People sometimes say we need to save the planet for our kids. I sometimes think our kids are going to save us.

If you doubt it, ask Rick Schaden. Schaden is CEO of Quiznos, the fast-food chain best known for its toasted subs, and the father of five children, ages 3 to 19. Today, Quiznos is rolling out new packaging ("Eat Toasty, Be Green") made from renewable or recycled content that will reduce the chain's environmental footprint.

When we spoke by phone yesterday, I asked what led him to make the changes.

"Believe it or not, I was home watching a movie called 'Wall-E' with my kids," Schaden said. "You think about LEED-certified buildings and hybrid electric cars and all these really high-tech things, and then you watch 'Wall-E' and the world is buried in trash."

The Disney-Pixar animated movie is the story of a robot named Wall-E, who is designed to clean up an Earth that has been overwhelmed by garbage.

His kids had always pushed Schaden to be more green at home. "My kids make sure everything is sorted and separated. If anyone in my house would dare to put a plastic bottle in the trash, my 14-year-old would give him a smack," he said. "It's the culture of the new generation. It tells you that's where consumers are heading."

So, he figured, why not see what could be done at Quiznos, where he is a large shareholder, and where he returned as CEO, after some time away, just about a year ago.

"We're about 50 percent takeout," Schaden told me. "We produce a lot of disposables. That's our biggest contribution to the waste stream."

Quiznos says the new packaging includes:

•  100 percent compostable wax-coated paper cups
•  Pulp salad bowls made from renewable sugarcane
•  Plastic lids made of 30 percent post-consumer recycled PET bottles
•  Napkins made from 100 percent recycled material and fibers (90 percent post consumer)
•  Catering lunch boxes made of 100 percent recycled paperboard (35 percent post consumer)


Meanwhile, Quiznos "team members" will "embrace the green shift" by moving to uniforms made 100 percent from recycled soda pop bottles.

Now, this makes for a nice story, doesn't it? Teenage kids inspire CEO-dad to turn 4,000 or so restaurants green.