Easter is around the corner and here we are again, talking about ways for you to enjoy a more conscious version of this delicious - yet so wasteful! - holiday...
Shelves are packed with plastic eggs, cheap Easter baskets meant for one-time use, and chocolate bunnies and eggs first wrapped in foil and then re-packaged in plastic, cardboard and whatnot...
So, what should we do to avoid waste?
As always, my approach here is honest and I won’t be like “oh, my kids will only eat handmade-dairy-free-gluten-free Easter eggs because I’m such a Martha Stewart of Sustainable Living!”... Nah, cut the BS.
When I decided to live a more eco-friendly life, I was determined to make sure I didn’t have to give up anything I love about one of my fave holidays - Easter, that is.
Fortunately, I found it was actually incredibly easy to celebrate an eco-friendly Easter by following these simple tips.
Eggs
I won’t actively buy the traditional Cadbury eggs - I don't even like them, too sweet, sorry! - but we have friends, neighbours and family members that will invariably want to surprise the boys with a treat here and there.
Ideally, and if you can, go for it, you'd ask people buying the eggs to avoid the heavily packaged stuff but it's not always that you have an opportunity to flag these things... I get it!
My next best option then is to ensure that all packaging is disposed of correctly.
- Cardboard boxes, rigid and soft plastics can be recycled so into the Recycling Bin they go
- Foil (clean and dry!) can be recycled but not in tiny bits. Ensure you can create a large ball the size of your fist and then place it into your Recycling Bin. The bigger, the better!
- If you receive an Easter egg wrapped in compostable film, well... into the Composting bin it goes then!
Egg Hunt
Hosting an Easter Egg Hunt may be the most iconic Easter tradition here at Casa Kane - the boys wait for it and I simply adore watching them having so much fun! As always, we try to keep waste to a bare minimum.
Instead of hiding traditional eggs wrapped in foil+plastic+cardboard, we will hide small eggs bought at our local package-free grocer in reusable muslin treat bags, wood toys or even 'experience vouchers' instead.
Experience Vouchers are literally handwritten notes with 'Pizza for Dinner' or 'Cinema Family Night' written on them. For small kids like mine, this sort of thing still does the trick!
Easter Decor
Skip plastic decorations, shiny garlands and stuff you'll invariably bin on Monday morning. Every year, we draw our favourite Easter elements on a piece of paper - think the Bunny, carrots, eggs - and we colour them together. Easy, fun, inexpensive and planet-friendly #winning
This year, I am using flowers and branches from our garden, little vases I found at charity shops and vintage fairs (the one at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire is excellent!), and lovely candle holders and rainbow dishes we stock at reuzi.
Easter Food
My advice here is the same as always - plan ahead and don't go overboard. It's literally a meal!
Focus on reducing the carbon footprint of your Sunday dinner by focusing on local and seasonal foods. Try to replace meat dishes for plant-based alternatives... Thanks Plants make a family-friendly vegan roast that everyone will probably enjoy!
Wishing y'all a lovely break,
Pat & team x
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