The Lorax DVD Failed

It is not hard to imagine that The Lorax book is a favorite in my house. So when we did not get to see the movie in the movie theater we did the next best thing we purchased it on DVD. It is not the greenest thing to purchase DVD’s but I do believe that when you have young children the classic kids movies should be purchased on DVD so they can be watched over and over and over again.

I fully expected Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax movie to be packaged in an environmentally friendly way. I was horrified when I saw it packaged the way we see every other DVD wrapped in plastic with a cardboard sleeve with a plastic holder inside! I could not believe it.

I went on line to see if we had failed to order the commemorative green version of the movie. To my knowledge there was no such version.

It sounds dramatic but I was so disappointed. Here I am teaching my daughter about the environment and the Lorax story is one of the ways we talk about what we can do and it shows up in the least ecofriendly packaging I can think of.

So I looked for a recycling symbol on the packaging and there was none!! There was “AGIPolymatrix” “eco-lite” imprinted on the spine on the inside of the DVD case. So I took to Google and did some research and this case uses 26% less plastic than other cases. I also found many message boards of DVD collectors complaining about this case because it is “flimsy.” While I would agree it weighs less than other DVD cases and is “flimsy,” it is still plastic, has no recycling symbol and was wrapped in plastic.

According to www.the-numbers.com in the first week of DVD sales totaled 1,964,701. So that means that 1,964,701 DVD cases will be around when my great, great, grandchildren will be born and we know that this is just what was sold not what was produced.

So for a movie that opening scene talks about a world made completely of plastic with nothing natural in it and has an over arching theme of environmentalism, waste reduction and appreciation for nature…. the packaging was a cruel joke and a mixed message for children.

Want to let Universal know they failed our children here is how:

Tweet them at @universalEnt @TheLorax and tell them you are disappointed in their packaging. Here is a sample “@universalEnt I am disappointed in your packaging for @TheLorax Maybe you need to watch the movie again #GreenFail”

Post something on their Facebook wall for Universal Entertainment and The Lorax and tell them what you think.

How to Pack a Green and Healthy School Lunch

It always amazes me how fast summer ends. Kids are heading back to school next week in parts of the country and there are some great things you can get to “green” your kids lunches:

Lunch box. Old Navy actually has some awesome metal lunchboxes, my daughter has a Hello Kitty “Go Green” one. Do not use a plastic one but a metal one or one made of recycled materials (follow the link for some cool bags).

Drinks: Do not waste money and resources by purchasing juice or milk boxes. Think of the packaging: Plastic straws, the plastic they wrap it in and the actual container. You can save money and control what they drink by putting your kids drinks in a reusable water bottle. For those of you who read my blog regularly you probably feel like this is a broken record but it makes a HUGE difference. This is one of the best things you can do for the environment. Klean Kanteen is king at our house we have a few in different colors!!! Be sure to pick stainless steel bottles not alumium (many alumium bottles have a thin plastic coating inside the bottle)

Utensils: Pack utensils for them. I carry a set around with me in my purse and it really helps me be green on the go. It is just as easy to put them into the dishwasher at night with the dinner dishes, their food containers, and their reusable water bottle.

Napkins: Pack a cloth napkin. Some kids may not go for this one… but see how they feel about it. Being green is in right now so they might be game for it. If you are crafty make them cool ones that their friends will be jealous of here is a great tutorial from The Purl Bee!

Containers: Do not put food in plastic anything (bags, containers…etc.). Find a reusable container to put these items in. I prefer the glass (check with your school to see if they have a “no glass” rule) and stainless steel containers. I use Lunchbots because even the tops are stainless steel and they last forever. Feel like you cannot part from the plastic bag? Go on Etsy and search for reusable lunch bags, there are so many amazing people there making cute bags for kids. If you eliminate plastic bags for an entire school year you have saved 180+ plastic baggies from the landfill and our ocean.

