How to have an Ethical & Eco-Friendly Easter
Our family absolutely love Easter. It is a special holiday for us as a Christian family. This year, it’s going to be extra memorable because we’ll be spending it with my siblings and parents after a year of being apart. This pandemic has really reminded us to treasure having time together. And, we want to be able to celebrate, without damaging our planet.
We love nature and spend most of our time outdoors. Living on a farm has made us even more aware of the importance of being kind to the environment and living more sustainably.
Zero waste holidays don’t have to mean no fun, candy, or toys, and you don’t have to forget your old traditions. Finding a good balance, tweaking past traditions, and trying your best to reduce unnecessary waste during any given holiday is a win in my book!
Here are some fun, eco-friendly Easter ideas to use with your family, including what I (oops, the Easter bunny) have prepared for my kids on Easter morning.
Plan Your Meals and Reduce Waste
Special occasions with family and friends needn’t mean more waste. Plan your menu and consider the quantities of ingredients you need to avoid throwing away leftovers; or take seasonal snacks or picnic food with you to celebrations. Choose wooden utensils since single-use plastic contributes to large amounts of plastic waste.
Choose Your Eggs Carefully
Everyone likes a chocolate treat, but it could result in a huge amount of wasted packaging, and our treats might come at a cost. It’s also important to know where your chocolate treats come from and that they’re made in a responsible, ethical way, making sure that you leave a positive impact on cocoa farmers. So, choose your Easter eggs carefully. Remember to read the labels to find out how to recycle your packaging. Or reuse them! Cardboard boxes are perfect for art projects and imaginative play, and egg cartons are great for holding paints, sweets, even growing seedlings. Woolies’ range of chocolate and Easter treats are made with responsibly sourced cocoa. This is better for the people who grow their cocoa, their families and the planet. Selected Easter treats are handmade and locally sourced. My kids absolutely love their hollow milk chocolate eggs and marshies, made with free range eggs.
Natural-Dye Easter Eggs
Part of our Easter traditions is making naturally dyed Easter eggs. It’s a fun activity which includes items that you can find in your garden and kitchen. We prefer to use vegetable dyes. You can also use fruit, coffee, juice and some spices. Watch the video to see how. We use them as part of our egg hunt, and then they’re part of brunch.
The Easter Box
Our kids also receive an eco-friendly Easter box in the morning that your kids will adore. Make your own. We reuse boxes and this year, theirs will contain the Woolies Easter hunt bag, metal bunny ears, fluffy bunny slippers and of course, a few small chocolatey treats.The bag is awesome because the kids can use it for collecting little treasures on the farm, and later as a library book/snack bag. We prefer to give them something they’ll need for the coming season like slippers, winter PJs or socks. We simply love the Woolies ranges in sustainably sourced cotton. If you include toys, try to find ones that are plastic-free or second hand. Some options include: gardening tools, second-hand wooden toys, books, plastic-free hair bows, puzzles, home-made play dough etc. You know your child best so I encourage you to think of a thoughtful gift that is geared toward their interests.
I hope this has given you some ideas that will help you move towards a more mindful and reduced-waste Easter. Remember, do what you can, what is in your budget, and what makes sense for your family. Wishing you a ‘hoppy’ Easter.
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The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this article/post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Woolworths or any of its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and/or advisors.