KOKO Insulated Fashion Lunch Bag Review (Waste-free Lunch Series)

Packing lunch has become such a fashion statement today. No longer are we limited to brown paper bags, boxy coolers, or nylon lunchboxes. Now, we can tote our lunch in cute and trendy bags that offer the same functionality as their predecessors. In continuing with my waste-free lunch series, I highlight a reusable bag for moms on-the-go.

Lunch Kits - Waste-Free Lunch Series

Long before my son started preschool, I was in search for reusable food and beverage containers. It just made sense to me to reuse products instead of throwing them away. Before the BPA and phthalate-free products came into the market, parents were packing lunch in metal or plastic lunch boxes and plastic thermoses; I certainly had my share. Parents today are more label conscious and look for products that are less toxic than their predecessors.

Waste-Free Lunch Series

Since the beginning of 2012, I have been featuring eco-conscious companies and eco-friendly products. Over the next few weeks, I will continue this trend but focus specifically on waste-free lunches. This series will highlight some ways in which you can reduce waste while preparing lunch for the kids or yourself, and find some cool products too. I suppose I already started this series last year when I published a post on reusable glass water bottles.

FEATURE: Eco-friendly reusable glass water bottles

SUN SAFETY SERIES
So far in my Sun Safety Series, I have focused on products that are used to prevent damage from UV rays. In this post, I focus on another related topic: hydration. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, keeping yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of (non-alcoholic) fluids is one of the best preventive steps you can take to avoid heat-related illness. Similarly, consumption of alcoholic and high-sugar drinks cause fluid loss. The Institutes of Medicine published a report with guidelines of how much water people should consume. Keep in mind that beverages (like tea and juices) and moisture in foods add to total water intake.(2) In addition to heat, other factors such as elevation, exercise, medical condition, and pregnancy/breast-feeding also affect how much water you should be drinking.(3) In general, women should be drinking approximately 9 cups of water and men 12.5 cups. Water intake for children vary by age.(2) May 1-7, 2011 is Drinking Water Week.

I know of at least four choices for reusable beverages containers for people on-the-go: ceramic, glass, metal, and plastic. One property of glass that makes it superior to the others is that glass will not absorb or leach any thing into the liquid it holds. Naturally derived, glass is chemical, BPA, and phthalate free.(4) Therefore, users do not have to worry about toxicity or any added taste to their beverage. Additionally, glass is 100% recyclable.(5) In my research, I found the following companies that sell reusable glass bottles. Aesthetically, they each have unique features that appeal to a wide variety of personalities and taste. Most of the information presented below were obtained either from the company's website or from a representative. September 2011 is Recycle Glass Month.

Company	Bamboo  Bottle Company™	Be Truly You™	Lifefactory™	Love Bottle	Rivé™	Tekeya®	tap water™
Sample
Volume (oz)	17	20   28	9   16   22	17   32	12   16	16   18   22	9   17   32
Mouth width	Wide	Wide	Wide	Narrow	Wide	Wide	Narrow
Sleeve	Bamboo	None*	Silicone	None*	Silicone	Silicone	None
Beverage temperature	Cold Hot	Cold	Cold	Cold	Cold	Cold Hot	Cold
Dishwasher safe	Yes except bamboo	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Made in	China	Canada China US	France Poland US	China	China	Japan	Italy
Glass material	51% recycled glass	20% recycled glass	Raw materials	25% recycled glass	Raw materials	AcraGlass®	<50% recycled glass
Price range	$25	$16-25	$12.99-21.99	$12-20	$20-25	$19.99-24.99	$10-12CAD

*Sold separately


For more information about the companies and the products they offer, please go to the respective websites.

(1) CDC
(2) Institutes of Medicine
(3) Mayo Clinic
(4) Corning Museum of Glass
(5) CalRecycle

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. The opinions expressed in this post are solely mine. I received permission from the companies to post their images on my blog.

EVENT SPONSOR: Go Green Lunch Boxes

SPONSOR

I would like to introduce my second April Showers giveaway, Go Green Lunch Boxes. I have been on a bento box hunt for quite some time. I am so glad that someone contacted me about sponsoring a giveaway for these awesome, earth-friendly lunch boxes.