Easter and Earth Day are always connected in my mind, both represent Spring and renewal to me. So I wanted to write about eco friendly ideas for Easter to honor Earth Day . You probably know by know I’m always looking for ways to reduce plastic in our lives. Easter is a good place to tackle a lot of unnecessary plastic. Baskets, filler, eggs, toys-so much plastic!!
But I am here to tell you there are alternatives!
Baskets. Stick with the traditional woven baskets made of natural materials such as bamboo, seagrass, willow or even paper. Look for tutorials to make your own or dress up plain baskets. Challenge yourself to re purpose as much as possible. Use a canvas bag, jute bag or line a previously used plastic container to upcycle before sending it to the bin. The goal is always to shift our habits and mind set away from single use items.
filler . Plastic grass should be a thing of the past, there is no reason to buy or use that stuff ever again. There are many paper options, in a variety of colors and neutral tones, look for recycled materials whenever possible! Or use your own shredded paper if you have some. If you really want to take it to the next level try using real grass, lettuce, straw or flowers. Just make sure it’s safely age appropriate or ok to come in contact with edibles.
Eggs, etc. This is where we really get to start having all the fun! The colors, textures and whimsy brings it all to life at this point, and there earth friendly options like never before! There are solid wooden eggs, hollow wooden eggs, and flat egg shaped wood craft projects! If you must have plastic refillable eggs, at least try ones that are made from recycled plastic, if you or someone you know does not already have some leftover from previous years. Remember it doesn’t help to toss out plastic you already have to replace it with something more environmentally friendly if it’s still in good shape. Replace only it when necessary with a better option!
Love real eggs and and the traditions of decorating, hunting and eating them? We can make that kinder to our planet also! Start with purchasing only cardboard egg cartons, and skip dye the kits with those plastic cups. Use small bowls. Hit a local thrift store, you’re sure to find some fun choices you won’t mind the little ones playing with. There are kits with earth friendly dyes and lots of tutorials on the internet on how to dye eggs using food like beets and teas. Experiment, try your own ideas with anything that is safe to eat and see how creative you can get.
Activities. Fill baskets with long lasting treats like books, crafts and toys that are environmentally gentle. Think wood, metal, fabric and anything upcycled or recycled. Etsy has lots of handmade items that can be cherished for a long time. Start an annual tradition of planting flowers or trees or starting a garden.
Sweets. Personally, I always need a big jar of Jelly Belly’s around and some Peeps (which are decoration not food in my opinion!) but making and decorating cookies can be a really fun a tradition for Easter!
Keeping it green doesn’t mean you do it perfectly, it means you make as many earth friendly choices as possible.
Cassandra Complex 