5 Ways to Go Retro For an Eco-Friendly “Green” Easter

March 19th, 2008

Perhaps the easiest way to think about how to “go green” for Easter is to think back on how you celebrated as a child. Did you have zillions of plastic eggs and small trinkets made of Cheap Plastic Crap stuffed in your basket? It’s doubtful. Easter used to be a simple affair. A basket full of jelly beans and chocolate, and some colored (real) eggs was all it took to send a child into spasms of joy at the Easter Bunny’s bounty.

So why do we think kids have changed? Simply because the retailers now encourage us to buy Cheap Plastic Crap trinkets and plastic eggs for Easter? Think again. Try to remember how you celebrated as a child and what made you especially happy. Why not take your cues from that experience to continue your family traditions?

Here’s what works for me.

Say Yes To:
1. Real eggs. Who needs plastic? Dye some eggs and scatter them around the yard for an old fashioned Easter Egg hunt. Granted, you may not want to eat those eggs that have been sitting out in the yard, but just keep some dyed Easter Eggs in reserve in the fridge to enjoy later.

2. Paper or straw baskets. Remember basket weaving? Who needs to buy plastic baskets? You can either re-purpose some straw baskets you probably have lying around the house already or pick some up at a thrift shop. Or simply make your own baskets. Here are some instructions on how to do this.

3. Thrift shop favors. Dying to dress up your house more? Looking for some crazy decorations? Check out your local thrift shops or even antique shops. Odds are you’ll find beautiful old Easter decorations at a fraction of the price of new favors.

4. Organic, fair trade or “natural” chocolates. Okay, this one may not be so retro. We all inhaled hydrogenated oils back in the day. But now there are other, healthier options. If you can’t find or afford fair trade or organic chocolates, look carefully at the labels. I blogged here about a nice little “Made in Vermont” bunny that has all natural ingredients.

5. “Paper” grass. Try shredding some construction paper, gift paper or even comics to make the grass instead of buying plastic grass. (And if you already have the fake plastic grass, just save it and re-use for future Easters!)

Happy Easter!

Do you have any other tips? Leave a comment and share!

— Lynn

Copyright 2008 OrganicMania


14 Responses to “5 Ways to Go Retro For an Eco-Friendly “Green” Easter”

  1. Robin@heartofwisdom.com on March 19, 2008 8:10 am

    That works for me too. Good Ideas.
    Thanks

    Robin@heartofwisdom.com
    http://www.heartofwisdom.com/heartathome/

  2. OMSH on March 19, 2008 8:49 am

    Hey there, I’m an editor over at sk*rt and just selected this entry for an Editor’s Pick!

    Wow! I’m so excited! Thanks for letting me know and congrats on your new gig! — Lynn

  3. Crabmommy on March 19, 2008 10:49 am

    Yes, yes, yes!!!!
    Lynn, this is right-on. I can’t stand seeing all the plastic crap around…If I may so humbly also direct you to a post I did at my blog, note especially the adorable “egglings” pictured–tiny egg-shaped ceramic pots that hatch a beautiful herb when cracked open.

  4. Alana on March 19, 2008 1:54 pm

    Great ideas – we planted our own Easter grass this year. It took less than a week and the kids have loved checking it daily.

    http://graymattersmd.blogspot.com/2008/03/tackle-it-tuesday-9-planting-easter.html

  5. Good&Crazy on March 19, 2008 4:09 pm

    I hear you and we’re working on greening up Easter, recently we created a ‘no gifts’ birthday rule. No more $10 plastic crap coming in or going out thanks. We had to amend the rule to include ‘handmade gifts are okay’. And we haven’t looked back. Don’t even get me started on birthday (or Easter) goodie bags of plastic crap…

  6. Angie @ Many Little Blessings on March 19, 2008 8:38 pm

    Amen! I’m so tired of all the cheap plastic toys!!!

    We did kind of go all out with gifts for Easter baskets this year, but we also skipped out on any cheap plastic toys to use as fillers. (Well…we did buy little army men for one of our little guys, but I actually think he’ll like them and think of them more as a classic toy.)

    We are also skipping out on the plastic eggs this year as well.

  7. Memarie Lane on March 20, 2008 8:01 am

    In addition to the ecological side of it, I hate the material aspect. I was really disgusted trying to find decent Easter stuff this year. We reuse the same (straw) baskets every year, and I give them useful things instead of plastic crap. Here’s what’s in their baskets this year:

    New jammies for summer, underwear, a new cup with a favorite character on it, spill-proof bubbles, wooden puzzles, a book each, and they each get one marshmallow bunny and a small bag of “robin eggs.”

    Sounds like fun at Easter at your place! :) Thanks for your comment! — Lynn

  8. The Not Quite Crunchy Parent on March 22, 2008 10:31 am

    Great ideas. We also decorate using Easter Fabric and silks. I’m so tired of the plastic junk toys I try to put art supplies and other longer use types of trinkets in my son’s basket.

    Well, before Easter I couldn’t figure out why people put trinkets in the basket. Post-Easter, I’m more savvy. Oh, yes, ALL THAT CHOCOLATE!!! — Lynn

  9. Alyson on March 26, 2008 1:45 pm

    Those are some great ideas! We treat the baskets like we do Christmas stockings – we use the same ones every year and set them out on “Easter Eve” for the bunny to put stuff in. Instead of cheap plastic toys, the bunny likes to bring more pracical gifts to our house, like new sandals and bathing suits for the summer (you’re going to buy them anyway, right?), sidewalk chalk, and jumpropes.

    You have a very generous bunny! :) — Lynn

  10. Green Baby Guide on March 26, 2008 3:26 pm

    I agree–Easter does not need to be about adding to our growing collection of plastic knick-knacks. My daughter is just two, so I figure now is the time to set her expectations for low-key Easters to come. This year she got some lovely hard-boiled eggs. (Okay, and some candy her cousins gave her!)

    Good for you for starting off this way – it’s always easier to ratchet things up later if you want than to make things simpler later! :) I made the mistake this year of allowing the Easter Bunny to bring my 16-month-old a chocolate rabbit. Guess who ate 80% of the chocolate rabbit? Yours truly! — Lynn

  11. Amber (Imperishable Beauty) on April 1, 2008 10:11 am

    Great suggestions, all of them! Thanks! I detest cheap plastic trinkets. Ugh.

    Glad you liked them, Amber! :)

  12. Corey on March 22, 2010 9:23 pm

    Love the article and topic. I just wanted to add that kids can plant their own living grass inside the basket (in addition to using clippings). Here’s how:

    http://www.celebrategreen.net/blog/easter/how-to-grow-living-grass-for-an-easter-basket

    Wheatgrass, is great because you can juice it after the holiday is over! Kids might enjoy it combined with some carrot juice. My daughter calls this Bunny Drink :)

  13. Lynn on March 25, 2010 8:38 pm

    Great idea, Corey! I’ve not heard of that before! Thanks for sharing.

  14. Organic and Green Mom Blog | Happy Easter, Chocolate Face! at Organic Mania on April 4, 2010 10:34 am

    […] usual, I had great plans to write well researched posts about the dearth of fair trade chocolate, easy tips for an eco-friendly Easter, and […]

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