Talking About Green

You want the world to be a cleaner, greener place for your kids to grow up.  You want them to inherit a planet that will sustain their lives just as they sustain the environment, and you want to teach them to live in an environmentally conscious manner, and one day pass on those same symbiotic principles to their own children.  So when it comes time to plan your child’s birthday party, don’t let this day of joy and celebration be an exception to the rule.  Try out a few simple tricks that will ensure they get everything they want while still supporting a strong eco-friendly aesthetic.

1. Invitations.  There are two good ways to go green when it comes to sending out invitations for your child’s birthday party.  For starters, you can buy recycled paper that has been printed with soy-based inks.  This helps to stop further deforestation and cut down on paper waste in landfills.  Of course, if you’re the crafty type, you could always find ways to use recycled paper around your own house. Then, you can do some research online and find printable birthday cards free.  Another method for invitations (if your kids are a bit older and their friends all have email) is to send out Evites, which are 100% paper-free and offer a lot of options for creativity.
2. Decorations.  Most people would put up streamers and balloons.  But if you want to decorate with the planet’s best interest at heart, skip the brightly colored (and toxically dyed) streamers and the polyurethane balloons.  Instead, order (or make) a party kit that comes complete with a “Happy Birthday” banner to hang, a festive tablecloth and napkins, and even gift bags, all made from cloth.  They can be reused over and over to set the stage for a fun birthday celebration.
3. Food.  Going green with food could mean finding products that are either organic or fair trade (or both).  Many chocolates are now fair-trade certified (no child labor used to harvest beans), so choose these when baking a cake.  And don’t forget to eschew the disposable plates, cups, and napkins that will no doubt fill an entire trash can.  Opt for reusable bamboo dishware (you can buy a lot for parties since it’s generally less expensive than ceramic…and greener than plastic) and napkins that are at least partially made from recycled materials.
4. Wrapping paper.  When you give your child a gift, ensure that the pretty, shiny, non-recyclable paper isn’t going straight to a landfill.  Urge other parents to follow your lead by using cloth bags instead, or simply try to save the paper that they send gifts in.
5. Gifts.  This can provide the most difficult challenge when it comes to going green.  No doubt your child has some ideas about what they want in the way of gifts and it likely amounts to a lot of plastic toys they’ve seen on TV.  Although your instinct is to provide your child with the things they really want, your first responsibility is to keep them safe.  So use your consumer dollars to purchase toys that are as fun for your kids as they are good for the environment.  Although they may be disappointed if they don’t get that one toy they really wanted, they’re sure to get over it when they see all the awesome eco-friendly toys they’ve received.