As two moms worked hard to create environmentally friendly school lunches for their kids, an idea--and then business, was born. Joyce Raffo and Paige Rodgers are the founders of Fabkins, cloth size napkins for kids.

They had already been talking advantage of reusable containers for school lunches, but came to a hurdle when it came to packing napkins. Like many families, formal cloth napkins didn't work well because of the size. While they could have simply sent them to school with a smaller napkin or paper towel, they knew there had to be a more eco friendly way. And with that, Fabkins came to life.

Fabkins come in a variety of colors and designs, including: prima ballerina, garden friends, fruit salad, sports fan, beach bound, African safari, flower power, and extreme sports.

The idea behind Fabkins is incredibly clever. While adults often try to be more environmentally friendly, Fabkins offers the chance to teach children the same concept.

If you are sending the Fabkins in your child's lunchbox, however, you want to be sure that they will return with them. If you have a child who tends to forget his or her lunchbox, containers, jacket, etc., then you may want to save Fabkins for supervised meals at home. It would be a shame for them to become lost in the cafeteria rush.

In addition to school lunches, Fabkins can be used for a variety of other purposes. From picnics in the park to play dates with friends, it's a super alternative to paper towels and napkins. Fabkins would also be a nice party favor or gift because it helps spread the word about environmentally friendly products without being intrusive or overbearing.

Fabkins are machine washable and one hundred percent cotton. I was pleased to see how well they held up after many rounds in the washing machine. In addition, each Fabkins has a name tag where you can write the child's name for easy identification. This is a nice feature, especially if there are many children using similar Fabkins at one setting.

Not only does using Fabkins help the environment, but the Fabkins website offers additional environmentally friendly tips. They offer tips for packing a waste free lunch, and tips for going green in 2009.

Even if your family isn't the most environmentally conscious family, Fabkins offers a fun step in that direction.

For more information, visit their website: Fabkins