styrofoam containers. I wish that we would be offered an opportunity to bring in a clean reusable tray and a reusable drink cup. We could buy it the first time we use it and then bring it back the next time. I hope that this will be an option available at some point.

[Doreen]

These suggestions are great and its what I do also.
However I have friends whose lifestyles (and sleeping styles) don't allow this and I am not here to judge.This might sound far out but try it - pack an empty tupperware and ask for the restaurant to use that to pack your meal instead of those awful disposable stuff. It works! They do it.