Bento is the term for the Japanese lunch box, and is essentially the art of packing a really great lunch in small portable and reusable containers that is both practical for the environment, the wallet, the waist and aesthetically pleasing to boot.

I'm trying to get back into the habit of packing a lunch rather than eating out all the time, so that when I move at the end of this year, I'm not tempted to try every single restaurant in the radius of my apartment and/or office for lunch and thus not be able to afford my San Francisco rent.

Bringing your own lunch to work in a bento box is an easy way to reduce your environmental footprint, because your meal is in a reusable container, and you avoid wasting excess packaging from to-go lunches. The best part is that you don't need any fancy containers or tools to get started, a simple Lock & Lock or Tupperware will do.