By now most of us know that packing a waste-free lunch for our child SAVES 67 POUNDS of waste from going into our landfills each school year, which not only has a beneficial impact on Mother Earth, but our wallets as well! 

Reduce and Reuse = Saving $ 

Bottled Water: 

   1 plastic single-use bottle of water per day for a year at $1.50 per bottle =
         $547.50 per year! (And, that's only one bottle per day!).

Alternative:

    Reusable water bottle: $12.50 to $22. 

Do the math yourself here: Water Calculator!

Disposable Plastic Baggies!

    1 box of 50 zip-lock bags costs roughly $4.  Let's say you use 3 every day for
          an entire year.  That's 1,095 bags!  And, let's face it, if you use plastic baggies
          you use them for everything. That adds up to a minimum of $90 per year for
          something that is thrown away!

Alternative:

    A set of 5 Food Kozies for $23.  Use, wash, reuse.... Repeat!

    Nesting Trio Stainless Steel Containers for $26.  Use, wash, reuse.... Repeat!

Beyond the cost savings and waste, most meals packed at home are healthier.  When you pack lunch at home, you can control portions and choose healthier ingredients.  Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser and a Los Angeles personal trainer emphasizes teaching portion control at a young age will help children overcome the overwhelming obesity statistics.  Kids Konserve offers containers in varying sizes to make it easier to pack the right portion with their Nesting Trio, Medium Round Containers and Mini Stainless Steel Containers. 

Chef and TV star Jamie Oliver has started a Food Revolution about saving America's health by changing the way you eat.  It's a movement for you, your family and your community.  Kids Konserve will help you start your food revolution!

Start packing waste-free lunches and snacks and start helping Mother Earth, your pocket and your child's health!

9 year old, Margaret has captured the attention of the President, her peers and organizations across the U.S.  A nine year old might be small compared to the big politicians lobbying for environmental change, but she has shown that Small Voices are also the Voice of Change!  Kids will one day inherit the Earth!  Glad to know that Margaret and many other's  are greening the next generation.

Meet Margaret:

With Earth Day coming up, what are some ways that kids can get involved?  
      Kids can get involved on their own or in groups they already belong to. 
      Get together and pick up trash or clean beaches, hold recycling drives.
      On their own, kids can make positive choices and set good examples of
                environmentally responsible choices. 
      Reduce what you use, reusing what you can and recycling what you can’t reuse.

How will you be celebrating Earth Day?  The day itself is a special day, but we need to treat every day like Earth Day.  I like to think of earth day being every day.  I am going to look for a local event where I can learn more about local activities and companies working for change.  April 22 is during school vacation week here, so it will be easier to go to an event locally or closer to Boston since there is no school.  I found a Website that has lots of good information – www.epa.gov/earthday.

How can kids be the Voice of Change?  
      Kids can be the voice of change.  They just have to believe in making a
                 change. 
      They can work in groups or clubs or by themselves.  
      I am hoping to start a Green Club with kids in town who want to make a
                  change.  
      Kids can make their voices heard through their actions and habits.  
      Get the message out by talking to adults and other kids.
      DO what you want others to do.  Set a good example.

What do some of your friends think about what you are doing?  Do you think you have made an impact on them about being eco-friendly?  I think I have made an impact on my friends.  They think what I did is interesting and they want to help me and help the environment.  One friend called right after she read an article in our local newspaper about my letter and she wanted to start a Green Club, so we are working on that together.

How do you think schools can be more environmentally conscious?  
      I think more schools should have recycling bins in the cafeteria for bottles and
                   paper.
      I think having a waste free lunch day every month is a good goal.  
      Replace Styrofoam used in the cafeteria with reusable or recyclable materials.

You purchased a Kids Konserve Lunch Kit, how do you like it and has it made it easier to pack waste-free?  Is there anything that you would recommend or say to Kids Konserve?  I like my lunch kit very much.  The first time I saw it at our farm (we belong to a CSA at Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton – www.gmfarm.com) I begged my mom for it but she said we can look online.  When we did look online we learned so much about the environment and how much a reusable lunch kit can help that she let me have one.  It makes packing waste-free or almost waste-free a lot easier.  I bring home my plastic silverware to wash and reuse.

