Eco-Friendly Birthday Parties

In our house, we have about 10 birthdays before April 1st - hubby and I, both kids, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins - it's non-stop! Parties come with a ton of waste - paper, plates, decorations, games, you name it!

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Let's see how we can add some eco-friendliness into birthday parties this year. Here goes nothin':

Invitations
Just this week I discovered an excellent site called Greetings Island. They have a ton of templates and they allow you to personalize each invite by adding text (right down to changing font type and color), adding decorative 'stamps', and even adding in your child's photo.

I did up my son's invitations and then printed them on paper that I've had in the craft cupboard for (probably) years. The best part is they not only have invitations, but they have greeting cards for every occassion, and they also do e-cards. I will be requesting email addresses for the kids in my kids' classes so they can email Valentine's cards out - I think other kids would love to see a fun, animated card from a friend.

Plates, Cups, Napkins
This is by far the easiest. Simply choose not to use disposable. Use instead, the perfectly fine plates, cups, and cutlery you have on hand. As for napkins, you have a couple of options. One option is to buy recycled napkins. Another option is to make napkins from your fabric stash. And the third option is to serve food that doesn't require a napkin at all! (please don't ask me for suggestions!)

Gifts
If your kids are anything like mine, they have:
a) more toys than they can shake a stick at
b) just celebrated Christmas which likely added to their toy collection...

Which leaves you a great option:

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Talk to your child about receiving gifts for your local SPCA (I know a friend is doing this with both of her daughters - one loves dogs and the other loves cats). They are requesting donations to be given instead of gifts. Depending on your child, they might prefer to ask for bags of pet food, leashes, pillows, and the like, so they can deliver the gifts themselves and visit their favorite animals while they are there. Of course, this idea will work with any organization. :)

Decorations
Have your birthday child help you decorate your home (or area of the home you'll be hosting friends in) - anything you have on hand goes. Our son loves tinsel - yep, Christmas garland. He has stashes of it that he couldn't bear to part with after Christmas (I know - a terriby un-eco-friendly decoration, but we've had them for years). He will love nothing more than to decorate the kitchen and living room with tinsel and his art - and why not?! :D

Games
If you live in a warm location or are celebrating a birthday in the summer, consider giving the kids pots, soil, and seeds. This will keep them busy, teach them an easy lesson on growing, and can double as 'loot' to take home.

And if you live in a bitter, never-ending, bone-chilling winter climate, set the kids up with eco-friendly paints to create a masterpiece.

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This year I have hired a clown to come over and do a magic show, face painting, and balloon animals for the kids. This will eliminate the mess that comes with painting or crafting, and the magic show will entertain the adults as well as the kids.  **Ssshhh!  It's a surprise!**

Loot Bags
Again, there are a couple of options. Firstly, you could not do them at all. Secondly, you could do them, but not include dollar store trinkets that will likely break before the kids get them home. Thirdly, you could make these ultra-adorable trinket keepers stuffed with a quality toy or home-baked sweetness.

And there you have it - a great start to an eco-friendly birthday party. What else do you do to ensure a better-for-the-environment birthday party?

**By the way, have you entered our Great LUSH Giveaway? Stop by our Facebook Page to enter!**