In the middle of a long day of studying at school, your child needs a good nutritious lunch. Here’s how you can provide optimum nutrition, support your child’s health, and help the environment, too.

Lunch Boxes

If your child takes a lunch to school, the first question is: what to put it in? 

While the traditional brown paper bag is made with recycled material, it’s better for the environment and your bank account to choose a reusable lunch bag or box.

The problem is, many lunch bags and boxes are made from vinyl, which often contains lead (tests show that some, but not all vinyl lunch bags contain lead, but it’s impossible to tell which without testing). When children carry these bags, lead gets on their hands and when they touch their food and eat it, lead gets in their mouths. Lead in the amount equal to one granule of sugar per day can cause children to have permanent neuropsychological defects and behavior disorders such as noticeable learning difficulties, poor scores on IQ and development tests, and short attention spans. So a vinyl lunch bag or box isn’t the best thing to send to school.

There are several good options. One is the cotton lunch bag with Velcro closures, even better would be a lunch bag made from organically-grown cotton. Then there are insulated bags made from recycled juice boxes. Both are available at reusablebags.com. They also have an ingenious sandwich wrapper made from cotton with a food-safe plastic liner. You just wrap the sandwich, secure the Velcro closure, and when opened, it becomes a placemat! As you reuse it, you will keep hundreds of plastic bags out of landfills and save money too. And they carry reusable bottles for water and other beverages.

If you prefer a metal lunchbox, these can be purchased at lunchboxes.com if you don’t find one locally.

Organic Lunch

It has been well documented that good nutrition contributes to good education. Children who get good nutrition have improved learning ability, attention and memory, better brain development and cognitive function, an improved sense of well being, and score better on standardized tests. 

Organically grown foods are known to have more nutrients than foods grown by standard agricultural methods, and they do not contain harmful pesticides. Organically-grown foods taste better too!

Be creative when making school lunches for your children. The traditional PB&J can be made with organic peanut butter, sugar-free organic whole fruit spread, and whole grain bread. Include raw vegetables with a tasty dip. Get your kids involved in choosing and creating their own healthy lunches by giving them a variety of organic whole foods to taste and finding out what they like.

Washing Hands

Some schools are now asking parents to send hand sanitizer to school with their kids. The main ingredient in most hand sanitizers is alcohol made from petrochemicals, so it’s not very natural. 

And hand sanitizers aren’t as effective as they sound. Barbara Almanza, associate professor of restaurant, hotel, institutional and tourism management at professor from Purdue University warns, “Waterless, antibacterial hand sanitizers are marketed as a way to ‘wash your hands’ when soap and water aren’t available, and they are especially popular among parents of small children. But research shows that they do not significantly reduce the overall amount of bacteria on the hands, and in some cases they may even increase it.”

I recommend tucking a small bar of natural soap in with the lunch and teaching your child to use it to wash his or her hands before eating. If you can’t find small bars, cut a “kid-size” slice off a large bar.

Help Your School Go Organic

Many schools across America are now going organic with their school lunch programs, and getting great support from students, parents, and local providers of organic food. 

If your child’s school doesn’t yet serve organic food for lunch, suggest they do. Search the internet for “organic school lunch” to learn what is being done in other communities.

Hailed as “The Queen of Green” by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a leading consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website to learn more about her book Home Safe Home, to sign up for her free email newsletters, and to browse 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products.http://www.dld123.com

Ahhh, how long will we make excuses of why we can take that “one” plastic bag? It doesn’t hurt anyone, not really….right? Check out this slide show about plastic bags and the impact it has on our Earth. Personally, I feel most affected when I see wildlife dying because of plastic bags. Are we really going to keep using the ocean as a dumping ground? 

Consider putting reusable bags in your car today. Keep several in your car and the next time you are at a store you will feel great when you use your own bags. 

More reasons not to accept plastic bags from stores.

How many bags do you keep with you for shopping excursions?

What do you do when you forget to bring in your bags?

Do you use your reusable bags for shopping other than the grocery store?

Blessings,

Justyn

Organic Baby Clothes- a great gift for a new life.

Now that gasoline prices are higher than ever, here are ten simple tips for conserving gasoline and getting the most out of every gallon. You’ll save money, save energy, and reduce air pollution as well.

1. Plan errands

Run errands in logical sequence so you don’t have to backtrack and drive extra miles. You’ll save time, too.

2. Drive conservatively

Lower speeds, slower starts, and gradual accelerations improve fuel economy.

3. Anticipate traffic stops and slowdowns

Look ahead for red lights. If you are approaching a red light that has been on for a while, see if you can coast toward it at less than full speed so that by the time you reach it it has a chance to turn green and you can go through the light without having to stop completely. This saves gas.

4. Minimize use of air conditioning

Using air conditioning can significantly increase your gasoline consumption. Before turning on the air conditioning, open windows to flush out hot air from the car. Park in the shade or use an inexpensive window sun shade to keep your car cool. Carry frozen water in bottles to keep your body cool and hydrated. You can reduce or even eliminate the need for air conditioning by choosing a car with light exterior and interior colors and side vent windows, or add window glazings that slow solar adsorption or a sunroofs to your existing or new car.

5. Remove non-essential weight from your car

Don’t carry items that you don’t need all the time, such as a toolbox, or a full or partial gas can. Carry what you need, but remember that more weight uses more fuel to move the car.

6. Don’t leave the car idling for extended periods of time.

If a drive-through line looks longer than a minute or two, park instead and go inside the building (you’ll probably get faster service, too).

7. Maintain your tires

Keep them inflated to the proper pressure, and make sure they are wearing evenly. Align, balance and rotate as needed. Even one underinflated tire can cause more gasoline usage. Get an inexpensive tire pressure gauge (available at any auto supply store) and check your tires at least every month. Check tires when they are cold (before you have driven on them) to measure pressure properly.

8. Change the oil and oil filter every 3,000 miles

The oil filter removes dirt and particles from the engine so the parts move more freely. Old oil gets less slippery and doesn’t lubricate as well. Well-lubricated engine parts require less fuel to run and create less pollution.

9. Change the air filter at the recommended intervals

This could be from 6,000 to 30,000 miles depending on conditions. A new air filter allows more clean air to get in the engine, allowing it to burn more efficiently.

10. Maintain your automobile

Increase fuel efficiency with regular tune-ups at intervals recommended by the auto manufacturer.

Hailed as “The Queen of Green” by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a leading consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website to learn more about her new book Home Safe Home, to sign up for her free email newsletters, and to browse 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products.http://www.dld123.com

If you would like to add a comment please offer at least one helpful gas saving tip.

Organic Cotton Baby Clothes