A Very Mindful Easter
It seems like we have just managed to get through Christmas, school holidays, Valentines Day and several other national holidays - and yet, here we are, with (a very different) Easter just around the corner.
With so many holidays and celebrations for us to enjoy, it can be a really important time to think about our impact on the environment. Easter in particular can be a time where it is easy to go overboard with food, chocolate and the unnecessary bits and bobs we can buy to make it a fun experience for the kids.
Unfortunately, with the current much needed restrictions we’ve had to embrace, we will need to look at celebrating Easter a little differently.
How can we be more mindful of waste over Easter but still make it the warm, fun and festive holiday we look forward to every year? We have put together a list of waste saving tips for the Easter break:
Reducing Meat Consumption
As we have mentioned before, more and more research is showing that we need to drastically reduce the amount of meat we are eating if we want to protect the future of our planet. According to this National Geographic article (1), the world's meat consumption should ideally drop by around 50%. So, what better time than a traditionally meat heavy holiday to try out some new, delicious plant based recipes for your Easter dinner? We love these ideas by One Green Planet (2) whose plant based recipes still have that traditional Easter heartiness and warmth.
Low Waste Family Gatherings
You won’t be hosting a large gathering this year, but for when life becomes a bit more normal, these are great tips for a more sustainable party, whatever the occasion. Instead of opting for plastic or paper plates and cutlery, you could ask each family to bring them with them for the day, wash them up and take them home afterwards. Or, you could pop to your local second hand store and buy some pre-loved items and for extra points, donate them back to the shop when you have finished with them.
One way we can reduce food waste is to carefully plan your meal around the exact number of people attending, paying attention to portion sizes. We all love leftovers the next day but often we make far too much and a lot of if ends up in the bin.
E-Cards
Those who thoughtfully take the time to write out individual greeting cards and post them off might think about using one of the many ECard programs out there. Not only do we cut out the overuse of card and paper that often can’t be recycled, these clever programmes can be fun, tailored to individuals and delivered in an instant.
Homemade Eggs
A fun activity for the kids, making and decorating your own chocolate Easter eggs (3) at home is an excellent way to reduce cardboard and foil waste and make these gifts more individual and special.
Another festive activity for the little ones (and us!) is to make blow-out eggs (4) and paint them. A little tricky but it’s a great way to use egg shells and a fun chance to get those creative juices flowing! Once you have blown the eggs out, you can use their contents for one of the dishes in your family Easter meal!
Eco-Friendly Egg Hunts
Instead of going to the shop and buying a load of pre-made egg hunt packs containing cardboard and plastics that are often non recyclable and a little boring, why not take the time to make your own from leftover scraps of wrapping paper from Christmas or other items bound for the recycling bin? Cutting out some bunny footprints and little signs and clues can be really quick and easy, fun, cheap and much more eco friendly.
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