Though my girls don’t pack their lunches very often I am still trying to take baby steps on my way to helping our family be a bit more “green.” A reusable, eco-friendly lunchbox is one way we can make a small change in our habits, which will hopefully lead to more changes as we go. yubo sent me their Deluxe Lunchbox in a snappy orange—a good color for a family with both girls and boys. Before the lunchbox even arrived I was pretty excited to review it because although the previous ones I’ve featured on the Daily Dish were nifty, other than choosing your color or pattern, they weren’t extremely unique. yubo’s lunchboxes not only have removable faceplates but you can personalize them with your child’s name of even one of your own photos!

yubo’s Deluxe version comes with the lunchbox (of course), faceplate set (ours came with the “peace” set), three containers (one square plus two small rounds), a custom ice pack and a name tag. The kids saw the new lunchbox on the counter and immediately called dibs on who got to use it first. (My oldest won that one.) Though I quickly hand washed everything you can stick pretty much every part of the yubo into the dishwasher (except faceplates, tags and the ice pack). We love easy! The night before school my daughter packed her lunch complete with PB & honey sandwich, pretzels, carrots and fruit snacks.

Because her sandwich container had a little room she was able to throw in a pack of fruit snacks on top before closing it. Other than that there isn’t much room for anything except the ice pack. Of course if you don’t really need the ice pack you could throw in a granola bar or other small snack on top. She put everything inside, snapped on the lid, slipped in the faceplates and was ready to go. It fit nicely in the fridge so it kept the carrots cold until it was time for school the next day.

I would say out of the three this is my kids’ favorite lunchbox, but I will say as fun as it is to be able to change the design or personalize it or add one of any number of cool tags, it doesn’t hold that many items…unless you get creative and don’t need the ice pack. Otherwise you have a sandwich, two sides and that’s pretty much it. Perhaps that should be all you need for a school lunch, but I know by the time my girls eat (5 or so hours after breakfast), they’re pretty hungry. Of course you can buy different size containers so you could have three oval ones or four rounds and one oval one. But I have to say though the OOTS! lunchbox stacks vertically, which can be a pain if you need something on the bottom, it does offer a little more room for packing a few more things.

We didn’t received the drink holder to test but I do love that yubo lunch boxes offer this option, though I do wish it came included with the deluxe version. It’s a holder that attaches to the outside so you can carry a reusable water bottle and it’s insulated, which is super nice!

Overall the yubo wins our vote for its ease of use (easy access to everything, dishwasher safe); custom ice pack that takes up very little space; BPA-free materials, food-safe, anti-microbial agent; soft handle (forgot to mention that earlier); 100% recyclable materials AND the super cool faceplates and tags. Plus it comes in pink, orange and blue…and did I mention it’s easy to clean? At $29.95 for the Deluxe and $21.95 for the standard lunch box, it is more of an investment than your typical lunchbox but you are helping save the environment, and who can put a price on that?—Emily

• Promotion! yubo is offering Daily Dish readers 15% off their orders. Simply use code boucaf15 when checking out. Offer expires December 25, 2009.

Did you know:

• The average child generates 67 pounds of lunchtime trash per year?


• 38 billion plastic water bottles end up in landfills each year and take 700 years before they start to decompose?


• Trash is often mistaken for food and eaten by ocean life?


• 1.5 million barrels of oil are used in making plastic baggies and plastic bottles each year?

Those are some pretty sobering statistics, but one company is doing something about it—and helping kids do their part to reduce, reuse and recycle.

I received the Kids Konserve Waste-Free Lunch Kit in the super cute butterfly print. Before my girls even knew what it was they were fighting over who would use it first. I have never seen them so excited to take their lunch to school—heck, they were taking it even when it was chicken drummies on the hot-lunch menu! The kit includes a food cozy (a sort of thin, foldable plastic sandwich holder), two stainless steel round food containers, a stainless steel water bottle and cloth napkin inside a recycled cotton sack. The combination of the stainless steel and fun green and white print make for a pretty darn stylish lunch kit and a much preferable option to the old Barbie standby!

Kids Konserve uses food-grade stainless steel, the cleanest non-leaching and safest material in which you can place your food. And the reusable containers mean you’ll cut back on the use of plastic baggies, plastic water bottles, paper napkins, juice boxes…I could go on and on. That also means cutting back on the $$$ associated with all that uncool, landfill-filling stuff. I found my girls actually packed themselves healthier lunches when using the Waste-Free Lunch Kit. Go figure! And feel free to use the lunch kit items together or separetely. Those round containers are the perfect size for on-the-go snacks for little ones.

You have to check out Kids Konserve’s new Party Pak. This awesome waste-free kit is great for classrooms, picnics and birthday parties and includes (25 each): plates, tumblers, forks, knives and spoons in three cotton drawstring bags. I love the idea of not buying Costco-size packages of paper plates and plastic silverware!

Help your kids (and you) “choose to reuse” by incorporating the Waste-Free Lunch Kit from Kids Konserve into your daily school or daycare lunch routine. See? It’s not that hard to make a difference!—Emily

** Giveaway Kids Konserve is giving away one Kids Konserve lunch kit! To enter please read the story about Rose and the “Garbage Patch” and share your voice for change. All comments will be entered to win. The drawing will take place on Earth Day, April 22, 2009.

* Promotion! Kids Konserve is offering Daily Dish readers 10% off their purchase! Simply enter the code “boutique” when checking out from KidsKonserve.com. Offer expires May 31, 2009.