Save money and natural resources by making your lunch at home. A prepackaged lunch for a child can cost about $4.02 a day compared to $2.65 a day for a waste-free lunch—a savings of about $250 per year. Adults can save even more! When a take-out meal costs $6 compared to $3.50 for a home-packed lunch—an adult can save about $100,000 over a 30-year career by packing lunch from home. Plus, whenever you create less waste, you reduce the need for disposal, save energy, prevent pollution and conserve natural resources such as coal, oil, natural gas and trees.
Good Green Habits to a Waste-free Lunch
- Pack only what you can can eat.
- Store sandwiches and snacks in reusable containers.
- Provide whole fruits and vegetables without packaging.
- Offer beverages in reusable or recyclable containers.
- Purchase bulk food rather than individually packaged items.
- Carry lunches in reusable bags or totes.
- Avoid: individually wrapped snacks; plastic wrap/ baggies; and disposable forks, spoons and straws.
Source: USEPA
Hanah Snavely of Ideal Bites discusses saving money and natural resources by taking your lunch:
It’s easy to express your love for the earth, friends and sweethearts by choosing eco-friendly cards and gifts. The green habits below will show how much you care while helping to protect natural resources.
Good Green Habits for Cards and Gifts
- Purchase a card made from recycled paper.
- Write a poem or note in a card you have made using scrap paper and/or parts of old cards.
- Give yummy organic chocolate.
- E-mail a card.
- Bake and package goodies in reusable/recyclable containers.
- Give a potted plant, flower, or tree that can be planted in spring.
- Purchase a gift that produces less waste, such as a movie/concert ticket or gift certificate.
It’s a proven fact that tweaking your lifestyle even just a little bit can keep money in your pocket and keep our planet safe. With that fact in mind, we hope you’ll use the PG&E/Google gadget below to help you discover easy ways to consume less energy.
Good Green Habits to Save Energy & Money in Winter
- Click on Winter Gas Saving Tips―to find simple habits that can save money on your energy bill.
- Click on Winter Gas Saving Calculator―to find out how much energy you can save by adjusting the settings on your thermostat, water heater and clothes washer.
Gas Saving Tips & Calculator
Source: PG&E/Google
Many fruits and vegetables are grown with pesticides to get rid of bugs. Although nobody wants to find a creepy crawly thing in a peach or tomato, according to the Environmental Working Group, even small doses of pesticides can adversely affect your health and are worrisome, not well understood, and in some cases completely unstudied.
Fortunately, you can drastically reduce your exposure to pesticides and bacteria found on produce with a thorough vinegar and water wash. Experts found that a white vinegar and water wash kills 98% of bacteria and removes pesticides.
You can concoct your own vinegar/water mixture at home to save money. You’ll probably spend less than 20 cents to make a homemade vinegar and water rinse, compared to around $4 for a premade produce wash. Plus, you can use the same bottle many times when you make your own wash!
Good Green Habits for Washing Produce
- Mix 3 parts water to 1 part white vinegar (3:1 ) in a spray bottle.
- Spray on fruits and veggies to get rid of pesticide residue.
- Rinse with water after spraying.
-OR-
- Fill a bowl with water and add 1/8 to 1/2 cup of vinegar, depending on the size of your bowl.
- Place your fruits and veggies in the bowl.
- Soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Rinse with water.
Note: GGH loves the second version because we think it’s easy and quick!
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