Editor’s Note: Today Suzanne Corrin, owner of Green Planet Parties in Port Moody has dropped by to give us some seriously great tips on how to green our kids birthday parties.

I have to say that I personally love the Suzanne’s (both owners are named Suzanne) and their products. After searching high and low for eco-party options, their shop is a great stop to get some cool gear.

Check them out at greenplanetparties.com

Here’s Suzanne:

Does any of this sound familiar? … it’s your child’s birthday party – or you’re attending one of the many parties your child is invited to.

The party food and cake is just wrapping up and the familiar site of the disposable plates and napkins covered in licensed characters like Dora, one or all of the Princesses, Spider Man or Sponge Bob, along with the plastic forks, cups and tablecloths are all being swept into the big green garbage bag along with the left-over cake.

Next comes the mountains of presents for the child who usually has more than enough toys already – all packaged in plastic and cardboard, wrapping paper, and bows. All to be completed of course with plastic goodie bags filled to the brim with dollar store items sure to break or be discarded by the time the car gets everyone back home.

When you stand back and take a stock of the average child’s birthday party, it’s very sad to find that they are, for the most part; extremely wasteful, excessive, and leave such a terrible environmental footprint.

The good news is that children’s birthday parties and other events that you host are really one of those everyday opportunities to learn and teach our children how we can still enjoy life, and be respectful, even helpful to Mother Nature.

Some of my favourite ways to host a greener party for children include new ways of thinking about invitations, tableware, decorations, party activities, gifts for the birthday child and goodie bags:

Inviting Your Guests

It’s so easy to skip the traditional paper invites using the Internet and email sites like EVITE and PINGG.

If your child is more of a traditionalist, there are wonderful handmade papers embedded with seeds that can be planted after getting the party details.  What a wonderful eco-activity for children receiving this special invitation to a party, or a thank you note afterward.

Better Tableware Options

Always the best choice is of course to use your everyday dishes.  But when hosting a large party or at a venue away from home, eco-friendly disposable tableware is a great option.   Typical disposable tableware is just evil for the environment; plates and napkins made from virgin fibre paper, covered in inks that leech into the ground, plastic cups and cutlery made from petroleum – or worse – Styrofoam.

Did you know that biodegradable and compostable tableware is easily available and the cost is reasonable? (Note: it is hard to find in the Valley. Thrifties and Edible Island have some eco-ware. But, check out Green Planet Party for their options too)

They are naturally beautiful in colour and texture without chlorine bleach to make them white, or being covered in commercial inks.  And the bonus of not having the Hannah Montana or Bob the Builder themes is that you are able to re-use any left over tableware at a later date for any occasion!

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Oh, my kids would really miss the Spiderman theme”, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Truly, children don’t miss the commercialism of traditional tableware that does nothing more than add to landfill waste.  In my experience children are usually extremely proud of ‘taking care of the environment’ while having their celebrations.

Rethink Decorations

Everyone likes to decorate for a party but plastic tablecloths and banners with cartoon characters are so very hard on the environment?

Why not consider something our mothers and grandmother’s used to use?  Real, cloth tablecloths and table runners!

I was inspired last Summer at my in-laws summer cottage where my mother-on-law pulled out a tablecloth form when my husband was a small boy – it was over 40 years old and is now used to make any day feel special for the grandchildren when come for the Summer.

Buy a real quality tablecloth or table runner you can pull this out year after year – and become a treasured part of your family’s traditions.

Cloth banners with “Happy Birthday” or personalized with your child’s name  also really add a festive and special feel to a party and can be a very special memento when hung in your child’s room after the party.

Balloons should really be skipped as decorations as they are a real concern for marine life.  If you must use balloons make sure they are made of 100% latex – foil and Mylar balloons are real environmental hazards.

Instead consider decorating with mother nature in mind – perhaps some potted plants that can be moved outside or given to party guests – or lollipops and cupcakes that can go home with guests too.

Eco-friendly & Fun Party Activities

Take the party out outside and visit a local farm, butterfly garden or beach – these can be great fun and learning experiences for everyone.  Some other cool ideas include a nature walk / scavenger hunt or tree planting party.

For an indoor party consider planting plants / trees in peat pots that each party guest can take home – or a craft that can be hammered, glued and painted for the little boy parties.

Concerned about too many gifts?  Consider a ‘Giving Party’

A trend that is spreading throughout communities is having the birthday child choose a social cause and ask guests to bring a donation in lieu of gifts.  The idea being that instead of a wrapped gift the guest brings a monetary donation, knowing that half the collected amount will be donated to a cause or organization chosen by the birthday child, while the other half is for the birthday child to choose a meaningful gift for themselves.

Some of the ‘giving’ parties we’ve had the pleasure of being part of include donations for BC Children’s Hospital, local community charities, the SPCA, and helping save the Panda Bears, Polar Bears and Tigers through the World Wildlife Fund.

Education is shared with the party guests regarding the cause, so everyone benefits from this generous act.  This type of ‘giving’ birthday really completes the circle of hosting a green party as you virtually eliminate the excess of waste and plastic generated from gifts and wrapping paper.  And the children really embrace the whole concept.

A new take on Goodie Bags

Consider instead of Dollar Store throwaways, spending the same effort on one ‘thank you’ item that will be remembered and used months or years to come.

Great ideas are practical items that parents appreciate and children think are the best – stainless steel water bottles in light of the concern over plastics, enamel and stainless cups for at home that look just like mom & dad’s coffee mugs – but don’t break, bean bags – really a lost art in toys, books about nature and the environment, sketch books and pencil crayons for their stories and pictures.  DIY Crafts for a party serve not only as an activity but also a take home gift as well.  Some of my favourites include wands, wooden cars, and special hooks.

Another idea is to give gift cards like a for a movie rental store with a package of licorice or popcorn.  A little instant gratification is the key too – try adding a delicious organic lollipop! If your going to give a goodie bag consider giving cloth goodie bags instead of plastic we see everywhere – a cloth goodie bag to a child is a future treasure keeper!

By choosing to host a ‘greener’ party or event you can take the opportunity to show how easy it is to be more mindful of our environment, reduce the excess and waste usually associated, and share with our children some great ideas for living greener lives each day … even when we are celebrating.