When I was growing up I remember celebrating special occasions and holidays much differently than I do with my own family now.

Birthdays were spent at home sharing your favorite home cooked meal and birthday cake with loved ones. We didn’t use disposable dinnerware and at times we used the newspaper funnies to wrap the presents.

When the holiday season started rolling around…we made our own Halloween costumes and some of the decorations, then used pillow cases to stash our candy. Thanksgiving was filled with the wonderful scents of made-from-scratch dishes and desserts. Again using no disposable dinnerware…I remember this well because my sister and I were usually the ones that were granted membership to the “clean up crew”. Christmas was my favorite, not just because of the gifts, but because we usually made ornaments or some kind of decoration.

So what does any of this have to do with Green Celebrations? I look back on those days and although I know we didn’t employ “green” tactics consciously, it was the way of life back then.

Nowadays, our family celebrations are far from being green. Oh, we reuse gift bags, tissue paper and decorations, but that’s about the extent of it. So how do you go about making these celebrations more earth-friendly and less costly?

You pick up a copy of Cory Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell’s newly released book, Celebrate Green. Based on Corey’s original concept of making Halloween healthier and earth-friendly, the mother-daughter team branched out to encompass all major celebrations through this enlightening book.

Copyright 2008 Holli Dunn

With over 200 pages, Celebrate Green is jam-packed with fun, quick, easy ideas for just about any occasion. It begins with the basics of Green Holidays and takes you through celebrations in spring, summer, autumn, summer and winter, plus year round celebrations like baby showers, graduations, weddings, birthdays and more.

For instance, did you know that you can dye Easter eggs naturally? Or instead of handing out candy on Halloween, maybe give stickers or homemade bean bags? I’m dying to try the apple pie recipe for Thanksgiving and for Christmas using LED lights can save energy, they last longer and are much safer.

There is even a “Green Anniversary Gift Guide” and a section on Birthdays that Give Back which helps children take the focus off materialism, plus many other tips that help save money and the earth.

Celebrate Green can be purchased at www.CelebrateGreen.NET or on Amazon.

Are your celebrations going green this year?

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

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When birthdays pop up in our family, we usually go the easy route and buy paper plates to cut down on the cleaning time afterwards. And yes, when I see the trash bag(s) stuffed full with paper plates, it really does bother me.

I recently received a sample package of VerTerra’s dinnerware plates and with their stylish natural look, they put those other paper plates to shame. They are made from fallen leaves and are biodegradable.

From their site:

From start to finish, the impact we make on the earth is our top priority. We start by collecting fallen leaves from plantations without cutting down any trees. Normally, these leaves would be burned on the side of the road. Instead, they are brought to our factory, sprayed with high pressure water, steamed and UV sterilized. We recapture over 80% of the water we use. No chemicals, lacquers, glues, bonding agents or anything toxic are ever used. The entire process uses only a fraction of the energy used in recycling.

Now my family is always up for a challenge so we decided to see how well VerTerra’s plates would withstand hot food, cold food, being stored in the fridge and even washed with soap and water a couple of times. To be honest, I thought for sure these plates would turn into a soggy mess with the dressing from the salad or the dipping sauce for the fish sticks, but they didn’t. The photo of VerTerra’s plates with the white paper plate, well…that’s after they’ve been used and abused.

VerTerra has a large assortment of biodegradable dinnerware available from prices starting at $8.99 for a 10 pack to $12.99 for a 12 pack.

So not only will the place settings look stylish for our next birthday bash, but we’ll be making a more positive impact on our environment.

If you’d like to learn more about VerTerra and their unique and stylish dinnerware products be sure to visit their website.

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

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