The Easter Bunny is hopping around again, filling up baskets and bringing some springtime cheer to your neighborhood. I love all of the traditions around Easter, like egg hunts, egg dying, and buying a brand new pastel-colored dress. Still, these traditions contribute to a massive amount of single use plastics waste.
So how can you feel good about your Easter celebration this year? How can you have a positive impact on this holiday? In this issue of the blog, I'm breaking down each aspect of Easter, so that you can have the most sustainable, ethical holiday ever.
The Egg Hunt
Sending the kids off on an Easter egg hunt is one of the best parts of the day. It's great to see them come back with smiling faces and baskets full of gifts. At the same time, despite our best efforts, many of us seem to loose those little plastic eggs and have to buy new ones every year. The gifts are either eaten right away or lost immediately. So, what can be done?
We've got a few recommendations. First up: combine the egg dying and the egg hiding! You can shop for organic local eggs and dye them with natural dyes you make yourself! Then, after the kids find all of their eggs, you can add them into dinner, and make good use of the hunt. This sustainable option builds your relationship with community farmers, gives the family a fun activity together, and makes a delicious meal.
If you're set on gifts the kids can keep, we recommend hiding other items than eggs like these packs of Guatemalan handmade worry dolls or organic fair trade chocolate bags! By doing so, you cut back on waste, support ethical businesses, and provide for families around the world to have a great celebration too.
The Dinner
I love hearing everyone's Easter dinner dishes. My family always has a huge honey-baked ham and potato salad and grandma gives each of her grandkids chocolate bunnies. You can have all the delicious treats you're used to, but this year you can make an impact on your local community and the earth by purchasing seasonal ingredients from local organic farmers. And for those chocolate bunnies, we always recommend fair trade ones!
The Outfits
Who else loves getting dressed up in your Easter best and taking pictures with the family. I know I do. This year, shop fair trade dresses and ties for that perfect fancy springtime outfit. We love these patterned silk skirts from Ganesh Himal in Nepal.
The Gifts
Shred newspaper for basket stuffing. Wrap in saris or other reusables. Shop fair trade items like...
Finally, it's time for the famous Easter baskets! Like many of you, I love these baskets and all of the memories they hold. But I don't love all of the waste they create and all of the hardship that goes into making the goods inside of them. So here are my substitutions for every part of the Easter basket so that you can have a sustainable celebration that empowers the people who have worked to provide your goods.
For the baskets themselves, you can use these amazing market baskets handmade by women in Ghana. They fold flat when wetted for easy storage, are made from sustainable materials like scrap leather and natural fibers. And they're great for going to the store or storing blankets and toys around the house.
For the colorful basket filling, you can shred newspapers or other paper products you need to use up. By reusing paper instead of buying new plastics you cut back doubly on your waste production!
Wrap up your gifts in gifts themselves! We love wrapping gifts in our colorful cotton organic saris bandanas, handmade by women in India. And for the gifts themselves, you can provide safe jobs and living wages to families around the world by shopping fair trade. Check out our collection of gift sets and Easter items here on the site!
