Anne Thomopoulos (photo, top) and Lisa Viscardi (photo, bottom) founded Lunchopolis with the hope of offering parents garbage-free lunches for their kids. It’s all re-usable, from the lunchbox to the containers and water bottles inside. They talked to Greenopia about their work and living green in Los Angeles.

Best part of your job?

Anne: Making things and making a difference; I love the idea that if we educate our kids early, then conservation and environmental responsibility will be part of their lives forever.

Lisa: Meeting like-minded people.

What are some of your favorite local green restaurants?

Anne: I like Wilshire and Rustic Canyon because they both use seasonal ingredients and support family farms and sustainable agriculture. Rustic Canyon has a bit of a Mediterranean twist so for a Greek/French girl like me, it’s comfort food.

Lisa: The City Bakery because [owner] Maury is so conscious about everything he does. Rustic Canyon because they buy local and have such fabulous taste.

Where do you shop for organic groceries?

Anne: Whole Foods and local farmers’ markets. I prefer the farmers’ markets because they force me to stay focused on what’s grown locally and in season. This way, I’m never tempted to buy apples out of season from Chile or New Zealand.

Lisa: Whole Foods and the farmers’ market.

What are some of your favorite local green businesses?

Anne: Locally, I support any business that makes an effort. On a larger yet still local scale, I really admire Whole Foods because they are bringing consciousness to a tremendous percentage of our population. They have advanced organic food and made it possible for artisan suppliers and family farms to exist in a way that was previously not possible. I also love Patagonia because the company pioneered environmental responsibility long before it was chic.

Lisa: We just built a new home and tried to do as much green as we could. Our architect was Scott Prentice and he cares very much about the environment and building consciously.

Are there environmental non-profits you support?

Anne: Trees for the Future.

Lisa: The NRDC and Heal the Bay.

What’s your favorite thing about living in the city? Least favorite?

Anne: The landscape. Sometimes I find myself driving down the PCH or hiking in the mountains and I am struck by the incredible beauty of Los Angeles. Least: The traffic.

Lisa: Coming from New York, I feel so relieved to be closer to nature. We live by the ocean and I love it.

What would you say is the city’s undiscovered or underrated jewel?

Anne: Little Dolphins By the Sea. It is a small preschool located in Temescal Canyon Park that also functions as a summer camp. Margerita Pagliai founded the school nearly 20 years ago with a commitment to early education, promoting the values of respect, empathy, and spirit using a multicultural curriculum in a truly magnificent natural setting. I wish every child in Los Angeles could experience it.

Lisa: The hike along the bluff at Point Dume.

Where do you like to take out-of-town visitors?

Anne: Temescal Canyon Park. Hiking there is a great way to give people a sense of the city. I think most people are surprised to find nature like that within the city. When you reach the summit and can see from Catalina to the mountains, it is quite spectacular.

Lisa: Abbot Kinney, Point Dume, hiking up Temescal Canyon.

What’s your favorite vacation destination?

Anne: We have a house on an island called Ile de Re on the western coast of France. I absolutely love it. Bicycles are the primary mode of transportation there and the island is covered with bike-only roads. The island industries are salt making, agriculture, and fishing so you get a real sense of living with nature when you are there.

Lisa: St Barths and Kuaia. They are both small islands and you can venture around to different beaches. Kuaia is insanely lush and alive.

What’s your favorite weekend outdoor activity?

Anne: I love a family hike.

Lisa: Jogging.

What’s an eco-friendly gift you like to give?

Anne: My brother has a line of environmental T-shirts through his company, Hippoworks. And Lunchopolis.

Lisa: Lunchopolis!

Do you have a favorite environmental book or movie?

Anne: I love the “Planet Earth” series. They are so miraculous, I never get tired of watching the episodes.

Lisa: I thought “An Inconvenient Truth” was scary, important, and helped wake people up.

If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?

Anne: A cedar because they are evergreen and elegant in their imperfection—and they smell good!

Lisa: An olive tree because they seem pure and peaceful and I like the color of their leaves.

Describe your path to green: how and when you became eco-conscious.

Anne: I always appreciated nature but for me green hit me the day I gave birth. I was struck by the realization that if I didn’t make an effort to care for our planet, my child would miss what I had come to take for granted. Our planet is extraordinary and deserves protecting.

Lisa: I’ll never forget the crying American Indian in the pollution pubic service announcements growing up. It’s sad but I don’t think many of us knew back then that there really was a problem. Years ago, when New York City started a recycling program for trash, I really started to think more about it.