We Started the School Year Off Green! (Giveaway)

Yesterday was our first day of school (yes, we started very late here), and not just our first of this school year, but our first real school day ever!

When I was in school, many of my lunches were packed in disposable plastic baggies and paper bags.  I’m trying hard for my little ones to have less wasteful childhoods than I had, and I want good green habits to be second nature to them, so I knew I needed to have a better lunch solution that they could use from day one.  I turned to my friends at PaperlessKitchen.com for a little guidance on the matter.

Paperless Kitchen has put together a Back to School Collection where you can find an assortment of eco-friendly lunch gear all in one place.  They’ve got green lunch boxes and paper bag alternatives, reusable snack bags, stainless steel water bottles, and lots more.  Picking something to review from all of those options was tough, but I eventually landed on an ECOlunchbox kit.

This two-piece set includes a 6.5x5x2 oval stainless steel container and round stainless steel cup with BPA-free lid.  We love stainless steel for lunches not only because it’s reusable, but because it’s non-toxic and doesn’t leach any nasty chemicals into foods.  The large oval container is big enough to fit two halves of a sandwich with room left over for a side dish.

Of course, you can put all sorts of foods in there, but I thought a sandwich would be a good example to show you since it’s so often included in lunches.  The lid of the oval box fits snugly and snaps securely closed, but it’s not 100% leakproof, and you’d do best to save wet items for the smaller round container.

ECOlunchbox strives to provide plastic-free solutions, so the lid that comes with the round cup is the only plastic you’ll find in their line, and it’s purpose is to give you a leakproof option.  If you’ve got wet items like yogurt and salad dressing, this is the perfect portable storage solution.  My daughter is quite fond of applesauce, so I expect to get a lot of use out of this cup.

Stainless steel is a green and healthy option for lunches, but it’s also durable and, conveniently, is dishwasher-safe.  (You’ll want to wash the plastic lid by hand.)  The lids on both pieces were easy for my 4-year-old to open and close by herself, and I only showed her how to do it one time before sending her off on her own.  The ECOlunchbox kit was a great choice for us, and now I’m looking for even more ways to make lunch less wasteful.  I’ve got my eye on those bamboo utensil sets!

Paperless Kitchen wants to help you go green too, so they’re offering a chance to win a 16-pack of Paperless Kitchen SKOY Cloths!  Giveaway is open to US residents who are 18 and over.  Ends 9/26/13.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Paperless Kitchen provided a complimentary ECOlunchbox kit for review.  All opinions are my own.  No other compensation was provided.