How to Go Green This Easter
It’s that time of year. Are you ready for your (socially distanced) egg hunts and outdoor brunches? You can make your celebration sustainable with a few easy changes to your regular routine. Read our tips and enjoy an eco-friendly holiday!
1. Use Real Eggs
Colorful plastic eggs from the store might be a fun purchase, but they unfortunately come with some downsides. They cannot be recycled, and often break. If you hide them outside, they might never be found and could turn into litter instead. There’s an easier, even cheaper, solution though: make your own!
Hand-coloring or dying your eggs can become a wonderful annual tradition. You can even make your own nontoxic dye from items like beets, blueberries, turmeric, and cabbage. We sense a craft night in your future.
2. Say No to Plastic Baskets
Inexpensive Easter baskets can be really popular. They’re bright, colorful, and only a few dollars each, but they’re just not designed to last. Can you imagine how many now lay in our landfills? We suggest you invest in a well-made, or even secondhand, basket that you can use for years to come. In the end, making this one purchase will save you money, and having the same one each year will add more sentimental value for the kiddos. Perhaps they can even pass them down to their own children when that day comes!
Aside from thrift stores or antique markets, you will also find a wide selection of wooden and wicker baskets at your local florist. You might even have something lying around your house already.
3. Make Your Own Grass
We have to admit: we’re not such big fans of how that shredded plastic grass gets stuck to everything anyway. How about using something more sustainable and less sticky?
You can really get creative with this one, and the whole family can get involved! You can make your own grass with construction paper, or even get fancy with some scrapbooking sheets. You might even skip the grass idea altogether and cushion your baskets with decorative scarves or other scrap fabric. Just make sure you use items that can be recycled, or better yet, reused, once the excitement is over.
4. Shop Local
It’s hard to resist the piles of candy at the supermarket, but we promise, you’ll feel better purchasing chocolate bunnies and eggs from a local shop, farmer’s market, or chocolatier. You can also try your hand at making your own treats. There are plenty of recipes floating around the internet, and making them with friends or family will only add to your holiday fun.
5. Ditch the Disposable Dishware
Are you taking your gathering outdoors this year? Whether you have a backyard picnic or spread out blankets at the park, remember to bring reusable dishware. Store your food items in Tupperware you can take back home, and think along the same lines with your plates, glasses, and utensils. The earth, and the Easter bunny, will thank you!