The New York State Department of Conservation estimates that one student taking a disposable lunch to school every day will create as much as 90 pounds of garbage per year. Two moms from California, Amy Hemmert and Tammy Pelstring, created Laptop Lunches to address this problem. It's a lunchbox, only this new take on the old idea is shaped like a mimiature laptop computer. It cuts out the need for zip-lock bags and plastic wrap--not to mention prepackaged, preservative-laden fare--with colorful containers that fit together like a puzzle, and it's accompanied with a "User's Guide" that is chock-full of information about everything from childhood obesity to strategies for dealing with a picky eater. When asked why the box is made of virgin plastic, Hemmert replied, "We would love to make them out of recycled plastic, but we have not been able to find one that's FDA-approved for food. We cannot make them out of glass or ceramics because they have to be kid-friendly, and metal is cost prohibitive." CONTACT: Obentec, (831) 457-0301, www.laptoplunches.com.

     --Rebecca Bowe