Many families have made the conscious decision to teach their children the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling.  However, while families may be doing their part in small doses on a daily basis, most of us don’t give much thought to going green when it comes to larger scale events such as our children’s birthday parties. 

Yet, if you’ve ever hosted a party, you’ve undoubtedly witnessed the mounds of trash these events can generate in a few short hours.  Garbage cans filled with plastic plates and heaping piles of discarded gift wrap, items destined to spend years in a landfill, make the idea of more eco-friendly ways to celebrate worth considering. Besides, what better opportunity to foster your family values than by incorporating them in what your child considers to be the most important day of the year?

So, if you’re feeling inspired to “green” your child’s next birthday party, but aren’t quite sure of how to plan such a bash, we’ve got you covered.  Read on for tips about everything from paperless invitations to nature-inspired locations and unique activity ideas.

Location Is Everything

If your child’s birthday falls during a fair-weather season, outdoor spaces can really set the stage for an eco-friendly party. 

“Have the party at a park or the beach,” suggests Stevie Ross, mother of two adult daughters and a kindergarten teacher at the Waldorf School in Garden City.  “Enjoy a picnic lunch and lots of outdoor time together that’s appropriate to the area, such as a hike or a sandcastle contest.” (Contact your town’s Department of Parks and Recreation to determine which areas are available and to inquire about booking space.) 

Another great location is Bailey Arboretum in Lattingtown, which offers party space rentals in either their outdoor Children’s Habitat or their indoor classroom. (Call 516-571-8020 or visit www.baileyarboretum.org.)

You can also try local party places to see if they have green options. “The best way to learn about a business’s practices is to visit the shop and ask questions so you can choose a party place that’s environmentally aware and responsible,” says AnnMarie Lubrano, owner of the green-friendly Once Upon a Sundae in Oceanside. (See sidebar on page 47 for more ideas.)

Of course, an old-fashioned, home-based party in your yard also makes for a great setting.  To keep kids entertained, Ross suggests activities such as treasure hunts, relay races and charades and some unstructured playtime.

Invitations

Cut down on paper waste by printing invitations on seed-embedded paper that can be planted to grow wildflowers. Google “seed-embedded paper” for a list of sites. Or use e-mail invites (www.evite.com) instead to eliminate both paper and postage costs. 

The Essentials

When it comes to utensils and tablecloths, choose to save the planet, and save yourself some money, by utilizing items you already have in your home. Or invest in a reusable set of partyware. 

“Use dishes, cups and utensils from your cupboard, and use cloth table covers rather than plastic ones,” advises Paula Gottlieb Herman, a special events planner and owner of www.LilChefs.com Special Events. “While these items do require washing, at least there’s no waste.” 

If you’d prefer an easier clean-up, choose disposable pieces made from plant-based materials such as the Eco-Party pack available at the environmentally-friendly retailer Greener Country (www.greenercountry.com) in Jericho. 

“These eating utensils are plant-based (made from corn and sugar cane) and compostable, meaning they’ll decompose in a landfill environment in six months to two years depending on the site,” says Robert Meinke, owner of Greener Country. “Meanwhile, general oil-based plastic supplies will last many years, perhaps beyond the age of your grandchildren, and Styrofoam never degrades.” 

You can also green the décor by adorning the party with simple items that bring in a bit of nature.  Lisa Fyfe, a mother of two from West Hempstead who often hosts eco-friendly parties, says: “For decorations, we’ve used natural materials, such as pressed leaves strung on thread and hung like garland on the fireplace mantle and backs of chairs, and forsythia branches placed in vases throughout the house.” 

Other green decorating options include items your child can create himself (or with your help) such as a fabric Birthday Banner to be used annually as part of their birthday tradition. 

Plan Your Menu

Serve healthy foods.  “The food at our party was organic, but it isn’t necessary,” says Fyfe, who stresses that the food was both healthy and homemade.  “I baked two cakes for the kids that weren’t too sweet. And we served free-range hotdogs and real French fries made with coconut oil, which was amazingly delicious and healthy.”

