Green Daily

I just recently started a new job. For the last year and a half I've been a full-time grad student and freelancer, so the vast majority of my time was spent in or around my apartment. I was particularly careful to eat most of my meals at home, being that my student/freelance budget didn't have a whole lot of wiggle room for dining out. However, since starting this new job, I've come to realize that I wasn't only doing my budget a favor by eating at home, I was also doing something good for the earth.

Since rejoining the working world, I've been stunned at how much packaging is involved in a quick lunch out. If I grab a salad from the cafeteria in my office building, at the end of my meal I end up throwing away the plastic container in which it was packed, a utensil, a couple of paper napkins as well as any other bits and pieces I got suckered into while checking out. If I bring a comparable salad from home (I actually think that the salads I make for myself are actually better), I pack it in a reusable plastic container and bring a regular fork with me from my kitchen. I haven't gone so far as to bring a cloth napkin with me, but I am considering it. All told, bringing my own lunch leaves me throwing out very little and eating better to boot.