Green Birthday Party Tips — Happy Green Babies

Creative Commons photo by D Sharon Pruitt

My daughter just turned five a few months ago. Before her birthday party, she asked me, “Mom, can we go to McDonald’s for my birthday?” I was horrified. I personally have never taken her to McDonald’s, but I have a sneaking suspicion that one of her friends’ moms has. Needless to say, I had to explain to my daughter that her birthday party would not be able to take place at McDonald’s. However, I promised her that we would have just as much fun at our house.

Helping my child develop environmentally friendly habits is very important to me. So, I try to make sure that all of her birthday parties are as green as possible, from the cake I make to the Super Mario party supplies I buy. Going green when you throw your child a party doesn’t mean having less fun. Here are five simple tips to help you throw a super fun, eco-friendly birthday party for your child.

1. Send party invitations via email to save paper.

2. Ditch the paper plates. Ask the children at the party to rinse of their plates. Even if they’r super young, they can handle this task as long as you have a stool that helps them reach the sink. Young kids actually have a lot of fun helping out with chores. Don’t be surprised if they want to play a little with the dish soap as they’re washing off their plates.

3. If the weather permits, hold most of the party outside. If everyone’s outside for the majority of the party, you’ll be able to conserve water and energy resources inside. Kids absolutely love playing outside anyway.

4. Make all of the food for party at home. This will eliminate packaging and utensil waste. Everything you buy from a store or restaurant will come in a package. Some of it will come in a plastic bag and include plastic utensils. There’s no need to bring all of this home and have to throw some of it away (if it’s made of Styrofoam, for instance).

5. Instead of asking for individual gifts, request that guests donate $5 or $10 to a gift fund. You can use the gift money from guests to buy your child one, big present. This will eliminate all the wrapping paper and ribbon that is usually associated with children’s birthday parties. You can, of course, recycle the wrapping paper that is used to wrap the one, big present.

So, follow the tips above, and have a very green and fun party with your little one!