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Planet-friendly Picnic


Pack a Green Meal on the Go
The blue sky and warm sun of summer beg us to spend more time outside.  During the summer there is nothing better than an outdoor adventure with a picnic.  Spread out the blanket and the food - just relax and enjoy the day.  Many of the items that we use to conveniently transport our food are thrown away and clog up landfills.  When you're planning your next alfresco meal, be sure and choose earth-friendly picnic supplies.  

What Makes It Green?
Disposable storage and serving items make picnicking easy, but they can add to our already growing landfills too.  Our love of all things convenient, has significantly added to our waste output.  According to Keep America Beautiful, the amount of waste generated in America has nearly tripled since 1960.

In addition to adding to waste, disposable food packaging manufacturing depletes our natural resources.  Items like disposable sandwich and snack bags are made from petroleum-based products.  Another typical item found in meals on the go is paper napkins.  The production of paper napkins requires trees, large amounts of water and chemicals to soften, bleach and dye the paper.  

What You Can Do
Try some of these environmentally-friendly picnic supplies:
  • Choose an eco-friendly picnic basket - the Natural Luxury Picnic Basket at www.picnicfun.com is a great choice.
  • Bring a blanket to spread out on. Either reuse one from your linen closet or invest in an eco-friendly outdoor blanket (with a water resistant backing) - check out www.bluelotusblankets.com.
  • Try re-useable sandwich and snack bags instead of plastic ones - Wrap-N-Mat, ReUsies or Snack Taxi are all great products (www.reusablebags.com).
  • Use re-usable drink bottles instead of juice boxes or plastic drink bottles. SIGG and Klean Kanteen both make great choices. Consider getting a neoprene sleeve to keep your drink cold and not your hands.
  • Take any trash you might have with you in a compostable garbage bag - try the biobag (www.biobagusa.com).

didyouknow
The first plastic "baggies" for bread, sandwiches, fruits, and vegetables were introduced in the United States in 1957.

handson

I like to reuse take-out soup containers for chips, crackers and cut up fruit and vegetables.  They are easy to pack, wash and I'm keeping them out of a landfill.
 
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