Easy Ways to Have a Green Easter

Easter means different things for different people, but for all of us it also marks the beginning of Spring, the renewal of all things in nature-and what better way to herald Spring than by making this Easter a little greener? A green Easter can be fun and interesting-not to mention ecologically and socially responsible. Better yet: it's easy.

The Basket

Green Promise says it best: "Storebought baskets are petrochemical nightmares: dyed plastic baskets, dyed cellophane grass, dyed plastic eggs, chemically-rich jelly beans, neon-colored marshmallow peeps, pesticide-ridden chocolates. A toxic bundle of joy, wrapped up neatly in cellophane and tied with a synthetic bow."

So what can you do? A few things.

Buy Fair Trade Easter baskets. Fair Trade Certified products ensure the product has been produced and bought ethically and sustainably. Some sites to check out for their baskets include Global Exchange and Ten Thousand Villages-or try the list compiled by the Fair Trade Federation. You can also visit stores such as Whole Foods for their selection of Fair Trade baskets.

Use paper grass. The cellophane grass is probably the worst you can do. Instead try using some shredded paper from the home or office--or wheat grass, if you're so inclined.

EASY: If purchasing Fair Trade baskets proves to be financially impossible at this time, there is still one option available to everybody: reusing old Easter baskets. Even if last Easter's baskets are long gone, take a quick trip to the thrift store-they may have a few waiting for you. Ask family and friends if they have any they're getting rid of this year and offer to take them off their hands.

Still need ideas? Try making your own baskets in a fun crafts project your kids will love. Ideas include buckets, paper bags, and cardboard boxes ready for personalization.

The Eggs

Part of the fun of Easter lies in dyeing the eggs, and most of us turn to kits available in the stores-but there's a friendlier way to dye, and it's easy. All you need is boiling water, a teaspoon of vinegar, and a few things you ought to already have in your kitchen. Here are some ways to get your basic colors:

Red - Cranberry juice, red onion skins (boiled), pomegranate juice, canned cherries with juice.

Pink - Beet juice.

Blue - Grape Juice or canned blueberries.

Green - Carrot tops, spinach.

Light Yellow - Orange Peels, ground cumin, chamomile or green tea.

Brown - Coffee (cold), black tea.

Orange - Yellow onion skins (boiled), cooked carrots, paprika, chili powder.

Boil the egg in the mixture or create the dye, let it cool, and then set the egg inside. The longer the egg sits in the mixture, the stronger the color will be-you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

EASY: Purchasing organic and/or cage free eggs to dye is the first and easiest thing you can do to make your Easter a little greener. Organic eggs come from hormone-free chickens and may or may not be cage free. Cage free eggs come from chickens able to roam freely, unlike their counterparts that are crammed into inhumanely tight spaces-environments where disease is invited to fester and spread.

Another easy tip: avoid the plastic eggs unless they're reused. These easily divided, lost and tossed eggs are better left alone.

The Candy

This may be the hardest way to go green. It's difficult to resist those marshmallow peeps, cheap chocolate bunnies, jellybeans and, omg, the creme eggs. But with all the preservatives and other fun, unpronounceable ingredients that go into your favorite candies, you may want to reconsider and buy organic and Fair Trade Certified chocolates. You can buy from your local natural foods store or online at Oraganics, Vegan Essentials, Lillie Belle Farms, Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates, and ShopNatural.

EASY: Seems like too much? Take the easier but still effective route and purchase only candies with the least amount of packaging. That alone will save the environment a lot of heartache.

In the end, the goal is to shop locally and organically when possible. It's not hard to implement at least one of these suggestions-after all, one step forward is better than none made at all.

Sources:

Green Promise

Fair Trade Federation