Go Green - Throw a "Greener" Birthday Party!

Go Green – Throw a “greener” birthday party!

April 20, 2010 by Cindy

As part of my go green series in honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this Thursday, I decided to do some research on throwing a greener birthday party. Like all parents, I’ve hosed and attended a lot of birthday parties. Along with the cake, presents and fun comes a lot of trash. This got me thinking about how I could be a greener guest and a greener host. I did some research online, and following are the best tips I found. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this topic too.

Be a Greener Guest:

Gift Wrap – Wrap your present in a reuseable cloth gift bag. Check out Lucky Crow and Reusableablebags.com.
Gift Wrap – Another less expensive option is to wrap your gift in a regular reusable bag. Most stores, including Toys R Us, sell reusable bags for about a dollar. Many of them have kid friendly designs, and for only about a buck they are cheaper than a traditional gift bag. No only that, but the receiver and use it again. Check out Toys R Us’s selection for $1.49 and the dollar section at Target.. I found small butterfly cloth bags in the dollar section yesterday.
Present – Bring a green toy. A number of Chicago retailers carry a great selection of eco-friendly toys including Green Genes (5111 N. Clark), Building Blocks (3306 N. Lincoln Ave. & 2130 W.Division), Bullfrogs & Butterflies (2124 W. Division), Timeless Toys (4749 N. Lincoln Ave.), and Little Green Baby (4654 N. Rockwell St.). Mightynest.com is locally owned and also carries a great selection. Don’t forget to think out of the box too. I have given stainless steel water bottles a few times this year. They are a great gift for the two year old crowd.
Present – Give an experiential birthday present. Chicago and the surround burbs have a plethora of activities to choose from. Give tickets to the movies, a gift certificate to go bowling or even a gift certificate to Make-a-Messterpiece or one of the children’s museums in Chicago, Glenview or DuPage. Better yet, offer to take the child yourself. This way you are being green, and giving your friend or family member an afternoon off!
Present – Give a recycled gift. My sister gave me a great baby hiking backpack she bought on eBay for my baby shower. It was in perfect condition, and was within her budget. Craig’s List is also a great place to find gently used toys. Given the savings, you can often times afford to give something better and bigger than you could if you bought new.

Host a Green Party:

Invitations – One simple way to green your invitations is to use ones printed on recycle paper.
Invitations – Another more unique option is to use invitations that are actually seeds. Check out Of The Earth flower seed paper.
Invitations – Save time, money and paper by using an Evite.
Party Favors – Put your party favors in re-useable bags. A friend found small, child appropriate reusable bags in the dollar section at Target for her daughter’s favors.
Party Favors – Instead of small, plastic toys; give a book or take home craft. The dollar section at Target often times has books and a friend of mine found Curious George books on Overstock.com for $2 each. Joann Fabrics has a great selection of small, kid friendly crafts kits.
Supplies and decorations – Using re-useable dishes, utensils, napkins and table cloths is a green option, but if your need for convenience outweighs your desire to be green on this one, opt for eco-friendly paper goods. Check out Preserve Plateware and GreenPartyGoods.com.
Food – Avoid individual juice boxes and water bottles. Use pitchers and individual reusable glasses instead. Why not make stainless steel water bottles your favor, and then have the kids and adults use their favor during the party. You can get kid size stainless steel bottles at Old Navy for $5.
Trash – Have a large, well marked recycling bin at the party.