Would you like to host a magical and colorful children's party, but at the same time make sure that it is as sustainable as possible? Then we have a few tips for you today.
It's actually quite simple: keep it simple. Instead of wildly ordering disposable decorations from the party store, with a little planning and preparation in advance you can find much more sustainable solutions. And the fun of doing it yourself comes naturally.
Here are two important things to remember at the start of your planning:
1. REUSE INSTEAD OF THROWING AWAY
AND
2. RENT INSTEAD OF BUY
When thinking about your party planning, try to incorporate as many reusable or compostable options as possible right from the start. Do you have to buy things new, or can you rent items?
With these simple ideas, you can make your next party much more sustainable:
1. decorations
The "best" party decorations are the ones that don't end up in the trash after the party. At Stadtlandkind you will find a variety of decoration ideas that are made from reusable materials such as fabric, paper or cardboard. We can particularly recommend the products from Grimm's. The birthday table can be customized for the birthday child with the festive spiral or the birthday ring and the many different pegboard figures and number pegs. The durability and variety of these wooden products made in Germany can create a tradition that your children will remember for a lifetime.
If you want to try something out yourself, why not turn a rainy day into a craft day and get creative with your family, for example by sewing or making your own bunting or making pompom garlands from old wool scraps. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube that show you exactly how to do this. Your kids are sure to love helping out when it comes to their own birthday party. Cake coasters are also a quick and easy way to make something magical - I love these ideas from Jo Williams for a summer girls' party or garden party, for example.
When your party is over, you can store the decorations away for the next party, swap them with friends and acquaintances or give them as gifts. This way it can continue to spread joy with another family.
2. gift wrapping
Yes, I know, wrapping paper is beautiful, but let's be honest: how long will it last before it's lying torn in the corner? What's more, many papers can't even be properly recycled as paper due to their laminations, glitter and colors, so unfortunately they quickly end up in normal waste.
Try it next time with:
- painted pictures and works by your children (I often don't even know where to put all the drawings and paintings)
- a piece of fabric, unworn cloth, napkin, gym bag or cloth bag - this way the beautiful packaging is also an important part of the gift
- old maps of places you used to go before online navigation was available (yuppppp, that takes me right back to the 90s)
- Pages from books, comics, newspapers or magazines
- Paper or cloth bags that you already have at home
3. plates, cups and cutlery
An easy way to make your party more eco-friendly is to avoid single-use plastic plates, cups and cutlery. For example, buying bamboo tableware would be worth considering. Bamboo is more shatterproof than porcelain and will be a loyal companion at many birthday parties (or even in everyday life).
You can also do without plastic drinking tubes, as they are also available in paper or cardboard.
You can collect small containers such as glass yoghurt pots or jam jars in advance for the planned snacks and give them another purpose before they are recycled.
If you do want to use disposable tableware, make sure you choose compostable versions, for example made from bamboo or palm fibers.
Finger food is also a good idea to minimize waste at a party. Children love fruit and vegetables. Cut into small pieces and skewered on sticks, there's no need for extra plates or bowls.
4. renting instead of buying
There are a number of small companies in Switzerland that rent out party decorations and games. For example, you can simply rent popcorn machines, bouncy castles, costumes for your next theme party or rental boxes for party games.
For my overnight parties, you can hire all tipis and equipment so that you don't have lots of tents, mattresses and decoration material standing around unused at home after your party. I offset the trips to set up and dismantle with the climate protection organization MyClimate out of conviction, so that I keep my CO2 footprint as low as possible. And, if you really want to have your own tipi at home after the party, you can also buy a beautiful one from Stadtlandkind. Did you know that when you order something from Stadtlandkind, the parcels are also delivered "green"? Thanks to proclima, your orders in the new KickBag are now sent in a climate-neutral and reusable packaging.
As you can see, with a little imagination and planning, you can do a lot to make your next party less harmful to the environment. Have fun rethinking!
