Tips For an Eco-Friendly Easter

Tips For an Eco-Friendly Easter

Easter is here and for each of us, that means something different in terms of how we recognize or celebrate the holiday. For some, that means family gatherings over dinner or brunch, for many it is attending religious services or masses and for those with smaller children, it most certainly means Easter decorations, Easter egg hunts and mass chocolate consumption.  

More and more families are looking to go green and celebrate holidays, such as Easter in more sustainable ways.  Here are a few ideas to consider if looking to reduce your carbon footprint, while becoming more socially responsible:

 

Reduce single use plastics
The Easter holiday produces mass amounts of single use plastic waste that ends up in our landfills or waterways for thousands of years. From the packaging to the products themselves, it is estimated that over 4,000 tonnes of waste are produced annually. Be mindful of this fact and avoid the temptation to pick up the plastic eggs, baskets and decorations that dominate store aisles leading up to the holiday and think of creative ways or alternatives to celebrate the festive event.
Skip the individually wrapped chocolate and candy and consider buying in bulk.

Create new traditions and experiences for your kids

A major tradition at Halloween is the carving of pumpkins so why not consider developing similar traditions and experiences at Easter by involving your kids in the creation of reusable, eco-friendly paraphernalia such as baskets, decorations and Easter eggs (either wooden eggs or hardboiled eggs). 
A few swaps to consider:
  • Consider natural dyes instead of store bought, petroleum-based dyes; 
  • Replace plastic basket grass with shredded construction paper or other natural filler you can find in and around the house (eg. yarn, twigs, actual grass, leaves, flowers, etc.) 
  • Eliminate plastic baskets with do-it-yourself versions made from wicker or other natural materials or consider non-basket containers such as buckets or pails
Making Natural Dyes

Socially responsible sourcing

If painting actual eggs are part of your yearly tradition, look to buy pastured eggs from a local farmer. Many of the industrial farms are notorious for ill-treatment of their egg-laying hens so support the local farmers which employ more humane means of raising chickens. The eggs are also more nutritious and tastier.

Many of the plastic, foil or glittery decorations that is purchased for Easter each year comes out of China and is cheap for a reason…they are produced by workers that are severely underpaid. Consider this when shopping for your Easter needs and instead think of ways to make these items yourself in a more eco-friendly manner.
When purchasing chocolate for the occasion, be mindful of where the main ingredient, cocoa, is sourced from as the working conditions for many communities and countries that produce cocoa are subject to forced labor and slave-conditions. This Easter, consider supporting local chocolate manufacturers in your area or those companies that are certified fair-trade producers. According to biologist Patrick Walshe, “Buy fair trade, organic chocolate because regular chocolate production is notorious for child slave labour, pesticide use, and giving less back to the communities and families that farm cocoa.” 
Fair Trade Certified Chocolate

Repurpose household items or buy second hand
If you are already in possession of plastic eggs and decorations from prior years, don't throw them out, considering their harm to the environment; but instead continue to reuse or repurpose them as part of your Easter traditions.
   
If in need of baskets for your Easter egg hunt, consider buying second hand from your local thrift shop and painting with your kids as part of the holiday tradition.

Consider what's important

Be it Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter or any other major holiday, we are inundated by ads, promotions or in-store displays that divert our attention away from the meaning of these holidays and instead, on the material aspects that the industry has created. Let's be mindful of this and focus more on the traditions and experiences we share with our loved ones, as these are the important aspects of life we will remember for years to come.
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