Eco Memo: Greening Your Lunch Takeout

Every Monday in our Eco Memo series, we offer you practical tips on how to green your work life. This week, tips to make the lunch hour green.

Every night, my step-dad packs his lunch for work. He squirts a mustard smiley face on his deli meat, cuts his carrots, and makes sure everything's ready to go for his 4:00 AM departure. When you're diabetic, dietary regularity is paramount.

But that's not everybody, and bringing your own lunch to work every day can get monotonous or just darn impossible. Maybe you've finished packing your kids' lunch and just run out of cracked pepper turkey. They're all set, but what about you? A peanut butter-sprout sandwich just isn't gonna cut it. It's okay to go out occasionally. Don't worry. We won't judge.

Better yet, consider it an opportunity to reach out to your coworkers. Getting takeout from the local Chinese place? Ask your coworkers if they want anything. The last thing you want to do is get to the restaurant to pick up your order and see the guy from the cubicle next to you park in the spot right behind you. You may not be saving money for yourself today, but by saving your coworkers a trip, you're still conserving energy.