Food: I highly recommend The Lunch Box: Loaded with Fun, Healthy Meals to Go. It is a great book with tons of great recipes. I really love this book! The recipe for banana bread is perfect and they have so many other great ideas. I recently let my daughter flip through it and pick things out. The pictures are perfect.

Note: My Mom never did this but I am sure I will do it when my kids are old enough to read or at least appreciate my doodles! Paint the inside top of the lunch box with chalkboard paint and doodle something everyday, it does not always have to be lovey dovey it can be funny like a joke, random fact or some silly short story about when you were in school!

My most important recommendation is to buy a double set for each kid if you can. Sometimes your dishwasher just is not full at night or you forget. The fastest way to stop being green is to be lazy, it is commitment, so to meet yourself halfway if you get two of what you need and you will not have trouble sticking to it. Honestly you will save a ton of money in the long run.

Buy them organic and locally grown food. Even if it is just for a few weeks try to get to the farmers market before they go away for the winter and get some locally grown food.

Avoid prepackaged food. If you are going to give your kids pre-made food like Oreos buy the larger container and put an individual Oreo in a reusable bag. Beside the obvious packaging issues for the environment, think of your kids health.

My usual Lunchable rant: Really read the label of a Lunchable… it is a disgrace and we wonder why kids have health problems… Sorry I have VERY strong opinions about Lunchables you can easily make a healthier lunchable with a stainless steel lunch bot or bento box anyway!

Photo’s courtesy of Daily Voice, Kleen Kanteen, reusablebags.com, Go Lightly, Design Sponge, and Amazon.

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Do You Know Where This School Is?

If I could design my dream school for my two kids it would be something like this:

It would be located somewhere within walking distance of the house so we could walk to and from school together. It would have preK to 8 th grade in one building so they would get to see the role models (good and bad) of the older kids.

There would be a huge organic garden on the grounds that the students would take care of as part of their science/biology/earth science curriculum. The items grown would then be used for cooking classes in the cooking class room. I took a class called Home Economics where they taught me how to sew and cook, things I still like to do today. I want my kids to learn those skills. Once they are done cooking the food they will go to the lunch room that feels like someones kitchen at home with wooden tables and wooden chairs and share a meal with the kids in school of all ages family style (one child gets the food, another gets the drinks..etc.). The food will be served on real plates with real forks, knives, cotton napkins, and glasses. Everyone will clean up after one another and they will make friendships at lunch time that last forever.

After lunch they get to go outside and play in the huge natural play area in the back of the school. There are metal swings for them to swing on where they have to wait their turn. They get to jump rope, play running bases, red light green light, and Simon says in the light of the sun. Even when it is cold out the kids are able to convince their teachers that they want to go out and play and they agree because they love their job and they love the kids too.

For the kids educational time they learn math, science, and reading while doing fun projects and experiments. The kids will read about a social studies topic in reading, then use math to analyze the problem and then apply it in science class. All the classes and educational topics will overlap.

The classrooms will have abundant natural light and windows that open for fresh air. The walls will be painted with low VOC paint and the kids desk will be made from natural and upcycled materials. There are plants and animals in the room for them to take care of that have to be taken home on the weekends and long breaks. These pets will get to visit with the rest of our family. The kids will learn responsibility from those weekends and invite their cousins and all their other friends over so they can show off their class pet.

The class trips the kids go on will be amazing. They will go to the science museum, the natural history museum, and farms. Amazing people will come to the school and teach about amazing people and places. The kids will get to use technology to connect to people and places that I never was able to. They will learn how to protect the planet and live in harmony with nature while still fitting into our normal society.

Do not get me started on the extra curricular activities!

Where will I be? I will be volunteering at the library once a month, organizing the field trip, being on the parent hiring committee for new teachers, and helping find new and amazing opportunities for your school to grow. I will probably be doing even more.

I have not found this school yet but when I do the kids are going there. Hopefully we will not have to move far but if there is a school really like this it might be worth it.

Do you know where this school is?