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Travel & Food

Eco-friendly School and Work Baon: 12 Tips and Easy Swaps

Preparing baon early in the morning can be tough, so it’s natural to look for shortcuts. However, many ready-made meals come in plastic packaging and use more natural resources. One study estimates they’re 35% more harmful for the environment than the same dish cooked at home.

 

Learn how to make eco-friendly, convenient school and office lunches. Use these tips and easy swaps to save time and minimize waste.

1. Create a Weekly Menu

Spend a few minutes each weekend planning your lunches for the week. You avoid last-minute scrambles for convenience food and wasting ingredients.

 

Pressed for time? Use the internet! Ask ChatGPT to instantly generate a meal plan based on your available ingredients or family preferences. Download meal planning apps like BigOven (available on Google Play and App Store) to save recipes and generate grocery lists.

2. Cook More Plant-Based Meals

Plant-based dishes have a smaller environmental impact than animal products. Incorporate more fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes into your lunches. Try a veggie wrap, quinoa salad, or hummus and veggie sticks for a nutritious and sustainable meal.

 

To further reduce your environmental impact, buy from local farmers. Rural Rising does “rescue buys” of seasonal produce that would otherwise go to waste. Aside from being cheaper, all profits go directly to the farmers.

3. Schedule a Bulk Cooking Day

Chop vegetables, cook grains, and prepare proteins in large quantities at the start of the week. Refrigerate in eco food containers, ready to be mixed and matched into different lunch combinations. For example, roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, or hummus can be used in many recipes.

 

Hate chopping? Consider getting a mandolin or food processor. You get even slices at a fraction of the time.

4. Invest in a “Green” Lunch Box

Eco-friendly plastic reusable lunchbox with fruit, vegetable sticks, and other natural food.

Containers with compartments separate food and control portions, which eliminate both plastic and food waste.

Replace disposable plastics with eco food containers you can use for years. Here’s what to look for.

  • Material: Glass or stainless steel doesn’t stain or trap odors and is easy to clean with hot soapy water. BPA-free plastic is perfect for a school-packed lunch: it won’t break, is microwave-safe, and won’t release chemicals associated with health problems.

  • Compartments: Bento-style boxes keep food separate without the need for additional packaging. Yumbox (₱1,925, Zalora) has five compartments and many designs for both kids and adults.

  • Insulation: Keep food warm and prevent spoiling. Zojirushi lunch boxes have advanced insulation technology that maintains temperature for up to 12 hours.

5. Store Food in Silicone Containers

Silicone bags are resealable and freezer-friendly. Use them to pack sandwiches or snacks or freeze meat or smoothie ingredients in perfect portions.

 

Shop for food-grade silicone bags at EcoWarrior or Infinite Concepts. Kipper Bags (available on Lazada) are also microwave-safe.

6. Swap Plastic Wrap for Beeswax Wraps

Close-up of hands wrapping sandwich in green-checkered beeswax wrap for an eco-friendly lunch.

Aside from being eco-friendly food packaging, beeswax wraps come in different designs for a colorful, Instagram-worthy lunch.

Beeswax wraps are a biodegradable alternative to traditional cling wrap and plastic freezer bags. Simply wrap around food, and then warm the material with your hands until it clings in place.

 

Wraps can be washed and reused for about six months to a year. The breathable fabric also inhibits mold growth in the refrigerator. Find beeswax bags at Roots Collective, Milea, or The Nest, and beeswax rolls from Project Refill PH’s Shopee store.

7. Make Creative Use of Leftovers

Packed teriyaki lunch with fruits in eco-friendly food boxes.

The best school lunches are easy, healthy, and convenient! Turn leftovers into rice meals and add colorful fruits and veggies.

Throwing away food also wastes the energy and water used to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. Furthermore, decomposed food releases methane—a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide.

 

Reduce food waste by turning leftovers into new lunch recipes. Use last night's meat or roasted vegetables for wrap fillings, salad toppings, or fried rice.

8. Bring Your Own Bottle and Utensils

Even if you prep your own office baon, you may still encounter situations when the team orders food or goes for a coffee run. Keep a set of utensils and a reusable tumbler in your cubicle, so you can join the fun while still reducing plastic waste.

9. Use Energy-Efficient Cooking Appliances and Methods

Happy woman cooking burger by placing it on a microwave oven, demonstrating simple eco-friendly design concept.

Build an eco-friendly kitchen with energy-efficient appliances. Choose cooking methods that minimize energy consumption.

Check your appliance’s energy rating. Use Meralco’s Appliance Energy Calculator to calculate its electricity consumption.

 

Generally, induction and electric appliances like microwaves, Instant Pots, and air fryers use more power but are more efficient for fast heating and cooking. Gas appliances cost less but need preheating. (Learn about more energy-efficient appliances.)

 

If you’re baking or stewing anything on the stove, plan your meals to maximize the heat. For example, schedule a “baking day” when you’ll make several sheet pan dinners or big batches of cookies and bread in one go.

10. DIY Your Snacks

Merienda time! Avoid excess packaging and preservatives by making your own snacks. Here are some easy ideas that will satisfy both your cravings and green living goals.

  • Buy nuts, dried fruit, and cereal in bulk to make your own trail mix or granola bars.
  • Make a big batch of muffins, dumplings, pizza bases, or cookie dough and freeze in ready-to-heat portions.
  • Prepare hummus, dips, or salsa and store in mason jars. Serve with nachos, fried wontons, or veggie sticks.
  • Make rice balls. Make Japanese rice (or a 1:1 ratio of regular rice and sticky rice) and mix with seaweed or any filling you like—tuna, ham, imitation crab sticks, or more.

11. Start a Backyard Garden

Fresh, homegrown produce and herbs have more flavor and reduce the need for store-bought items packaged in plastic. If you have a “black thumb,” basil, mint, parsley, chives, oregano, and cherry tomatoes are relatively easy to grow. Buy young plants in pots instead of seeds so you get a head start.

12. Consider Composting

Composting is a great way to turn food scraps into nutrient-rich soil. You can find household composting kits on Green Space, Halamanin, or Bokashi Pinoy. Starter kits range from ₱1,100 to ₱3,000 depending on the size.

 

Making eco-friendly choices and swaps in your baon routine is a simple yet powerful way to contribute to a greener planet. Start with small changes, and gradually incorporate more sustainable practices in all your meals and other daily habits.

 

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