Galantys Game Plan

I pack lunches for three kids five days a week approximately 180 days of the year.  Aside from the innumerable hours I put into planning and preparing those meals, the sheer quantity of plastic products I use in these lunch containers has become quite bothersome to me.  Although I do use reusable containers, there are many occasions where I still resort to Ziploc bags and saran wrap out of either laziness or the kids forgetting to bring home the reusable containers.  I know this has to stop.  I certainly don’t want to subject my kids to the school lunches, which I’m not sure I would even feed to my dog, but I do want to reduce my ecological footprint and find a better alternative than plastic for packaging.

Plastic has both negative health and environmental implications.  Plastic containers have been known to leak toxic additives into food and beverages as well as our groundwater and they are not biodegradable.  Most of the 300 billion pounds of plastic that is produced around the world each year, end up in landfills and in our oceans where the plastic eventually breaks down into small particles that are ingested by our wildlife. 

Stephanie Bernstein, founder ofTo-GoWare estimates that each year Americans discard enough plastic utensils to circle the equator three times. It is time to make a change. To-Go Ware produces a stainless steel, stackable system of sleek looking containers. They have utensils made from Bamboo, that come in their own holder that conveniently clips on to the metal containers. There is also a tote style bag the whole system slips into.   

Personally, I love the style…I think it looks very chic and it is durable and sanitary as well, but better suited to adults.  The way the canisters connect together can be a bit complicated for younger children and I can foresee the kids getting frustrated with it and losing pieces.  The containers aren’t exactly cheap.  The two tier carrier sells for $18.40 on their website; the entire set with carry bag is $32.95.  Definitely a worthwhile purchase, but I would hesitate to entrust my young children with the set.  They would need a firm lecture about not losing the containers at school or accidentally discarding the utensils in the lunchroom before I would trust them with it.

Lunchbotsis another alternative for stainless steel, reusable containers and I feel their products are better suited to children.  They offer two styles of containers…one is designed to hold a sandwich, wrap, sushi or salad and the other is divided into two sections, ideal for snacks, fruit, and side dishes.  The design is simple, the lids are easy to get on and off, the containers are durable, easy to clean and rust resistant. The only drawback is the price.  At $14.99 per container, it is a bit of an investment.  

Metal water bottles are made by companies such asSigg SwitzerlandandKlean Kanteen, which use aluminum and stainless steel respectively.  Sigg’s bottles cost between $21 and $29 each while Klean Kanteen’s are $15-$26 depending on the size and style.

I am committed to doing my part, so I will be making the investment, but let’s add this up here.  Three kids, at least two containers per kid, plus a metal thermos and a water bottle for each of them…this puts me at over $200.  Yikes.  I may not be able to afford to put anything in them and if they lose them at school, I will be driving down there myself to rifle through the trashcan to retrieve them, but at least I will be making my ecological footprint just slightly smaller…$200 smaller.