Tips for a green kids’ party: ideas and inspiration for rubbish-free fun

Written by Jo-ann Hodgson on 12 January 2012

It’s nearly my baby’s first birthday and, although he’ll probably spend most of it dribbling, asleep or playing with a bit of wrapping paper, he’s going to have a party.

Up till now our biggest decisions has been whether to take advantage of his natural resemblance to Harry Hill and have a TV themed fancy dress party. But as the day draws nearer and we’re starting to think about napkins, invites, balloons and presents, I’ve started to wonder what I can do to lessen my tiny tot’s size 12 carbon footprint.

So, I’ve been thinking about a few ways to throw him a great party without the mountain of non-degradable waste such occasions normally incur.

1. Waste not want not

I’ve decided that the most eco-friendly way to tell everyone about the toddler shindig of the century is to email all my nearest and dearest. Luckily online invites don’t have to be boring – Evite lets you create and send party invites to match your theme. If you decide you want to go down the traditional route, beautiful recycled stationery suitable for a kids’ party can be found at eco party providers Little Cherry, or you could even send out seeded cards which guests plant instead of throw away (also a great idea when it comes to thank you notes).

Wrap any presents or the pass-the-parcel gift in newspaper or magazine paper, rather than the normal shiny stuff, and go for reusable plates and cloth napkins instead of the paper version.

Luckily, there’s no need to ban the balloon, either – there’s some controversy as to whether the usual coloured latex versions biodegrade properly, but you can get 25 guaranteed biodegradable balloons at Hippyshopper for only ?

More Than Living

Categories

Interesting Sites

Insider

Archives