KidTip: BYO durables for hot lunch

Last week my 1st grader came home wearing a crown full of 'protect the Earth' slogans: "Save electricide! Don't through trash on the ground! Reyuse!" High off of an active Earth Week, she was feeling the eco-love. She ran through the house flexing her non-muscles and shouting, "Earth Protector to the rescue!" while executing karate kicks (which really looked more like Michael Flatley in Lord of the Dance). I figured the time was right for an experiment! At her otherwise-exceptional public school there is no kitchen, so hot lunch is served on styrofoam trays (ugh) accompanied by plasticware and paper napkins (double ugh). Installing a kitchen with a dishwasher, or even a big sink, for cleaning reusable trays and silverware isn't in the budget, particularly these days when the district is looking at slicing off school days and teachers. So into the trash it all goes.

Most days I pack a lunch for her, but 3-4 times a month she gets hot lunch. It only recently occurred to me that we could reduce the waste she's generating by bringing her own lunchtime durables. We don't use disposables at home, why wouldn't we try and extend this to school? So now, when she gets hot lunch, I pack her lunchbag with a stainless fork and spoon and a cloth napkin. I also ask her to bring home her milk carton for recycling.

This idea did take a bit of salesmanship. She understood the why part -- after all, we only generate one can a month of garbage at home, since most of our waste is reused, recycled or composted. But she was worried that she wouldn't be allowed to do it (nonsense). And she was worried that the other kids would make fun of her (which breaks my heart). So we did a few comic run-throughs at home to practice. I pretended to be a stereotypical obnoxious boy who asks, "Why you doing that for?" to which I replied, "Because I'm protecting the Earth, silly." And if the cashier asks, "Hon, don't you need a fork and napkin?" she was ready with, "No thank you, I brought my own."

She came home that first day with her empty milk carton and durables tucked into the bag and a 'no biggie' attitude. Yes, the boys questioned her, and she was ready for them. She knows it's the right thing to do, particularly if she wants to keep her Earth Protector status. Now, everybody, Riverdance!