It’s your kid’s birthday and you want to do something different this year. Then, why not go in for a green birthday? Conventional birthdays lead to a lot of wastage such as torn wrapping paper, disposable cups and plates, excessive gifts, cardboard boxes and the like. Plan a party that is eco-friendly so that the environment benefits and your child learns green values.
The first thing that you plan for a birthday is invitations. Opt to buy eco-friendly invites that are made from recycled paper. Or better still; make your own invitation cards. You could use paper, old gift wrapping and envelopes lying around the house. Of course, nothing is more eco-friendly than an electronic invitation sent via e-mail or through chat windows.
The next thing, of course, is presents. Most kids bring gaily wrapped toys as gifts. Kids generally have too many toys, often more than they know what to do with, so it’s best to look for some innovative ideas that go easy on the environment. Why not ask the guests to bring a used toy or book from their house? You could ask for gifts that can be donated to a local charity or animal shelter. Eco-friendly gifts made from material like cloth and wood would be some great options as well. You could request guests to use brown paper from grocery bags or fabric to wrap the gifts or put them into old carry-bags instead of spending money on gift-wrapping paper that is anyway torn open. If some guests do use gift paper, teach your child to carefully open the package so that you could re-use the paper.
Use cups, plates, dishes, napkins and tablecloth that are reusable. Eco-friendly disposable plates and cups made from corn or sugarcane pulp are also an option. Make sure that any recyclable material goes into bins that are designated especially for them. If you need to decorate the place, make use of paper or latex balloons that are eco-friendly, instead of conventional balloons. Offer guests a healthy menu for the birthday. Home baked cookies, healthy fruit cakes, fruit juices are great alternatives to aerated drinks and calorie filled sweet sugary cakes. The goodies bag for your little guests could include seeds for flowering plants and mini pots, crayons, pencils and craft supplies or decorative ornaments along with some nut and cereal bars, if your kids insist on sweets.
Now that you are ready for the party go ahead and have a great time.
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