| Earth-Day Parties |
| Written by Kate Ross |
| Friday, 02 October 2009 14:33 |
 This month, Kate Ross, reflects on how kids’ birthday parties have evolved and reveals that the latest trend in merrymaking caters for the environment as well as the guests. She asks, how can we organise a birthday bash that won’t break our backs or the bank, yet doesn’t cost the earth?
Ask your own parents or older relatives about their memories of kids’ birthday parties and you may well get a lesson in the rise of consumerism throughout modern Australian history. My father-in-law never had a birthday party. My mother had one for her 16th. I had one most years, and if you grew up around here and remember The Goodies and fluoro socks, you probably have similar party memories to mine… My birthday parties were always at home and the food was prepared by Mum, Nan and the odd family friend - the cake inspired by the Woman’s Weekly, frankfurts and fairy bread. The games were classics like ‘Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey’ and ‘Freeze!’ We put balloons on the letterbox, but otherwise, everything that was used in the celebration was from the kitchen cupboard or would be used again next year. Now it seems providing anything short of fairground attractions and professional catering with a per-head budget greater than our parents had for their wedding and you wonder if your kids are missing out. Offer something less than plates piled high with preservatives, armies of plastic figurines that are spontaneously ingested by your child’s room the moment they enter and rubbish bins burping by the end of the event and you feel almost apologetic. Will the Joneses think I’m stingy? We’re tempted to purchase disposable crockery and cutlery, packaged decorations, plastic prizes and pre-made food for our festivities because they seem cheap and are certainly convenient. And let’s face it; being time-poor is a harsh reality for many parents. (Even those who have all the time in the world might not want to spend it making pink frosting and pretty party hats). In the dazzling lights of the party shops it’s easy to forget about the environmental costs incurred by ‘cheap’ items that are heavily processed, made in faraway lands and transported, wrapped in non-recyclable packaging. In the pre-party scurry we’re busy counting cups, weighing up the merits and drawbacks of treasure hunts and remembering what special diets we need to cater for. The last thing we want to think about is how it is the environment that foots the bill when we buy plastic because it’s made from petroleum, a non-renewable fossil fuel. Luckily, with eco-awareness on the rise, so too is the number of people searching for creative compromises between cost, convenience and doing right by the planet. There are now numerous online forums asking the very question, ‘Can we have green birthday parties?’ and the answer seems to be a resounding ‘Yes’. There are blogs filled with parents’ tips, new businesses that host green parties and online stores selling beautiful party supplies that can be used year after year. Many ideas sound like grandmotherly advice – bake your own cake, dear! – but that shouldn’t be surprising. After all, our ancestors had much lower carbon footprints than us so they must have been doing something right. Some ideas require money to put into practice, some require time, but with a little pre-planning you can feel good about incorporating just one or two into your little one’s next big day. Tree-free invites SMS your guests, drop them an email or use electronic invitation templates from evite.com.au. Recycle by cutting up your child’s artworks or consider buying invitations made from recycled paper. Consider including “Gift wrapping not required”. Location, location, local! The less people have to travel, the better for the environment so choose a venue nearby. Dec the halls Opt for latex balloons (sourced from the rubber tree) as, unlike the foil-like ones, they are biodegradable. Be fussy about getting all balloon scraps into the bin so they don’t end up in the waterways and seas where they are harmful to the wildlife that may swallow them. Decorate with paper chains you’ve made by recycling your child’s paintings instead of purchasing streamers, or look online for cloth bunting that you can use again next year, just as you re-use your Christmas decorations. Eat, drink and be merry …with re-usable crockery and cutlery. Borrow from neighbours so you have enough. If you want throw-aways, choose serviettes made from recycled paper from your supermarket aisle and cups and plates made from bamboo that biodegrades in your compost bin. Enlist help to make as much of the food as you can, look for products saying ‘Grown and made in Australia’ when you are shopping for the party food and consider buying some organic fruit and veg. That’s entertainment Delve into your memory bank for party games that don’t require you to buy props instead of passing a parcel full of cheap and eco-nasties. You could even give your games a green tint, for instance, have sack races in green bags or a recycling relay in which the kids compete to throw things in the right bin. Depending on the kids’ age and your energy level, you could organise a single more lengthy activity that would teach a green-living principle like tye-dying t-shirts with natural dyes, painting cloth bags, running a cooking lesson or planting a vegetable/herb bed. Takeaway treats If you want to give goody bags, here’s another opportunity to recycle your child’s paintings. Cut and tape your little masterpieces or use brown paper bags instead of the plastic version. Substitute plastic bits and bobs with something more useful, like pencils and pens made from recycled newspapers. If you’ve run an activity, there will probably be a resulting souvenir. From the basic backyard do’s of our own childhoods to the more recent pre-packed variety offered by fast food outlets, the purpose of kids’ parties hasn’t changed. We all want the star of the show to feel they belong to a group who care about their milestones. Sometimes that’s as simple as having their favourite people stand around a table as candles are lit and with all eyes on them, everyone sings. Maybe sometimes our grandmas do know best and some of life’s greatest joys really are free.
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