10 Ways to Have an Eco-Friendly Easter

Easter celebrations with your kids can be joyous experiences, but when you walk down the store aisles at Easter time, you might wonder how Easter became about consumption.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to put together a fun Easter basket for your kids without spending a lot of money, and without purchasing a bunch of plastic, disposable products. Here are 10 cool ideas to celebrate eco-friendly Easter.

How gaudy and colorful the eco-friends Easter baskets are is up to you! Be sure to read to the end to find out our recommendation for the ultimate eco-friendly Easter activity!

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Ditch the plastic Easter eggs

Sure plastic eggs are cheap and you can put fun surprises in them, but they aren't a requirement for a fun Easter basket! They are the antithesis of an eco-friendly Easter! If you want colorful egg-shaped objects here are some plastic Easter egg alternatives:

• Fizzing bath dinosaur eggs. I used to make these all the time for my son when he was little. They aren't hard to make and they will encourage your kids to take a bath. Be sure to add some food coloring to the mixture!
• A picture book about Easter eggs! Pat the Bunny Countdown is a fun choice. Check out more book selections on our Easter Picture Book list.
• Egg crayons! Add in a coloring book or our rabbit coloring page, and your preschooler or toddler has at least 20 minutes of activity time!

Buy eggs locally

If you plan to dye Easter eggs, buy eggs locally. You probably already know about the hideous treatment of egg-laying hens in industrial farms across the country. Support farmers who treat their animals properly. The eggs are more nutritious and much, much tastier.

Use Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Even if you are not eating the dye, the production of chemically synthesized dyes is bad for the world.  If you have the energy to chop up and cook your own veggie dye dips, check out this post from Two Men and a Little Farm. If you don't, then try Earth Paint dyes.

Buy a second-hand Easter basket

I'm personally of the opinion that Easter baskets are unnecessary, but if you enjoy the tradition, you can still have an eco-friendly Easter. I encourage you to head out to your thrift store to pick up a second-hand basket. Or, reuse a basket you already own.

Don't Use Plastic Grass

Plastic grass is a menace! (Ha Ha! I'm not mincing words here.) I know they sell paper grass, now, but instead cut a paper bag or old wrapping paper into thin strips. Or, you know, just skip the grass altogether. Instead, include this hilarious picture book about grass growing.

For an eco-friendly Easter, choose fair trade chocolate or organic candy

Don't worry, I won't be so stingy as to suggest ditching the candy altogether! However, there are lots of companies who source their cocoa from sources that don't exploit the workers and the environment. For colorful candy in Easter colors, I love YumEarth candy, like these lollipops or Giggles.

Put together a garden-themed Easter basket

It's springtime, after all -- a great time to get a little family gardening time in. Here are a few ideas to include:

• Seed packets. Nasturtiums and sunflowers are nice big seeds, good for little hands.
• Small plants, or even a small tree to plant as a family.
• A garden tool set. This eco-conscious garden set for kids might give you some inspiration about what to include.

Compost egg shells

Instead of sending your egg shells to a landfill, add them to a compost pile, or just bury them in the backyard where they will feed the soil. And who knows, maybe it will get kids curious about how composting works and they'll want to learn more about the science! Or, for a fun gardening project. turn them into cress heads.

Donate or volunteer with the kids

Instead of thinking of the holiday as a time to give cute gifts, make your celebration even more meaningful by giving back to the community or your favorite charity. These simple ways to make a difference this spring are perfect for kids.

The ultimate eco-friendly Easter activity is...

... spending the day with family and friends! Go to the park. Go birdwatching and make bird feeders. Go to the zoo to see the rabbits, lambs and baby chicks. Check out these 12 simple ways to celebrate spring. Do you have brunch or dinner together? Bake cookies in the kitchen with the kids, or take a picnic to the park. I guarantee you, the kids will remember the time you spend together and cherish it much more than a foam-stuffed rabbit toy lying on a bed of plastic grass.

Having an eco-friendly Easter is actually pretty easy. I'm by no means perfect when it comes to living an environmentally conscience life, but I do what I can and learn a bit more each day about how my family can reduce its footprint. I'm certainly not trying to make anyone feel bad about giving their kids baskets or candy.

If we make purposeful decisions then we make better ones.

Happy Easter!

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