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Eco Parties

It is time to start planning my little boys 1st Birthday! Although it will only be a small gathering of friends and family I want it to be environmentally friendly while still being kind to my budget. After some research I have come up with this eco-friendly party guide.

There are a lot of places that supply eco-friendly party invitations, decorations, tableware’s etc., however if you have some time and the inclination you can really customise the party to suit your tastes by doing a little of the work yourself.

Invitations

Why not make your own invitations by using old greeting cards – simply cut the front picture off the rest of the cards and write you invitation on the back, not only will each invitation be unique it is a great way to recycle.

Venue

For my little boys birthday we are simply having a backyard party, to not only reduce the cost to us, but to reduce the amount of travel that the guest have to do. Many local parks are now equipped with shelter and BBQs as well as a playground, so they are also a great alternative for a party venue.

Decorations

If you want streamers and balloons at the party, you can be a bit limited on how eco-friendly you can go. Latex balloons are available in most shops now and while they are 100% biodegradable, there can still be some risk to wild animals as they break down (choking etc.).

If you want to make your own decorations there are several options as alternatives to traditional streamers.

  • Paper Bunting – You could make your own bunting out of old magazines and twine (simply fold a magazine page in half, cut out a triangle with the fold as the base, open the page (it should look a bit like a diamond), place twine inside the fold and glue down. Repeat as many times as required).
  • Material Bunting – if you are good at sewing, you could make a section of material bunting. Or many local handicraft markets now sell material bunting.
  • Paper Chain – while it is ‘old school’ it can still look really effective and if the kids are old enough to help is gives them an afternoon of fun.

Food

Trying to be eco-friendly when it comes to food can sometimes be a little confusing. I simply follow some very basic rules.

  • Use your own shopping bags
  • Try to purchase products with minimal or no packaging
  • Plan a menu that will maximise the use of each product (reducing waste)
  • Buy organic if possible

Tableware

There are some online stores that are now selling compostable tableware (plates, cups, spoons etc), but personally I have simply decided to use the plates and cups that I use on a daily basis. Yes this will lead to me having to wash some dishes, but I would prefer this to buy and then throwing out disposable plates.

Games

If your child is old enough for games then there are some old favourites that really are eco-friendly.

  • Pass the parcel is a great way of reusing newspaper before it goes in the recycling bin.
  • Pin the tail on the donkey – why not draw your own on some recycled paper, or pin the tail / or something else (nose, mouth etc.) on a picture from a magazine.
  • Musical statues and musical chairs are both great games that don’t require anything but music

Lolly bags

Even lolly bags can be eco-friendly by using recycled paper bags, making your own or why not give out reusable lunch wraps with a couple of lollies in. Stamping brown paper bags means that you can put your own personal touch to them, or why not get the kids to draw and colour in pictures on the bags.

Wrapping paper

While there is a huge variety of wrapping paper on the market today, why not get creative and eco-friendly by making your own.

  • Using old newspaper or magazines as wrapping paper can create a unique eco-friendly look.
  • 100% recycled brown paper (either plain or stamp it yourself)
  • Reuse gift wrapping that you have received from other gifts
  • Instead of wrapping presents why not make a birthday bag (similar to a Christmas stocking) and simply place presents inside unwrapped.

Party Suppliers

There are many party suppliers online and quite a few specialise in eco-friendly parties. Below is a list of some great eco-friendly suppliers.

  • Eco Party Box (http://www.ecopartybox.com.au ) is a great online store that can supply everything you could possibly need for an eco-friendly party; they really are a one stop shop.
  • Think Eco (www.thinkeco.com.au ) are suppliers of catering products, serving ware and containers.
  • The Eco Effect (www.ecoeffect.com.au ) has a range of wrapping paper, reusable lunch wraps and some very nice eco gifts.