What are your thoughts about Reuse?  I love to reuse because it reduces waste and trash, a lot of which (especially plastic) ends up in the ocean endangering and killing animals.  It can be kind of fun to find a new use for something.  I save yogurt tubs – they make good containers for arts and crafts projects to hold paints or glue.We use Baggu reusable bags (www.baggubag.com) for almost all our shopping and trips to the farm.  For Christmas this year I wanted to give my teachers something that was really meaningful so I gave them all sets of Baggus.  Using one large reusable bag like this for a year can take the place of hundreds of disposable plastic bags. Everyone loved the bags and were happy to help the environment.

What other reusable products would help you pack a waste-free lunch?  Kids Konserve has so many great products I can’t think of other things. 

What would you say in a letter to your friends about the importance of reuse?  We only have one planet.  We should use it wisely and keep it healthy and clean.  You can make a difference every day.  Just because we are kids doesn’t mean we can’t help change things.   We have choices all the time and we can choose to reuse or recycle instead creating more and more trash.  We can influence other people, even grownups, by telling them how important reuse and recycling are and how important the world is to us.  Our choices should make us feel good.  We are helping the environment.  That makes me feel good.

What would you like to be when you grow up?  I would like to be a kindergarten teacher and help kids learn to be environmentally involved so they start at a young age.

You sent a letter to President Obama expressing your concerns about the environment and received a letter back from him, how has that impacted you?  Receiving a letter from President Obama was pretty cool.  It made me know that it’s not only me trying to help and that makes me feel good.  I think that some of our leaders are listening and they care about the environment.  It kind of made me feel that my voice can be heard and that I can make a difference.  He was very encouraging – he made me want to keep trying.

Kids Konserve Celebrates Earth Month:

      Kids Konserve is donating 25% of all proceeds back to schools who participate
                   in their Waste-Free Challenge.
       Receive a free 20 oz. stainless steel bottle with every purchase made at Kids
                   Konserve during Earth Month. 

We would love to hear from you...  What are your kids doing or saying about Earth Day?

 

April 22, 2010 millions around the world will celebrate Earth Day this year marking its 40th Anniversary.

Forty years after the first Earth Day, there is unprecedented opportunity to renew our future.  Earth Day 2010 can be a turning point to educate, raise awareness, and make a difference.  Earth Day is a great day to get children involved in recycling and clean up activities. 

We have heard them many of times; the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, and recycle).  Some of our kids point them out more than we do.  You do your part.  You buy green products, recycle, conserve water, and even save for a hybrid car.  Let’s face it: our children are going to inherit a less-than-perfect world.  We must educate, motivate and, of course, demonstrate. 

Earth Day activities take on many shapes and forms such as parades; celebrations at zoos, aquariums and children’s museums; go-green expos and fairs; and earth-walk fundraisers.  However, activities dedicated to fostering budding environmentalists are perhaps the most important.  Some examples are working to restore local habitats; picking up litter; learning to compost; recycling old cell phones, inkjet cartridges, batteries, plastic and electronic equipment; carbon footprint-reduction contest; and wetlands cleanups.

It may be the grownups who make the decisions, but it is the kids who will one day inherit the planet!  Teaching kids about sustainability will better prepare them for the choices they will make in the future.  Here are five ways that kids can help protect Mother Earth-every day:

• Recycle – Take the time to review what can and cannot be recycled.  Talk to your children about the hazards of landfills. To learn more, visit the National Recycling Coalition website.
  
• Launch a Waste-Free Challenge – The average school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year and the average sized elementary school generates 18,760 pounds of lunch waste per year, you can make a big difference by packing waste-free lunches and snacks.  Learn more on how you can go waste-free and raise money for your school with Kids Konserve.
  
