Noshpockets

An Inspiring Story of a School’s Ongoing Green Transformation

Terry — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:19:17 +0000

Last fall Kitty, a teacher from Ecole Dickinsfield School, Fort McMurray, Alberta placed an order with me for their new “eco store”. I found her story inspiring and intriguing so I asked her to follow up with me. Kitty’s email to me, including great links, is printed below. I hope it will inspire others to begin or continue the “greening” of their schools. Thanks Kitty!

“I bought some Noshpockets from you last fall, and you asked for some info on what our school is doing. You can check out our website, www.wastefreelunches.blogspot.com

We’ve invited our school to have waste free lunches, and they’ve risen to the challenge. Our lunch waste reduced within the first month by 60%, from 5 to 2 big bags of garbage the custodians would pick up after lunch. It’s continued.

What really helped is that our school also committed to being a Healthy Eating school, and apples, bananas and pears don’t have packaging. Packaging comes with unhealthy food mostly. I got a grant from BP Oil to give every child $10 worth of waste free lunch supplies. I set up an “eco store” with all those supplies, and they were able to choose from the amazingly wide variety of interesting items out there. Inspiration came from www.reuseit.com

We’re learning about the energy and pollution connected with the lifecycle of packaging and containers. We’re also experimenting with worm composting, and may try to make composting a goal for next year.

This is a follow-up year to the year our city started the Bag Ban, where all local retailers not longer are allowed to distribute polyethylene or other material bags at check-out. People are supposed to bring their own bags, although there is now an overabundance of cheap “reusable bags”. Our school supported the ban by learning about bags and having an “eco store” where students could obtain a wide variety of interesting, durable and ethical bags. Our website for that project was www.thebagban.blogspot.com

Thanks again for your great product!”

Noshpockets for Christmas and Hanukah

Terry — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:00:09 +0000

Announcing two exciting new noshpocket fabrics – Rad Racing and Hugs and Kisses. We are also re-introducing our festive Mittens fabric just in time for Christmas. Noshpockets make a great eco-friendly stocking stuffer and can be a reusable wrapping for CDs, jewelry, candy and other Christmas and Hanukah gifts. They are also lightweight and easy to ship. You may not know that every year, noshpockets donates 10% of its profits to the Calgary Herald Christmas Fund which supports many important local charities. Give an environmentally sustainable gift that gives over and over again to the recipient, the environment and to the community!

Noshpockets for Back to School

Terry — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:58:47 +0000

School is just around the corner and parents and children are starting to plan and prepare for that big first day! Now is the time to make sure you have lots of noshpockets on hand so your kids start school on the right foot with litter-free lunches. Please check your supply and order now to make sure you are ready with kid friendly patterns in sandwich and snack sizes. And don’t forget – noshpockets make a great fundraiser for your school or organization.

Family Adventure at Kayben Farms

Terry — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:54:27 +0000

Kayben Farms is a local u-pick farm popular with those who enjoy picking their own strawberries and black currants. Last year the owners opened JoJo’s Cafe which offers lunches and snacks featuring produce from their own garden and orchard as well as meat, honey, flour, eggs etc, from local farms. This year’s addition is the newly opened Sunshine Adventure Park. Built on more than 12 acres of land, there are walking trails, fire pits and play structures including slides, a climbing wall, berry bounce, a pedal cart track, corn and tree mazes, duck race water features, picnic areas and more. What a great spot for a summertime family day trip! You can get more information at kayben.com.

Do you have a favourite local adventure you would like to share?

Significantly Simple – Product Review and Give-Away

Terry — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:26:19 +0000

You can win a free set of noshpockets by going to SignificantlySimple.com and following the rules set out in their blog. While you are there you might as well check out the website. Significantly Simple was created and is co-authored by two creative moms and is full of useful information for young families. Today they are doing a product review of noshpockets. You can find other product reviews as well as homemaking tips and recipes, environmental tips, info on childrearing and much more! Check it out and good luck with the contest!

It’s Time to Vote!

Terry — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:15:06 +0000

It’s June 1st and voting has now opened for the Calgary Choice Awards. Calgary Choice Awards were created by the Green Learning Academy to celebrate Calgary businesses and build awareness around the importance of children’s education. Noshpockets has been nominated for a 2011 Calgary Choice award in the category of Best in Eco-Friendly Product or Service. To help noshpockets win this award you can vote at http://www.calgarychoiceawards.ca before September 1.

Fill your noshpocket with homemade trail mix

Terry — Tue, 24 May 2011 18:18:57 +0000

Homemade trail mix is an easy-to-make healthful snack and is an inexpensive alternative to sugary or salty prepackaged snacks. Including your children in the preparation helps them learn about healthy food choices and gives them confidence working in the kitchen.

For optimal nutrition, choose a variety of ingredients such as unsweetened cereal, nuts and seeds, and dried fruit. Choose ingredients your child loves and try some new flavours such as coconut, soy beans or dried mango. Making your own trail mix gives you the opportunity to be creative and allows you to account for taste and food sensitivities.

Many commercial brands are high in sugar and sodium. You can add some chocolate chips or other sweet treats for a bit of fun but add it in small amounts.

Do you have a favourite trail mix recipe you would like to share with our readers? Please feel free to send it in!

Noshpockets nominated for Calgary Choice Award

Terry — Wed, 11 May 2011 20:02:05 +0000

Noshpockets is honoured to announce that we have been nominated for a 2011 Calgary Choice Award in the category of Best in Eco-Friendly Product or Service. Vote for us May 30 – September 1, 2011 at http://www.calgarychoiceawards.ca.

Terry — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:48:22 +0000

In honor of Earth Day, noshpockets is offering a free copy of “Love Your Body” Lunchbox Cookbook with each online order of $24 or more on April 22nd, Earth Day. The Lunchbox Cookbook is a $15 value!

The Love Your Body Lunchbox Cookbook by Bundles of Energy offers you recipes, nutrition tips and shifts, along with multiple resources to assist you in finding a using a wealth of fabulous locally available products and services.

Go to www.noshpockets.ca to order your noshpockets.
Go to www.bundlesofenergy.com to find out more about Bundles of Energy and the “Love Your Body Lunchbox” cookbook.

Celebrate the Earth by purchasing a reusable, environmentally sustainable noshpocket and fill it with a yummy, nutritious lunch made from a recipe in your new Love Your Body Lunchbox cookbook!

Have a Happy Earth Day!

School Fundraiser a Success

Terry — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:11:53 +0000

This past month, West Springs Elementary School raised money using noshpockets as their green fundraiser. Their organizer, Tish, found our “fundraising documentation is clear and easy to follow” and ” (the) service has been great and everything ran very smoothly”. I would like to congratulate West Springs Elementary School for their successful fundraiser and thank them for their business. West Springs Elementary School students are helping to better their environment one noshpocket at a time!