Earth Day Birthday: Throw a Party for the Planet (and for Your Child)

Plan-It for the Planet
An Earth Day celebration is a natural fit for an April birthday. Ruby Roth, children's author, explains, "Give [children] a little guidance and they'll blossom with eco-friendly ideas and solutions." From the rain forest to the beach, pint-sized planet warriors will love an environmental theme.

Host the party outdoors to create connections with nature and save energy. Pavilions at local parks and beaches or farms, zoos, animal sanctuaries, aquariums, and arboretums and botanical gardens provide a combination of indoor and outdoor space and often provide children's party packages. Amy Gates, green activist and blogger at Cruncy Domestic Goddess, has hosted a low-waste, environmentally friendly party for her daughter at a local farm.

Invitation to Save the Earth
The most eco-friendly way to invite your guests is to use an online service. If you appreciate the charm of a formal invitation, Penny Warner, author and in-house party planning expert for Balloon Time Helium Balloon Kits recommends using "recycled party bags, comic pages, coloring book sheets, seed packets or paper, or old art projects" to craft creatively eco-chic invitations; she also recommends hand-delivering them rather than mailing.

Decorate Your Party -- Not the Landfill
If you are hosting the party outdoors, let nature provide the decorations -- you will save time and money, and avoid waste. If you simply must have themed decorations, Lisa Kothari, owner of Peppers and Pollywogs, recommends re-purposing what you already have, buying only what you need, and selling or swapping extras online. This approach, she explains, "is easy on the pocketbook and makes sense!" Still need to shop? Green Party Goods is an entire website dedicated to eco-friendly options for your party.

If you want to invest in a distinctive and special decoration, consider buying one that can be reused for future birthdays. Kim Bloom, of Rosie Hippo, stocks beautiful reusable birthday party decorations, like this felt Happy Birthday Banner, that will last many years and become a family tradition.

Junior Activist Activities
Give back to your community with this idea from event planner Rachel Hollis, founder of the LA based event company Chic Events: "Organize a group outing to do something for the environment. Go to a local beach, park, or any outdoor area and pick up trash, or plant trees. Work in a community garden to weed, water, or harvest produce. The idea is to motivate your friends and family to do something for the earth, so think globally and act locally." For added fun, Warner recommends making your clean-up a scavenger hunt.

Craft a Better World
Eco-friendly crafts allow you to upcycle and learn more about the environment. If you're not the type to invent a craft out of what's in the pantry, don't worry -- there are plenty of green options available online.The Nature Bag Eco Acitivities kit, available at Lavish and Lime, is full of ideas for nature activities. Artterro produces kits, assembled from safe, natural materials in the US by Goodwill Industries, for open-ended, eco-friendly art projects like bubble wands. And all kids like bubbles. Younger guests will enjoy unleashing their creative spirit with Miss Brittany's Organic Preschool Fun Dough or Mama K's Aromatic Play Clay (naturally scented!).

The Planet's Just Desserts
Parents looking for green friendly treats have plenty of options, too. Kati Angelini, owner of Kati's Kupcakes and Gourmet Desserts, offers cookies with Earth-friendly messages on them. Want to DIY the treats? Angelini suggests using edible markers to decorate simple sugar cookies with Earth Day messages, such as "Reduce Reuse Recycle."

Don't forget to serve up your delicious goodies on eco-friendly plates. Green Toys, one of my favorite toy companies, offers a fun set of reusable plates, bowls, and forks and spoons, made in the USA from BPA-free and dishwasher safe recycled plastic. These pieces are all the perfect size for little guests. If you want disposable, Earth Essentials Bowls and Plates, available at your local CVS, are made from sugarcane, and are water and oil resistant, biodegradable and microwaveable.

Do the Planet a Favor
When sending your guests home with a remembrance of the event, make sure they aren't just taking home more junk. Make-and take crafts provide a perfect activity and favor in one. My daughter enjoyed decorating the small cardboard toys in the party pack from Creative Toy Shop with her friends.

Want to send an edible treat instead? Glee Gum, makers of eco-friendly and natural gum, now has a make your own candy kit that is a combination educational activity, party favor, and dessert! Glee Gum promises that "each kit is designed to captivate kids' interest, connect them to the global community, and create something yummy to eat in the process!"

Or help your guests commit to producing less waste in the future and send them home with a CG Kidz Water Bottle designed by teen activist, Riley Hoffer. The water bottle can be used over and over again, and will be a nice reminder of your child's party.

With a little planning, you can easily create a party that will live on in your child's memories but not in the landfill.

An Earth Day Party will be a hit with the kids and help preserve the planet for their future. How will you celebrate Earth Day?

Candace Lindemann is an educational consultant and writer and holds a BA from Yale and an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is also the mom to two little nature-lovers. You can find her online at her educational consulting company, Naturally Educational, launching charitable projects at Bloganthropy.org, or reviewing parenting products on Mamanista.com.