Ideal Bite

Run an Eco Lemonade Stand

Wanna help your kids corner the neighborhood market on lemonade?

08.13.2009

Submitted by alara on Wed, 08/12/2009 - 11:00pm.

The Bite:

Squeeze out the competition - and the best drinks: Help them set up an eco lemonade stand. With organic and local ingredients, plus planet-friendly supplies, your pint-size entrepreneur can make some cash without bankrupting resources.

The Benefits:

Merging with local produce. Because it travels a shorter distance, locally grown fruit produces 17 times fewer CO2 emissions than fruit you get at the supermarket. No local lemons? Try recipes for berry- or peach-ade.
No landfill takeovers. Stands made from old cardboard put would-be trash to use and reusable and/or compostable cups don't add to the waste stream either.
Setting a steep price on toxins. In 2007, CA lemon farmers - who produce 87% of the U.S. lemon crop - applied 2.3 million pounds of pesticides to their fields. Organic farming keeps land, air, and waterways chem-free.
Leveraging fun. Kids'll have a great time playing store and may pick up a few pointers about conservation while making a buck.

Personally Speaking:

Wanna Try:

Drinks

Seasonal Summer Drinks - stick with local, organic fruit for peach-ade, raspberry-ade (can swap in blueberries), melon smoothies, or the ol' fave, lemonade (see our blog for a recipe with agave syrup).
Local Harvest - find a farmers market in your area to get fresh local fruits for your bevs.

Cups

Eco-Products Compostable Cups - if reusable isn't an option, go with these 12-ounce cups made from U.S.-grown corn ($8/50).

Stands

Cardboard Stand - when an ordinary table won't do, go for flair: make your very own stand with cardboard boxes, wrapping-paper tubes, and decorations.

Timeout

Hannah, 9, and Max Kula, 7, of Surfside, FL, love making their mom Ellen's (aka Kitchen Commando) "Back to Nature" lemonade on hot summer days - try it.

Bang For The Bite

If 10,000 Mama Biters choose organic lemons for their kids' lemonade instead of the regular kind, we'll keep the weight of 6,400 titans of industry in pesticides off citrus farms.

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