• Enjoy nature – Walk and Roll!  Enjoy a nice walk to a local park or bike there!  The National Park Service "Find a Park" Web page makes it easy to find a national park near you.
  
• Participate in a clean-up effort – Hook up with a local environmental organization and, together with your child, volunteer for a river, ocean or land clean-up effort. Discover a project that needs your help at the Environmental Volunteers website. 
   
• Plant a tree – They consume carbon dioxide, release oxygen and allow us all to breathe a little more deeply.  The Arbor Day Foundation is the perfect place to buy a tree because the money they earn goes to promote tree education and conservation.
  
  So why wait?  Start planning your Earth Day 2010 Kids Konserve Waste-Free Challenge, and make a difference!

Now that the kids are back in school after the holidays, has the stress to find daily lunch packing ideas returned?  Are your kids tired of the same old sandwich and are you fresh out of ideas?  What's a busy mom to do?  Don't worry, we have plenty of ideas to jazz up your kids' lunches and make your life easier and greener. 

Let 2010 be the year of green, waste-free lunch packing.  While you can always put your child's lunch items into Ziploc baggies, you can also take an easy step to save money and cut down on the trash being hauled to our landfills by simply using the Kids Konserve reusable Food Kozy.  The Food Kozy is an innovative and non-toxic solution that can help you eliminate your plastic baggie, saran wrap, and foil addiction, while giving you the flexibility you need for all your lunchtime creations.

        

Top 20 Food Kozy Lunch Packing Ideas: 

  Open faced brie cheese and granny smith apple slices on slice of sourdough bread

  Tomato and bacon grilled cheese sandwich

  Turkey, provolone rolled up in whole wheat tortilla

  Peanut butter and banana slices on cinnamon raisin bagel

  Deli tower: chunk of salami, chunk of cheese with a side of crackers

  Kid Friendly Burrito

  Tuna in a pita with grape tomatoes

  Canned or shredded chicken, mayo, halved purple grapes on a blueberry bagel

  Cream cheese and jelly cracker sandwiches

  Baked ham and cheese quesadillas

  Waffle sandwich: two frozen waffles defrosted with peanut butter and carob chips

  Pita Pocket Caesar

  Hummus and thin layer of sliced cucumber on lavosh layered in a stack

  Cream cheese and cinnamon bread

  California Veggie Wrap

  Pizza slice

  Chicken fingers (use a Kids Konserve mini container for honey dipping sauce or
         ranch dressing)

  Pita Pizza

  Taquitos (use a Kids Konserve mini container for salsa)

  Bagel sandwich (get creative with different spreads: garden veggie, garlic herb,
         strawberry, smoked salmon)

And, in the kitchen the Food Kozy is great for storing blocks of cheese in your refrigerator; halves of cucumber, bell peppers, and other veggies that you may normally wrap in saran wrap or put in a ziploc bag.  To put over a bowl for storage rather than saran wrap, place the Food Kozy over the bowl and secure with a rubber band.  Endless reusable options!

Kids Konserve Food Kozy is a reusable alternative to plastic baggies, plastic wrap and foil. Recycled, FDA approved, non-toxic, non-leaching, recyclable PE plastic. This product does not contain Bisphenol-A (BPA) and is Phthalate free. 13.5" round.

What's in your Food Kozy?

January is a time of renewal and fresh beginnings.  A time to think about the greater good and a time to make resolutions for the year ahead.  We at Kids Konserve are making resolutions, in addition to having had one of our own "Eco Wishes" granted! 

We are asking ourselves and you, "If I could change or wish one thing for the greater environmental good in 2010 what would it be?" 

Here is what Kids Konserve's wishes are:

      Chance: I wish that I would never have to see another plastic bag stuck in a 
                           tree or bush as I drive down the freeway.

       Lynn:    I would like to see less "garbage" bins filled with recyclable materials 
                          like glass bottles and aluminum cans.

      Christy:  I wish that restaurants/fast food restaurants would reduce packaging
                          waste.

      Wendy:  I wish that our culture would recognize the irony of manufacturing
                         "disposable" products often made from materials that persist in our 
                          environment for generations.

