green birthday parties

It's our birthday tomorrow - The Green Parent will be six years old - hurrah! You can read a bit about how and why we started the magazine on our website.   Well I figured that with celebrations in the air I'd write about how to host a magical eco-friendly party.

The heat is on

Everyone wants to host a great birthday party for their kids, but the pressure to provide a spectacular party with equally spectacular party bags full of plastic toys and sweets creates a lot of waste, as well as a lot of hyperactive energy. Wrapping paper, boxes, disposable plastic cups, plates, plastic toys that will never get used… all these things get thrown away - it’s enough to send an eco-minded parent quite crazy.

What's the alternative? There is another way, and with small changes and a little creative thought, you can create a wonderful and inspiring celebration for your children without harming the planet. There are many added benefits to holding an eco-friendly party for kids. Children can learn so much about the impact of their choices while having fun helping to plan their ethical party with you. There is great joy to be had in educating kids in the joy of helping others and protecting our planet. The key is to combine green choices with the themes that your child will love, and involving them in the whole process of creating a party that will inspire them, their friends and their parents to think of the planet, not just the party. 1. Venue: Have the party at home, or if you don’t have space, think about using a local park or village hall where you can provide your own food and drinks. If you have the space to hold the party at home the birthday child will enjoy inviting all their friends to share their familiar environment.

2. Invitations: Send out recycled card invitations if possible. Make your own by cutting out shapes from recycled card and encouraging the birthday child to decorate them. Remember to include the date, time, venue and RSVP details. Otherwise, send an email with all the important details - a little impersonal but much more eco-conscious.

3. Gifts: How to avoid the onslaught of tons of plastic junk that will end up in the bin? That can be a tricky one. If any of the party guest’s parents makes enquiries about gifts, you might tactfully suggest something that your child needs, e.g. paints, paintbrushes, crayons, colouring books, books, jigsaw puzzles. If your child is older and interested in this idea, you might consider asking other parents to make a donation to an environmental charity on his/her behalf. You don’t want to ruin your child’s birthday so tread carefully with this one!

4. Food: Make your own party snacks. It’s a great way to prevent kids going bonkers after ingesting lots of artificial colours and flavourings, not to mention the sugar overdose. There are books on making children’s party food in most libraries if you lack ideas, and here are some suggestions: sandwiches, cut-up fruit arranged into a platter, homemade dips, such as humous and guacamole with vegetable sticks, small squares of homemade pizza, cheese straws and popcorn. For drinks you could serve diluted organic fruit juice, or make a fruity punch.

5. The cake: There are lots of good books on the subject of cake making, but it’s even more rewarding to use your imagination. By making your own cake you can control what’s in it by using organic flour, eggs, etc. and you can really customize it for your child. There are a growing number of books offering ideas for wheat, sugar and dairy- free cakes. I love some of Nomi Shannon's ideas in The Raw Gourmet or for baked cakes try How it All Vegan.

6. Activities: Depending on the ages of the children, you might include an eco-friendly activity in the party, like planting a tree in honour of the birthday child or going for a nature walk. Or stimulate their creativity by offering watercolour painting or providing a dressing-up box and encouraging them to dress-up, Older children will enjoy making their own personal pizzas, decorating T-shirts or making a dream catcher. Story-telling is also a magical shared experience.

7. The party bags: Gone are the days of a slice of cake in a serviette. If you can't manage to ditch the concept of party bags altogether (it takes a strong woman!) there are some options other than the plastic bags and plastic favours that are so widely available. There are a number of eco-friendly and ethical party bag suppliers offering recycled or reusable bags filled with fairtrade chocolate and fairtrade or recycled gifts.

8. Waste: It is best to use ordinary crockery for parties and avoid disposable items altogether as these just use up resources in the manufacture and again in their disposal. If you really can’t face all the washing up after the party, there are some other, less eco-friendly options. You can get disposable plates, cups and cutlery that are biodegradable and made from renewable resources. 

9. Clearing up the mess: What can you recycle or re-use? Wrapping paper, gift bags, unwanted gifts. See what you can salvage?

And a couple more ideas because us adults like to have parties too!

10. Food: To save you time and effort ask friends to bring a little food with them - you could specify homemade, organic or local only.

11. Drink: Organic wine and beer are widely available now, both from specialist retailers and supermarkets. It may be a bit more expensive, but it tastes better and is healthier for the soil. Wine carrying the fairtrade mark is also growing in popularity. Drinking this means that you are protecting worker's rights and welfare in the developing world. Make sure that you provide plenty of tempting non-alcoholic drinks too - I really like the new Blueberry Sparkle from Organico but a homemade hedgerow fruit punch would be lovely too.

12. A helping hand: If you are looking for an eco consultant to manage a big bash or a small intimate do, a wedding or a launch for example then I have to recommend the fab folk over at Eco Events Ltd. They are pioneering eco experts that are hoping to green the world, one party at a time. Happy partying!