Eco Friendly Easter

The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.
– Lady Bird Johnson

Spring here is friends! Although we’ve still had some snow and chilly weather, the birds are singing like crazy. It makes my heart happy & my morning yoga peaceful. With spring in the air, that means we have Easter coming!  Have you ever noticed how much plastic is involved in Easter?  Plastic grass, eggs, wrappers, even baskets!  In celebration of a holiday that is about rebirth and love, why not show Mother Nature some love and skip all the plastic? 

As with any day, when thinking of gifts I always try to buy the minimum.  With that, I think about the following:

• Can I reduce the waste that will come with this gift?
• Is there anyway I could reuse something? (Ex. Secondhand baskets, gifts, etc)
• What materials could I upcycle or have a dual purpose?
• Would this be a person who enjoyed handmade presents?
• If you must buy something, make sure it is a high quality, eco friendly gift.

Baskets

There are many great options for non plastic baskets. You won’t be finding yourself having to store them. Your kids can take them to farmer’s markets, play with them in their playroom, or you can use them for shopping! We use these great Ghana baskets that I bought in the PX from a vendor.  They are fair trade & handmade, so the people who made them are paid sustainable wages. We have had ours for the past two years and they have held up great.  The girls use them almost everyday so they have been worth what we paid for them.  If these aren’t your style, here are some adorable baskets made from old sails!  Everything on this site is so dang cute. I love scrolling through it and looking at what they’ve made.

Eggs

The little plastic eggs used at Easter can be seen well past the holiday.  I’ve seen them broken apart at parks, littering the ground & long forgotten by those who placed them there.  No matter how you get rid of them, they are going to break into micro pieces and be eaten by aquatic life.  There are so many great alternatives.  In the past we have hardboiled eggs and dyed them or used wooden eggs I found on Etsy.  This year, I’m already saving egg shells to Mod Podge together with junk mail.  Then, the girls can decorate them with paint.  We can also store them in an egg carton for next year.  If you want to put treats in your eggs, you can find hollow wooden eggs like these here. 

Basket Grass

Please skip the plastic grass.
I’m saying this because there are so many alternatives you can find or make. Shred painted newspaper, grow real grass, or buy or make a green silk scarf that can be later used as a cape. The possibilities are endless if you’re creative! And I can honestly say, my kids don’t even care what color it is. So we use different color silk scarves that I dyed one year.

Gifts

Another great thing about looking for eco friendly basket options is that you can find healthier alternatives for your kids.  It is easier to avoid artificial sweeteners and colorings.  Opt for berries, nuts, or granola bars.  My kiddos eat Larabars like a dessert so those are always thrown in.   Something to keep in mind is that, In the EU, many artificial colors are banned due to health concerns.  I have seen companies that sell artificially colored foods in the US using natural dyes from fruits & vegetables over here! Better yet, skip supporting these companies and make homemade treats.  Your kiddos will think the Easter Bunny put some extra love into their present.

Don’t forget to opt out of cheap, plastic toys.  They get played with or broken after minimal use, then thrown into a landfill or the back of their toy chest to never be thought about again.  Instead, look for hobbies your kids like.  We have done art supples like water colors or beeswax crayons, books, &  small pots with flower seeds that we kept indoors.   These can later be transferred outside to attract bees and butterflies.  The girls love seeing their hard work pay off from watering and caring for their plants.s

I want to know, what are your Easter traditions?

Thank you so much for commenting & subscribing to my blog! Ya’ll are amazing. 

Until next time, Tschüß!