Earth Day: Eco-Friendly Kids Parties

Happy Earth Day!

At elevencupcakes we are always trying to think of ways to make our parties easier on the Earth. In honor of Earth Day we thought we’d share 5 of our favorite ideas to make your celebrations a little more green.

1. Use reusable plates.

Solid color basic plates can be worked into any the decor for any celebration. Our favorite colors for serving pieces are white, green, red, and aqua. You don’t even need to purchase special serving pieces for a kid’s party. Regular dinner plates are large enough to set your snacks, appetizers, and desserts on. If you don’t have enough plates, cups, or cutlery for your party guests try using biodegradable or compostable plates, cups, and cutlery. If you use plastic be sure to recycle!

2. Buy snacks in bulk.

Instead of buying those individual packages of foods like goldfish, cookies, or chips buy one large bag or package and portion it out yourself. By portioning out the snacks yourself it also gives you the opportunity to incorporate your food into part of your decor, like we did at the Sesame Street party. Dorothy’s goldfish fit right in with the color scheme in the green and white polka-dotted nut cups. Buy large bottles of beverages instead the individual boxes and bottles. You’ll save all the extra bags and boxes from ending up in the trash and you will most likely save some money too. If you have to have individual cans and bottles make finding the recycling bin as easy as finding the trash.

3. Use cloth napkins and tablecloths.

Just like the dishes investing in some nice linens is a great way to save money and help the environment long term. Using a color palette that goes with your home and dishes ensures that no matter what your party’s theme is, everything will always have a cohesive look.

4. Go paperless with your invitations!

Instead of sending out paper invitations try using an evite. A email based invite can save you time, money, and materials. If your party has some guests that might not be computer friendly it is of course OK to send them a paper invitation. Another tip to use less paper would be to switch to postcards for your invites & thank yous. A postcard costs less to mail and wastes less paper because it does not require an envelope. You can even put a stamp right on the back of a photograph & mail it just like that. We think the photograph above would make a lovely postcard invitation.

5. Host your party at home!

Renting a party venue can not only be expensive, but it means you have to pack up and haul all of your supplies somewhere else. Not only is it more work for you, but many of these venues often use disposable tablecloths, plates, cups, and even decorations. By hosting your party at home, you can not only save money, but also control how much waste is used (or not used!).