"Why can't I have Lunchables?"

Even though my daughter is only 2 ½, I can almost hear the wailing begin. As a parent, trying to cut down on disposable packaging can be a trying task. With all the "cool" (read "wasteful, unhealthful") stuff on the grocery store shelves strategically aimed at kids, the teachable moments are many. A kid's desire and elemental reasoning can be mortal enemies.

Enter two very cool moms, Amy Hemmert and Tammy Pelstring, who wanted to reduce waste in their own kids' packed lunches, and ended up organizing Wastefreelunches.org to reduce lunch waste in schools and businesses nationwide. The site features compelling research about the considerable savings – to your pocketbook and the environment – of a waste-free lunch. Packed with inspiring stories and tips for parents to ease the often frustrating lunch-making process, wastefreelunches.org is an incredibly useful resource.

Amy and Tammy's continued search for ways to make home-packed lunches convenient and fun-to-eat led to the creation of the Laptop Lunch, a clever non-toxic, lead-free "bento"-style box that kids and adults love. Tucked inside is a User's Guide with facts and recipes to keep you feeling inspired and justified.

LIME: How did you come up with the idea for waste-free lunches?

Tammy: When my kids started school, I was surprised to see how much waste American children leave behind at lunchtime. I saw a lot of prepackaged food items, disposable drink boxes, pouches, and cartons, plastic utensils, and paper napkins. I also saw that many of the single-use food packages couldn't be resealed, so much of the food was ending up in the trash. At the same time, the media started focusing more on childhood obesity, and I realized that there was a connection between disposable lunches and the high fat, high sugar, high salt content of these foods. Amy and I are running partners and, since she had made the same observations, we often found ourselves talking about these issues. It was during that time that we realized that we needed to find a creative solution that would help families eat better and waste less. That's when we launched wastefreelunches.org and created Laptop Lunches.

LIME: What constitutes a waste-free lunch?

Amy: A waste-free lunch is a lunch that generates no waste. Food is packed in reusable containers. Drinks are packed in refillable bottles, reusable utensils replace disposables, and cloth napkins replace paper. Children are encouraged to take home uneaten food so they can eat it later and so parents will know what they've eaten. Often children are too busy to eat at lunchtime, so it makes perfect sense for them to finish their lunches after school instead of throwing away perfectly good food.

LIME: How do you make a Waste-free lunch "cool" for kids who are constantly bombarded with Lunchables?

Tammy: It's all in the "packaging." Our Laptop Lunch containers are brightly colored, modular, and fun. The case looks like a laptop bag, so kids feel like they're transporting something important. Parents can use contact paper to decorate the outer box with trading cards, photos, or magazine clippings. Some parents use iron-ons, stickers, or ribbons to personalize their cases. The most important thing is to get kids involved in the lunchmaking routine. Even a small child can pick up a few carrots and place them in their lunchbox. Children can help with the shopping. They can help make nutritious choices. If they've had a hand in preparing the food, they're more likely to eat it. Some ideas include: starting a garden, making the shopping list together, cutting up fresh fruits and vegetables, making sandwiches together. The ultimate goal, of course, is for them to take full responsibility for making their own lunches, so teaching them what constitutes a healthy lunch is extremely important.

LIME: Do the kids feel a sense of propriety once they learn about how their lunches affect the Earth?

Amy: Yes, children love to "do the right thing" and they have tremendous empathy. They can be great protectors of things they view as fragile or vulnerable. They understand that our planet fits into this category.

LIME: How do you get busy Moms on board? It's hard enough getting creative with lunches!

Tammy: Making it easy for parents was one of our goals from the start. Our containers are dishwasher safe, and they stack nicely in the refrigerator, so they don't take up much space. We also sell the inner containers separately so parents can pack a clean set when one is dirty. Also, the Laptop Lunch container comes with a book of creative, nutritious lunch ideas, quick menus, recipes, and tips for energizing the lunchmaking routine. We also send out a free monthly e-newsletter with lunch ideas, menus, and eco-tips. Parents can view past issues or subscribe on our site.

LIME: The Success Stories on your site are wonderful. Do you propose Waste-free Lunches to schools, or do they come to you ready to reduce?

Amy: It varies. Sometimes schools come to us because they've heard about waste-free lunches, but they're not sure how to implement a program. Sometimes they're already involved in a waste-free lunch program, and they want to share their story so others can benefit from their experience. A lot of schools and solid waste agencies contact us about purchasing our waste-free lunch kits in order to make it more convenient for parents to pack waste-free lunches.

LIME: What is "bento" and how did it inspire your design for the Laptop Lunch box?

Tammy: A bento box is a Japanese-style lunch container that Japanese children and adults use when taking lunch to school or work. Typically a bento set consists of a divided hard plastic container and chopsticks. We loved the Japanese bento idea, but we felt that it didn't accommodate American-style lunches very well. That's why we created our own design. We wanted to make it easy for families to pack a main dish, fresh fruit, vegetable, and snack.

LIME: Are the Laptop Lunch boxes made in the USA?

Tammy: Our Laptop Lunches are manufactured here in California under strict environmental laws and fair labor practices. We're a Co-op America approved business.

LIME: How successful has this venture been?

Amy: We've been tremendously successful. We started out with a plan to create a bento box that would allow families to pack nutritious, waste-free lunches for their children to take to school. Now we're finding that many adults are also purchasing them for their toddlers so they can use them for trips to the park. Our Laptop Lunches are also popular among families that have special dietary needs, for example, children with allergies, diabetes, autism, and Celiac's. Adults are using them for portion control, convenience, or because they're compact and stylish. They take them to the office, to school, and for air travel. The waste-free lunch movement has been picking up momentum, and it's exciting to be part of that change.