If you choose an organic menu for your party, check out the Wholefoods Web site (www.whole
foodsmarket.com) for some kid-friendly recipe ideas.  You can also get an all-natural pre-packaged cake mix or pick up an organic birthday cake from the bakery at one of their Long Island locations (Manhasset, Jericho, White Plains and coming soon, Lake Grove).

Party Activities

Plan an activity like a craft that the child can take home, says Ross. “Make it a craft that becomes the party favor and is also a useful item.” 

Activities that incorporate elements of nature, such as making a floral arrangement or having a planting party, are great options, as are cooking activities where guests eat what they make.

Other ideas include:

Check out The Birthday Book (Crafts, Festivals and Family Activities Series) by Ann Druitt, Christine Tynes-Clinton and Mary Rowling (Hawthorn Press, $33) for additional activity suggestions. And see the sidebar for other options with local businesses.

Green the Gifts and the Wrap

If guests ask what to get for the birthday child, consider requesting eco-friendly items such as wooden toys or ones made from recycled materials like the Green Toys line of products.  Other popular green party gifts include items that are hand-made rather than store-bought. 

“We asked for homemade gifts, which were given, and really made the party feel wonderful and special,” explains Fyfe.  Some of the gifts included framed photographs of the kids playing together and a watercolor painting made by one of the children.   

To reduce gift wrap waste, simply request “no gift wrap” on the invite or ask guests to reuse old gift bags.  In fact, Wantagh mom and entrepreneur, Jennifer Paretta, founder of Simply Re-Gift It™ , has created a unique way to encourage friends to “re-gift” the gift bag.  

“Our eco-friendly inspired Friendship Gift Bag® has areas for kids to color and personalize, and the gift bag’s journey can also be tracked online with a unique registration number as it’s passed from one gift-giver to the next,” explains Paretta. Check out www.simplyregiftit.com for more details.

Or encourage your child to forgo individual gifts and support a worthy charity instead.  The site www.echoage.com allows kids to select a cause and send an eco-friendly party invitation to friends.   In lieu of bringing individual gifts, guests can enter a donation online, and the total amount of money collected is then split: Half goes to the charity your child has chosen and half is sent to the child to buy one “dream gift.” 

By hosting a green birthday party, you’ll leave a smaller ecological footprint on Mother Earth, while also
leaving a large impression of your family values on your child.  According to Ross, young children learn best through both imitation and hands-on experience. 

“By experiencing re-using and recycling rather than disposing, children take this on as a natural way to live,” explains Ross. “This is how we instill eco-friendliness in children. We know how important this will be to their future.”

Maureen Heaney is looking forward to incorporating some green party-planning ideas into her daughter’s next birthday party.

Local Options for Green Activities

Don’t want to do the party yourself? Check out these local party businesses that subscribe to environmentally- friendly practices:

LilChefs.com Special Events (www.LilChefs.com) offers many eco-friendly cooking-themed parties including a tea party (featuring fabric linens, china and silverware) and a pizza-making party where kids make dough from scratch and can use organic veggie toppings.  Chef Paula will work with you to adapt to your green party needs.  For more information contact Paula Gottlieb-Herman at 516-338-0552 or via e-mail at paula@lilchefs.com.

Glo-Dot Florist, located in North Babylon, offers a unique in-home birthday party experience in which children get to assemble their own floral centerpiece and take it home with them.  Contact Robert Montano at 631-667-4700 for more information.

AnnMarie Lubrano, owner of Once Upon a Sundae in Oceanside, has taken significant steps to “green” her
children’s birthday party business. Lubrano, whose business has just been featured on the eco-makeover show Wa$ted Season 3 on the Discovery Network’s Planet Green Channel, uses simple strategies to help green her parties. She uses reusable tableware and all-natural face paints and makeup and has a new recycling station with kid-friendly posters that teach how to reduce, reuse and recycle. She also overhauled her party favors. “We now offer mostly all wooden, recycled or reusable favors that are safe, non-toxic and encourage imaginative play,” says Lubrano.  Call 516-208-6737 or visit www.onceuponasundae.com