i have vivid memories of my elementary school lunches. i'm not sure if my mom would religiously pack me my meal because she enjoyed the process, or if she didn't like the idea of me eating cafeteria lunch. regardless of how busy my mom would be, she took her packing job seriously. sometimes there would be a note inside, other times she would buy the reusable, environmentally friendly bags, or she would pack me a brown bag lunch and draw floral designs with my name somewhere in the mix. it was the early nineties, so the environmental craze was just starting - our school had just begun equipping each classroom with the blue recycle pales, and we were only beginning to understand what pollution was, and what it meant. so when i would walk into the cafeteria with my vinyl, neon blue (environmentally friendly) lunch bag with an earth patch on it, i would get sometimes get a few stares and teased a bit. needless to say, i begged my mom to stop sending me to school with that lunch bag, despite the fact that i knew that using it was the right thing to do.
i think early on that notion of doing small things lent itself to the bigger picture which was engrained in me pretty early on. my dad was (and still is) a super nerd when it came to recycling just about anything and everything. we kept a compost pile under an enormous pine tree in our yard, that at the time i thought was smelly and gross, but only when i got older was able to understand and appreciate its significance. presently, i do my small part each day (and let's face it, i could always do more), but keeping a garden where i see life thrive, and butterflies rest, and bees pollinate makes my small backyard garden filled with cycles of life. i try to take care in whatever way i can - big or small. as part of this year's observance of earth day, i've teamed up my pals at Naked Juice to sow some seeds, plant some baby kale, and enjoy their Kale Blazer juice which is bottled in 100% post-recycled renewable bottles, minimizing waste along the way - something i can always get behind!
all the green hugs!
*this post was created in partnership with Naked Juice. all opinions, as always, are my own. thank you for supporting dolly and oatmeal's sponsors!