This is a guest post by Melissa C. of Blog Content Guild, who has offered to share some eco-friendly birthday ideas with us. This is not a paid post; the only benefit I received (besides the great tips) was time saved from having someone else write the post.
Anyone who has ever been to a child’s birthday party has probably noticed that these are not usually the healthiest events in the world. You may have taken the time to find the perfect theme for your child’s party, getting some awesome Disney character or Mario Brothers party supplies for your little one, but, inevitably, the kids will usually end up sitting in one place watching a movie or playing in the sandbox, then move to the table to grab handfuls of cake, candy, and pizza.
These parties are not only unhealthy, but harmful for the environment, too. When it’s all over, we throw away uneaten food, paper plates, plastic knives, and left over party decorations. However, birthday parties don’t have to be wasteful or harmful to the environment. Make a change by following these tips for your next party:
- – Instead of providing the children with cake and greasy pizza, think of a healthy alternative. Spaghetti with a vegetable based sauce can be a fun alternative to pizza and instead of sugary cakes, try an angel food cake with a yogurt-based filling or fluffy chocolate icing.
- – Depending on the size of your party you might even want to turn the food into a fun activity for the little party animals to enjoy. Try making a healthy snack like granola bars for the kids to enjoy. You can let them help with the mixing and, of course, the eating.
- – If you’ve ever cleaned up after a kid’s birthday party, you know about all the paper or plastic plates that get thrown away. You should know that you have alternatives to styrofoam plates, which take 5,000 years to biodegrade. In comparison, paper napkins take less than six months to biodegrade. Bamboo is also a cheap and chic alternative to styrofoam and plastic plates. Companies like Bambu make very fashionable disposable dinnerware from the plant which is one of the fastest growing on Earth.
Planning a child’s birthday party should be fun. Take the headache of waste out of the equation and you will throw a great party that you won’t have to feel guilty about!
~ Melissa
Thank you for those great tips, Melissa! And thanks for your time; we’d love to have you write another guest article again some time.