      Gene:    I wish we would all treat the environment as well as we treat our
                          children.

      McLaine (6 yrs. old):  I would like to help the birds to not have any pollution from
                                              the factories.

We want to hear from you.  What is your one wish for the environment this New Year?  We will pick five wishes we receive and post them on our site for Earth Day.  In addition these five 'winners' will receive a copy of of the book, "Bag Green Guilt".

A look back to 2009 and Kids Konserve's New Year's resolutions included things like reducing the amount of trash going into community landfills, making it easier for families to pack waste-free, and giving back to schools by providing fundraising monies to help support their green efforts.

Wishes Granted:  Kids Konserve is growing thanks to you!  Kids Konserve was awarded this year with a grant from the New York based women's clothing company, Eileen Fisher, which will enable us to continue providing more and researching more innovative products. The grant was given to a woman owned business who is working toward environmental changes in society.  We are honored beyond belief to have received this grant.  Thank you Eileen Fisher!

Click here to leave your Eco-Wish

(5 Winners will be chosen randomly on April 20, 11:59pm PST to receive a copy of Bag Green Guilt.  Open to US residents only, ages 18+)

Put meaning in the greening this holiday season.  Want to make this a truly eco-friendly holiday for your family and friends?  Our Kids Konserve's gift guide features the season's best non-toxic and sustainable gifts.  Whether you are the green guru of the house, or you're struggling to find a gift for one, you'll find selections that you can be proud to give. 

Hostess & Teacher Gifts:  Thinking about what to give to the hostess of the party, your child's teacher, hairdresser, neighbor gift, what to bring to the cookie/gift exchange....  Tired of giving out candles?  Here are some great ideas hanging from the tree (below) at great prices. 

As seen in Entrepreneur Magazine: The Greening of Lunch/Greening of Holidays

1.  Set of 304 Food Grade Leak-Proof Stainless Steel Containers for life.

2.  Reusable Party Pak for the Classroom.  Take the trash out of the bash!

3.  Nesting Trio Leak-Proof Stainless Steel Containers, all the right sizes
                       and easy to store!

4.  Cotton Napkins - Save a tree and use these at your family dinners. Pick
                        from squiggle, caterpillar, or butterfly patterns.

5.  Food Kozies - The reusable wrap for homemade cookies, peanut brittle,
                        or brownies.

6.  Waste-Free Lunch Kits - Give a Kid a Kit (choose your style, pattern, or
                        create your own).

7.          Bottles - No Liners! Non-Toxic Stainless Steel bottles.  One for everyone in
                       the family.

8.  Minis - From nuts to jelly beans, you can always find something to put in
                         these!

9.      Drawstring bags - Great gift wrap, for a bottle of wine or on the go
                        snacks, a great anytime bag.

10. Snack Paks - Perfect for light lunches and on the go snacks.

11.          Green Cleaning - Greenwood Naturals!  Biodegradable and Non-Toxic!

12.      12 oz. Insulated Thermos - Going beyond the Sandwich!  Endless
                      options!

Each year the U.S. consumes 380 BILLION plastic bags, sacks, and wraps!!!
(source: Environmental Protection Agency)

The last thing this world needs is another plastic bag.  Nowadays there are so many eco-chic reusable options to the 'plastic bag or baggie' that it is making it easier to cut out the use of plastic bags and baggies all together!  Kids Konserve is dedicated to the cause of helping make your life easier one less plastic bag at a time.

Meet the Kids Konserve Snak Pak. The perfect waste-free solution for on the go snacks and light lunches for just $22!

Includes:

    Reusable cotton drawstring bag 9" x 13".
    Reusable cotton cloth napkin.
    Reusable food kozy – the Kids Konserve reusable plastic baggie.
    Reusable 304 food-grade stainless steel leak-proof food container.
   NON-TOXIC, Non-Leaching, BPA, PVC, Phthalate, and Lead-free!
 

Kids Konserve; making it easier for you and our planet!