Recently I came across a company in Portland that might be just one more step in keeping Portland “green.” It is called GO Box and is meant to be a sustainable option for Portland Food Cart eaters. The PDX Food Cart Community is continuing to grow substantially. Individual carts and pods are popping up in neighborhoods all over the city. While I cannot say I am truly knowledgeable about which food carts are the best, I am a fan of the success of food carts here in Portland. Many have become so successful that they eventually opened brick and mortar food establishments.

The way GO Box works: you pay $8.50 to become a GO Box subscriber. Purchase a meal at a food cart, return your GO Box at the end of your meal and receive a token to be used the next time you purchase food at a food cart. The site states that Portland uses 60,000 disposable containers EVERY month. That’s crazy!

I wonder if this type of program could be used as a model for schools. I know we had a similar type of plastic container in college, however, you had to purchase it and then remember to bring it each time. Which many times folks forgot. Maybe Go Box will find a way to give the token electronically (as I would forget to bring it).

This is a convenient and sustainable company that Portland food cart users should subscribe to right away! If you are not in Portland, check online to see if your city has something similar.