HAVE AN ECO EASTER!
Going green doesn’t mean ditching the Eastertime fun – follow our tips for some cracking celebrations
The Easter holiday is ‘eggspanding’, with ever more merchandise added to the occasion. Now you can buy Easter napkins, Easter wreaths, even Easter crackers! And they all come with the inevitable plastic, plus the increased demand on energy and resources to make them. Then there are the chocolate eggs… delicious, but so often surrounded in unrecyclable plastic – and with around 80 million eggs sold in Britain each year, that’s a lot of waste. Its origins might be in religion but Easter has become the focus of family get-togethers and an excuse to spend, spend, spend. Perhaps it’s time we looked at a more mindful way of celebrating? Here’s how.
Green eggs
Go for chocolate eggs with as little packaging as possible. Steer clear of any plastic and check the instructions to see if the foil and cardboard is recyclable.
Don’t just be green, be ethical. Choosing Fairtrade chocolate eggs puts more power in the hands of cocoa farmers in developing countries, many of whom have to deal with the immediate threat of climate change.
Look for the Fairtrade symbol.
Choose the vegan option, which is still as delicious, trust us. Dairy production has a big impact on the planet as livestock requires land and water, and produces methane.
Thought that counts
Rather than teaching the children in your life to expect disposable presents or highly packaged chocolate, why not gift an experience instead? They’ll remember that trip to the zoo longer than they do a plastic toy. Or send a gift to struggling communities overseas. For as little as £3 you can send a gift to
Get crafty
Revive the lovely tradition of eggshell dyeing – but avoid harsh paint chemicals by making natural colours with kitchen ingredients.
Simmer a litre of water and two tablespoons of white vinegar for 30 minutes with red cabbage (for a blue colour), or paprika (pink), red onions (green), beetroot (red), turmeric (yellow) and coffee (brown). You can blow and rinse eggshells and keep them, or use hard-boiled eggs and place them in the fridge until you eat them.
Be ethical, too, by choosing UK eggs from happy hens, either organic or free-range. The first number you see on a stamp will reveal its farming method: 0=organic, 1=free-range, 2=barn/ indoor, 3=cage. Caged and barn eggs are legal, but the birds are raised in smaller spaces.
Eco-friendly food
The Easter Sunday feast has become a major event. But before you embark on a supersized shop, consider the following – choose loose food and consider how much you need. Make veg the hero, as meat generally has a larger carbon footprint than plant crops. Eat seasonal and local produce to cut the air miles it takes for food to reach us.