Off the Urban Grid

Eco-friendly Easter Basket Tips

It’s almost time for the Easter bunny to make its appearance again. In other words, there is less than a week for parents to scramble and get those Easter baskets together. Regardless of whether this is your first or fifth year decorating a basket, have you ever given much thought to the quality and practicality of the items you put in it? If you simply visit a local drugstore and grab cheap toys and candy off of the shelf, you’re not alone, but how about making this year’s Easter basket eggstraordinary?

For the actual basket, it’s more eco-friendly if you use the same basket every year. It can serve as a traditional Easter basket, which will hold some childhood memories too. Also, instead of lining your basket with plastic grass, use natural wheatgrass. If you buy a flat of wheatgrass, your pets will love it or you can make juice out of it.

Now onto the best part…the delicious sweets and goodies. Fair-trade and/or organic chocolates are delectable, and you can also melt this chocolate down and make organic chocolate strawberries or kiwis too. During Easter it’s easy to stuff yourself and your children with junk food, but chocolate-covered fruit will make you feel less guilty. If you’re family prefers hard candy, look for YummyEarth’s organic lollipops and candy drops. These can be purchased online, but they are also carried in some large chain grocery stores like Giant Eagle.

When it comes to Easter toys, consider more practical gifts. Stuffed bunny rabbits are cute, but your children are most likely to forget about these presents by the next day. Lush makes handmade cosmetics that are completely vegetarian and not tested on animals. For Easter, they have limited edition egg bath bombs and other colorfully scented bath treatments. They even have a body lotion called the Charity Pot, and the proceeds from this product support animal rights, environmental protection and humanitarian concerns.

Having your children search for their Easter basket is a fun activity that doesn’t have to be given up because you’re living a sustainable lifestyle. Switching out the traditional basket decorations for eco-friendly ones will surprise your kids and show them that living green doesn’t have to be boring.

Tags: Easter basket tips, eco-friendly Easter, sustainable Easter