Throwing an eco-conscious birthday party: Greenmunch REVIEW
Planning a birthday party for your child can be stressful. Picking a theme, trying to find decorations, tableware, favours to match... It can be overwhelming. How can you be eco-conscious at the same time?
For tableware and decorations, I was thrilled to find Greenmunch carries all kinds of stuff! I decided to try out some of their products for my daughter's 3rd birthday party.
Drinkware: Mason Jars + Daisy Lids + paper straws
When I saw the Antique Pewter Daisy Mason Jar Lids, and how perfect they were with Greenmunch's paper straws, I knew I had my drinkware solution. Greenmunch of course has mason jars available in their online store, however I got most of mine at Superstore and thrift stores like Value Village. The Daisy Lids come with a sturdy cardboard backing so you could actually use them as a storage lid if you wanted to (would be perfect for giving a gift in a mason jar!). I popped mine out so that I could use the lids with an assortment of paper straws. I put elastic bands around each jar so that each guest could write their name on a tag, and have the tag held in place by the elastic band. I was thrilled with how beautiful they looked, and both adults and kids were excited to get their own beautiful mason jar drinking glass! My daughter's party had a Ni Hao Kai Lan theme, so I used a birthday tag printable on the Nick Jr website to make tags with Kai Lan & her friends on each one. I am saving my daisy lids for future parties, craft projects and gift giving.
Tableware: Wood Cutlery + Palm Leaf Plates
When I read about Aspenware wood cutlery on the Greenmunch site, I fell in love. Made in Canada, using wood that would otherwise be left as waste material, and 100% compostable & biodegradable! How much greener can you get? It is really nice sturdy cutlery too, you don't get fork tines breaking off like with plastic cutlery that never decomposes.
And then there's the palm leaf plates. I got the rectangular plates. Each plate is made from a single fallen palm leaf - fully biodegradable, a plate made by Mother Nature herself! I was really impressed by how large and sturdy these plates were - not only is each one beautiful and unique, they are not flimsy like styrofoam or plastic plates (can't poke a hole in it accidentally with your cutlery!) and they are a really nice size so you can put lots on your plate. Plus the plates have high ridges so your food is nicely contained (important for all the toddlers at our party). Because of how nice they are, you could wash and reuse them as well, making them even more eco-friendly. You can get Greenovation brand ones here.
Decorations: washi masking tape + paper lanterns
Washi tape projects are all over Pinterest nowadays, and no wonder! Patterned tape makes it easy to beautify anything, even if you aren't crafty at all! I got washi tape in a green floral frill, as well as butterfly motif. You'll see that I put them around clear glass for cutlery, straws, and flowers picked from my backyard - I love how festive it makes everything look!
I often read about how horrible balloons are for the environment - especially if they're helium filled and float away into the sky... which looks cool, but may cause a bird's death along the way. Since we were doing the Ni Hao Kai Lan theme, I went with paper lanterns instead of balloons which I think are just as festive if not more so! Each child got a paper lantern to decorate and take home as well. You can get paper lanterns virtually anywhere nowadays, including Dollarama (however they are definitely more available in the summer months).
If you aren't into paper lanterns, Greenmunch does have tissue paper pom poms on their website that look super cute and festive as well. It's nice to know that there are definitely eco-friendly alternatives for party decorations.
So there you have it. It is definitely possible to throw an eco-conscious birthday party. You just have to know where to look and what to use!
What eco-conscious party supplies have you used?
(Greenmunch.ca provided me with a coupon code to use on a purchase of their products to write this review. No other compensation was received, and the opinions in this review are entirely my own.)