On Youth and Teens Today with Vanessa Van Petten

Welcome to a secret view into the world of the net-generation. I love writing to you (maybe a little too much) so enjoy, stick around and be sure to tell me what you think...and, duh, get on my email list quick! (on the right, "subscribe via email"). Or subscribe to my RSS feed.

As many of you know, I am very pro-environment and loved this article by Greenopia. Launched on Earth Day 2006 in Los Angeles, Greenopia city guidebooks tackled the Los Angeles area with its first guide, then followed a year later with a San Francisco Bay Area edition and this spring with New York.  Plans are underway to introduce Greenopia guides in cities across the country, including Denver, Chicago, Seattle, and Portland!

The average school-age child who packs a lunch for school generates 67 pounds of waste per school year. That works out to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school… so what can families do to reduce that waste?  Here are a few tips for packing a greener lunchbox this fall:

• Replace paper napkins with cloth versions
• Pack stainless-steel utensils instead of using disposable plastics
• Use reusable drink containers instead of disposable juice boxes, juice pouches, cans, and plastic bottles
• Avoid using plastic wraps, plastic bags, wax-paper bags, and aluminum foil - opt for Tupperware instead
• Cut down on packaging waste by purchasing foods in larger containers that you can recycle at home rather than buying many smaller packaged products
• Choose lunch boxes or backpacks over paper or plastic bags