Easter is nearly here and many of you have probably done all your Easter shopping and egg coloring. But just in case there are some last minute preparations left, here are some tips for making the whole Easter experience a bit more Earth-friendly:
Skip the paper greeting cards—there are plenty of websites available that offer free greeting cards for every occasion imaginable and sending e-cards will not only save tons of paper but also minimize the greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating the shipping.
Use natural egg dyes—instead of using the egg dying kits, which mostly contain chemicals that may seep to the egg itself contaminating it, use natural products you already have around your house, e.g. ground cumin, onion peels or lemon peels (yellow); canned or fresh beets and red onion (reds and pinks); red cabbage, blueberries (blue), chili/paprika powder and carrot peels (orange), blackberries (purple); spinach or grass clippings (green) etc. Brown eggs will get you a deeper shade while the white ones will result in pastel colors. The preferred method of dying eggs is simply to boil them with the chosen product and some vinegar for 15 minutes.
Keep the decorated eggs in the refrigerator—this way you’ll be able to consume them a few days later (e.g. making an egg salad or devilled eggs).
Skip the plastic eggs for the Easter Egg hunt—or simply reused the ones from the previous year. Another great solution is to use the individual egg holders cut out form the egg cartons, which then can be filled with all kinds of goodies (your creativity is the limit here) for both the kids and the adults. They can be decorated with a ribbon or a yarn, which will also hold them in place.
Decorate the eggs with non-toxic materials—if you use crayons, it’s best to decorate the eggs before boiling. This way the dye won’t catch on the waxy surfaces, giving the egg an unusual design. You can also use candles instead of crayons, which will give you the same effect. After the egg has been boiled, decorate it with markers, stickers, yarn etc.
So, happy Easter everyone!
