Small-Impact, BIG Love

Welcome to the October series of posts for Green Means Go(od)! This month I'm focusing on sustainable celebrations, what with Halloween a month away! Most of the posts will have something to do with Halloween - from re-using costumes to the menu for our Halloween party (complete with pumpkin ice cream from our garden!). But, to kick off the month, I'll write about Lila's birthday party, which was part sustainable part wasteful. Hey, this blog affords me the chance to reflect on my own practices and change them as necessary!

We hosted Lila's birthday party last weekend. She had a great time (I think - it's hard to tell with a one year old). We were able to celebrate with some great friends and Benny had a good time too, even though he is still sick. Poor guy.

Here's how we made it sustainable: Few decorations, save for the balloons. Homemade cake (thanks Mom!), inviting neighbors who are close enough to walk (and just so happen to be good friends). Using veggies from the garden for a relish tray. Serving sausages from the local grocery store, which are made on-site.

Here's how it was really unsustainable: Paper plates and plastic silverware (shame on me!). Serving hot dogs to the kids. After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, I'm a little conflicted about that!

That's about it I guess. The secret was keeping it low-key, which is pretty much our style anyway. While we enjoy other kids' birthday parties that are much more planning heavy, it's just not something I'm comfortable doing (or have the energy to do).

Overall, Lila finally got the birthday love she deserved and some pretty great presents! We haven't started the "experience" gifting for her yet, so she got a tug boat for the bath tub, made out of recycled plastic from Naturally Loved, a great local natural baby store.