Evergreen Fridge Hunt: Why to Choose Cartons

In 2012, many people are making simple lifestyle efforts in order to help preserve our planet for future generations. Some people go Vegan or Vegetarian, some drive hybrid vehicles, and some find new and interesting ways to repurpose items that others would consider trash. These are just a few of the many ways to help save the Earth!

While I don't claim to be the Green Living Goddess, I do try and make the most environmentally conscious choices for my family whenever possible. No, I don't drive a hybrid....I drive a Mercedes...No, I am not Vegan or Vegetarian, although I applaud those who are. But I DO buy as much organic food as possible, including free range meats and poultry. I also cloth diaper, buy clothing and household goods made from organic and sustainable materials, and I use "green" household cleaners. These are just a few of the things we do to try and make the Earth a cleaner, greener place.

Another easy and relatively painless way to go green is to check out the packaging in your refrigerator! This is something people rarely think about. After doing some research, I was surprised to learn that paper cartons are by far the best choice when it comes to food packaging. I also learned that most foods that traditionally come with plastic packaging usually have paper-packaged counterparts. (Think cream chesse or butter.) I also learned that paper cartons keep foods just as fresh as plastic packaging!

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Here are some neat facts about paper cartons:

• Over 41 million households have access to carton recycling, and that number is on the rise. In addition, cartons are made from renewable materials – more than 70 percent of the carton is made from paper, all from trees from responsibly managed forests.
• Packaging plays a very important role in keeping food and beverages fresh. The environmental impact of a package is just as important as the contents inside. 
• Cartons are recyclable where facilities exist. The paper fiber contained in cartons is valuable. Recycled cartons are used to make products such as tissue, office paper, wall boards and other building materials.  To learn if your community accepts cartons for recycling, please visit www.recyclecartons.com or check with your local recycling program.
• Cartons are made with renewable energy. More than 50 percent of the energy used to make the paper in Evergreen Packaging’s cartons comes from biomass.
• Responsible forestry promotes new forest growth, and these forests help to diminish greenhouse gases. Forests remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in trees. In the US, due to both increases in the total area of forest land and increases in the carbon stored per acre, an additional 192 million metric tons of carbon are sequestered each year through responsible forest management programs nationwide. This offsets roughly 11% of the country’s industrial greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of removing almost 135 million passenger vehicles from the nation’s highways.

I was recently given the challenge to see just how green my food packaging is. When I embarked on my Fridge Hunt, I was happy to find that my family is actually doing a relatively good job when it comes to our packaging choices. The vast majority of my foods come in paper cartons or glass containers, which are reusable and recyclable. As a matter of fact, the only thing that's plastic are our milk jugs and cheese bags or wrappers. I buy organic butter which comes in paper cartons. We stay away from margarine, which is only 1 molecule away from being plastic itself! (Pretty gross, huh?) I also purchase my cream cheese in paper packaging. Even our yogurt choices come in greener packaging than traditional plastic tubs. Our fruits and veggies come in recycled material packages that are not made from plastic or foam, if they come packaged at all. While the inside of my fridge isn't perfect, I think we're on the right track! From now on, I will definitely be more mindful in the packaging of our foods. This experiment has been quite eye-opening!

Need more convincing? Check out the story of the paper carton in this neat infographic:

By choosing paper cartons, you can do your part to help protect the environment. They're made from renewable energy, are recyclable, and can even be used in arts and crafts! They also keep foods nice and fresh with no worries of plastics leeching into your foods and beverages. I know I will be choosing paper from now on! Will you?

• For more information, please visit: www.choosecartons.com
• You can also join this movement on Facebook and on twitter to show your support! 

SPREAD THE WORD AND HELP OTHERS!

Show your support by educating others about the benefits of paper cartons.  Every carton fact shared, via Twitter, using the hashtag #choosecartons will help raise money for Habitat for Humanity® 


***Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Evergreen and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”***