Posted by rene.bross on 24. June 2011 08:46
Introducing your newborn to an eco-friendly lifestyle starts well before they are actually born. And hosting a green baby shower doesn't have to be daunting. It can actually be very fun and creative with many fun decorating ideas drawn from mother earth. Start with a party invitation printed on 100% recycled paper with 100% recycled envelopes such as the Eco Friendly Garden Shower Invite from My Good Greetings. Be sure to add a note asking guests to forego traditional gift wrap.
Think as green as possible for party decorations utilizing recycled papers and greenery from the yard. Forget the disposable plates and utensils and break out your good china instead. Don't have a china set? Don't worry, think about borrowing pieces from friends or other hosts. Mix and matched china can make a unique and beautiful tablescape. Use potted flowers as table decorations and then give them away as party favors. Tree sapplings potted in reusable glass jars with a name tag make for great place settings and each guest can plant them later in babies name. Sachets of burlap tied with raffia and filled with wildflower seeds also make great favors. Encourage cloth diapers as gifts or collect donations for a month or two of diaper service.
Buy local produce and ingredients as much as possible. A visit to your local farmer's market may inspire more green ideas as well. Be sure to talk with the vendors- they often have wonderful ideas. And when the festivities are over be sure to recycle as much as possible and compost the food scraps. Set up easy to spot recycle bins for guests to use. We hope the following collage board inspires your next green party event. Be sure to read the photo credits which will lead to more wonderful ideas.
Photo Credits clockwise from upper left: Diaper Cake: A Birdie Told Me, Eco Friendly Garden Baby Shower Invitation: My Good Greetings, Green Cupcakes: Baby Shower Food, Footprint Hand-held Fan with Seed Circle: Good Day Asheville, Mason Jar Greenery: Hey Now Whoa Now
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Posted by rene.bross on 23. March 2011 09:36
One trend we’re seeing more and more on our customized shower invitations at My Good Greetings is the request for unwrapped gifts or eco-friendly gift wrapping. I always wonder if those party guests who are eco-friendly challenged stumble over this request. It may seem awkward and abrupt to bring an unwrapped toaster and toss it on the gift table. And let's face it-- gift wrap can be so pretty. There’s something very exciting about seeing a table full of beautifully wrapped presents. But at the end of the day- it really is a complete waste of paper and trees.
One solution is Furoshiki- gift wrapping with a Japanese wrapping cloth. Charissa at TheGiftedBlog.com shares some beautiful samples of this beautiful Japanese art of gift wrapping. She also offers step-by-step instructions on how to create some beautiful wrap designs. Japanese wrapping cloths can be purchased, but if they are hard to find in your area, I’m thinking a beautiful scarf or large square of fabric- edges finished- would do the trick as well. A square tablecloth might work well for a larger gift and the best part- the wrap becomes an additional present—no wrapping waste!
Namitha in India also gives a very detailed instructions and tips on her blog Ephemera Studio
photo: TheGiftedBlog
Posted by Rene.Bross on 12. January 2010 12:00
Posted by Lorna.Doone on 17. December 2009 02:09
If you still have little ones on your Christmas list and don't know what to get, here are a couple of great eco-friendly (and totally cool) suggestions.
So, I really do strive to live a reasonably green lifestyle. I take the bus when I can. I don't buy single-serving items when I can avoid it. I even compost. These are all little changes I was easily able to incorporate into my life. I'm so pleased to see how they've crept into my husband's thought processes, too. He came home the other night, all excited about these toys he had found to buy for our nieces and nephew for Christmas. I was a bit surprised that he had thought that far ahead and actually purchased toys all on his own, but I was both flabbergasted and proud when he showed me what they were.
For our daughter and oldest niece, he found these awesome tea sets from Green Toys. They are super cute and are made with recycled milk jugs. That's post-consumer waste, folks! From their website:
| "We use recycled milk containers as the main ingredient in creating our toys. Yes, the exact plastic milk jugs that you and your family drink from every day. When you finish your milk and toss the container in the recycling bin, these milk containers are collected at your curb by a local recycling company, who then sorts them from all the other types of plastic. Next, the milk containers are reprocessed into super clean fresh plastic. For you plastic geeks, the plastic material we use is called high-density polyethylene (or HDPE). This material is considered one of the safest, cleanest plastics around." |
The younger niece and nephew are each getting an "Eco Boombox" by Ecotronic. (Their website seems to be down.) Instead of using batteries, these toys work via toddler power. They wind the handle and are rewarded with lights and sounds. It even comes in very environmentally friendly packaging that reminds me of a cardboard egg crate. (For locals, they can be purchased at The White Elephant for about ten dollars less than the online retail price.)
I am so thrilled, not only that we are giving great eco-friendly toys to the kids we love most, but also that my "green" ways are rubbing off on my darling husband!