5 Affordable, Eco-Friendly Easter Ideas

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Looking for ways to celebrate an eco-friendly Easter this year? Easter ideas are a dime a dozen. It’s finding ones that won’t wreak havoc on the environment that’s the problem. From egg decorating to candy selection, here are my top picks for eco-friendly Easter ideas that will keep your holiday firmly in the green zone.

Choose Natural Dyes

Skip the chemical tablets filled with mystery ingredients and use natural dyes such as turmeric, beets, red cabbage, and onion skins to create a variety of colorful egg designs. Imprint natural designs with herb sprigs, or rubber bands to create a strappy, modern look. For extra fun, use the decorated boiled eggs as part of an outdoor family picnic if you are celebrating in an area where the weather permits it. If not, making them part of the snack table is equally suitable.

Use Paper Grass

Displaying your Easter wares on a bed of decorative gift basket grass is part of the tradition, to be sure. But who says you have to use the plastic kind? Decorative paper grass comes in a variety colors, including the unbleached natural kind if that’s the look you’re going for. I’ve seen this stuff at Dollar Tree and other bargain craft supply stores. Use it to stuff an Easter basket or gift bag, and feel comfortable knowing that you’re putting a little less plastic into the landfill this April. Call it green gift wrapping with a spring holiday twist.

Get Bulk Candy

Many shopping malls boast stores with package-free candy dispensers, as does Super Target. Packaging the candy pieces in paperboard takeout food boxes that you can decorate with holiday rubber stamps is a fun way to keep the excess wrappers at bay. Also, many of the larger bags of Easter candy available at grocery and department stores at this time of year contain candy pieces that at the very least don’t come individually wrapped. So you only have the external bag to worry about finding a recycling option for. It’s a simple green gift-giving strategy that anyone can use, regardless of what stores they have access to.

Reduce Plastic

Going completely plastic free with your Easter ideas might be a bit of a challenge for some, but consciously choosing supplies and gifts for your holiday that aren’t excessive with their use of plastic is certainly in the ballpark for everyone who’s interested in having a more eco-friendly Easter. Those interested in reducing plastic can skip the single-use disposable toys in favor of word puzzle books, jump ropes, and foil-wrapped candies versus ones that come twisted up in little plastic wrappers.

Promote Green

If you’d rather go lower on processed candy as well as plastic, a fun way to celebrate the holiday would be to give a gift of gardening supplies in a colorful watering can instead of an Easter basket. Paper seed packets, gloves, and simple gardening tools are all available at dollar stores, as are fun plant pots to use for a windowsill or balcony garden, which makes the gardening gift package workable for urban families as well as rural ones.

As you can see, having a more eco-friendly Easter holiday isn’t out of reach at all. There are many Easter ideas that are fun and planet-friendly.