How to Choose Eco-Friendly Kids' Lunch and Drink Storage

Choose "green" or eco-friendly alternatives for kids' lunches. Not only are they good choices but contrary to the cheap stuff, these will actually last, especially the drinking containers. However, parents should be prepared to invest more initially, but just know you won't have to buy these durable items over and over again.

Instructions

1. Choose a cool animal or design, such as Flower Power, for a medium lunch bag by Mimi the Sardine. These are 100 percent lead free and are cloth, not vinyl, with a zipper. These make a fashion statement and resemble purses, so they may be more suited for girls.

2. Select Laptop Lunches that include bento boxes, the Japanese way to assemble a lunch. Small, brightly-colored, reusable containers fit together neatly as a puzzle and can be used for a variety of sandwiches, sides and snacks. There's no plastic bags and they are also lead free.

3. Try Cool Totes for insulated lunches, also tested as completely lead free. Besides the solid colors, they are offered in animal and other fun prints. Available in both medium and large sizes, Cool Totes include freezer packs and even high-quality insulation produced from recycled plastic soda bottles.

4. Give the younger set their own insulated alternatives with cute animal faces from NY Built Munchlers. These more affordable lunchbags are smaller but sweet, and of course free of lead. They even unzip to become placemats, handy for those cafeteria tables.

5. Go with Basura Lunch Bags, recycled from labels in the Philippines. Another cool look for school, these repeated patterns will attract attention. It's a unique way to go lead free and these may make everyone think about all the juice containers they are not recycling.

6. Select Klean Kanteen for safe drinks. This is the up and coming eco-manufacturer of drink containers, since Nalgene had to redesign the chemical content of their plastic. These feature stainless steel with no BPA, a chemical compound that may imitate estrogen and other hormones.

Tips & Warnings

• Try a comprehensive website called Reusable Bags that offers all these. Click on "Kids' Lunch Bags" or "Reusable Bottles."

Resources

• Reusable Bags