Dawn Monteiro, who runs a day-care center, noticed that many of the children brought lunches in paper bags. She threw out hundreds of paper bags each year.

The couple, both of which work out of their Norwalk home, decided that eliminating brown paper lunch bags would be their first small leap toward reducing their environmental footprint.

In 2011, the husband and wife team launched LittleGreenLeaps.com, a site dedicated to taking small steps toward living a greener life-style. Their first product is a reusable, recyclable lunch bag that is similar in shape and size to a traditional brown paper bag but made with a durable and machine-washable nylon.

“We thought ‘what could we do, what would be the one thing we want to get rid of,”‘ Alex Monteiro said. “So we got rid the brown paper bags, and made something that is light, recyclable and reusable.”

Currently LittleGreenLeaps.com offers customizable lunch bags in assorted colors. Products are manufactured domestically in Tennessee. Unlike a lunch box, it is designed to be portable and light. “The last thing kids want to do is carry around a bulky lunch box,” the Norwalk residents said.

“(The bags) are heavy and durable enough to go in the washing machine but also light and portable,” Dawn Monteiro said. The bag should be turned inside out and left to air dry to preserve the monogram.

The couple plans to market the lunch bags to elementary schools, having already linked up with the Cranbury School PTO, where their son and daughter both attend.

“Most of our sales have been through word of mouth,” said Alex Monteiro who also owns and operates his own animation company Studio-X.com. “We have not really pushed the product too hard just yet. It is been mainly about getting the word out.”

Online orders are shipped for free. Although the company is currently only producing lunch bags they are constantly looking for other things to improve on, Alex Monteiro said.

“I knew one of the things we would do is help with their lunches. We can make something that is reusable,” he said. “We are also working on a reusable, sandwich wrapper that would eliminate zip-lock bags.”

LittleGreenLeaps.com is dedicated to making small adjustments in every day life to offset everyone’s environmental footprint, the couple said.

“Even if it is just something as simple as a lunch bag,” Alex Monteiro said, “We are still helping save hundreds of trees and creating less trash. It is better for the environment.”