Green Kids Party

01/08/2022

What do you do with your broken crayons? If you’re like me, there are bags of them lying around, and if you’re also like me, you just can’t let them go to waste. So you upcycle them by melting them into new shapes!! 🖍➡️♥️💙💜

Did you also know that there is a National Crayon Recycle Program that reclaims your broken or unwanted crayons and crafts them into new, fun crayon shapes (sold under the Crazy Crayons brand)?? 🦖🦕⭐️🐙🐠🦁🦒

And they manufacture more than 12 million new crayons a day?? (I guess I’m not the only one with that bag of broken crayons lying around.)

Well, I love these recycled crayons as a party favor that gives a second life to a beloved childhood creative staple! If you’re looking for a gift that keeps crayons out of the landfill and puts smiles on faces, check out Crazy Crayons and our own website for party favors featuring their beautiful creations!!

25/07/2022

Well, it’s been a while! But there is nothing like a birthday celebration for inspiration! While wishing happy birthday to my daughter Camilla, I want to call out for making it great with a reusable yard sign! Nothing says happy birthday like a six foot tall party hat!

I’m also linking in my profile to my own website for party favor packages (and maybe other things in the future) that put our kids and their planet first. Please check it out, let me know what you think, and order some party favors if you like!

12/09/2021

You should know that I am not a naturally crafty, DIY-inclined person, but I love, love, love upcycled items and materials. That means that you take something that is not particularly valuable, that is headed for the garbage or recycling, like an empty tissue box, and turn it into something useful. This is a great concept to help keep birthday parties from being too hard on the environment.

Bonus points if you can use tissue paper that you received in a gift or find recycled paper (mine is recycled)! ♻️💚

10/09/2021

Did you know that it’s difficult for scientists to state with certainty how long it takes for plastic to decompose in a landfill because some of the first plastics ever to be thrown away are still hanging around in landfills? How much land will need to be dedicated to landfills in 50 years at the rate we are going?

And when paper and food waste decompose slowly in landfills they emit methane, a greenhouse gas that is at least 25 times more warming than carbon dioxide?

The garbage that we produce to capture a moment of joy will be a burden for our children for years to come - let’s make a promise to them to bring more awareness into how we purchase, celebrate, and discard! 💚

Photo by Lidia Nada on Unsplash (and stats for landfill decompose rates are from assorted Google - estimates vary)

07/09/2021

The rain that Ida dropped on my town was unprecedented and catastrophic, coming so closely after Henri saturated the ground. Floodwaters were 14 feet high in some areas, destroying homes, businesses, and schools. We were very lucky - our house is fine - but the damage is everywhere, including in the environment.

Flooding brings contaminated water with chemicals, oil, and sewage flowing into local bodies of water - rivers and for us, the Long Island Sound - and leaves behind all sorts of garbage and pollution. These kinds of storms are catastrophic for both humans and the planet.

On this Labor Day, I also want to share a huge thank you to the teams from the local sanitation commission who have been out all weekend hauling away the never ending piles of destroyed belongings.

It’s hard to think about parties when this is happening outside the door, but if I can see one positive spin it is this: so many people have mobilized to assist those who have been hit the hardest in this crisis. If we can apply that kind of energy and immediacy to changing the way we relate to nature, maybe we will have a chance to prevent future Idas.

31/08/2021

Since I’m on vacation this week, I’m taking a time out from Materials Monday to share this amazing photo from the Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth, RI. My son is admiring a massive daddy long legs art installation set among the beautiful gardens there. Did you know that spiders are gardening friendlies? They eat pesky garden visitors like aphids and mosquitoes! 🕷🕸

30/08/2021

Spotted on my family vacation in Jamestown, RI! Major thanks to the local residents who have planted pollinator gardens all around the town for the benefit of all of us. I love the assertiveness of this sign! Nice to see people sticking up for the bees! 🐝

27/08/2021

Hi IG friends! As some of you know I am working on my own small business idea around environmentally-thoughtful children’s birthday party favors and supplies! 🎉

I have been helped by Launch1000, an accelerator program sponsored by Westchester County, and for the program, I need to find out from potential what it takes to turn them into loyal, repeat customers! So what does it take for you to come back to a company or product over and over?? What does a company need to do to make you a fan?

Thank you!!!

26/08/2021

There was a thought-provoking article in the New York Times about how we are all swimming in cotton tote bags, and it prompted me to take stock of my own bag of cotton tote bags that never get used. To be clear: reusable bags are important solutions as long as they DO get used. But it is true that tote bags pile up as give-always from conferences, events, and companies, and most of them will never be used enough to warrant the resources that went into their creation. (The NYT article says it takes 20,000 uses!!!!) The companies that gave the bags away may pat themselves on the back for being environmentally-conscious, but their impact is probably no better than if they gave out plastic.

It reminds me of the party favor dilemma - you feel the need to give something, but how do you do it in a way that isn’t wasteful? Let’s think more creatively outside the box - or bag - to consider what we actually need and what actually makes us happy as human beings. ❤️

What does your cotton tote collection look like?

24/08/2021

Plastic gets a very bad rap in sustainability circles, and it mostly deserves it, being both dependent on non-renewable resources to make and typically designed for a one-way trip to the landfill. It is also very clever at escaping into the environment and snarling itself among trees, birds, and fish. 🌲🦆🐠😥

But on the other hand, it is light-weight, durable, and versatile, so it is everywhere and seems to be in everything, including our clothing! In that regard, it really is a wonder material.

The problem is that it is too cheap. When it is so cheap to make new plastic, there is little incentive to recycle it, and without that incentive, the recycling businesses can’t operate.

As consumers, what we can do is:
1. Prioritize reusables as much as possible;
2. Look for items made out of recycled plastic (post-consumer, if possible) when we find ourselves in the market; and
3. Build our awareness of the different plastic blends that are out there, keeping in mind that once things get blended (like items made of bioplastic/ plastic mixes or blended fabrics) they become very difficult to recycle!

21/08/2021

Eggshells are great for your compost pile! They are full of calcium, which helps plants grow. In fact, plants love them so much that you could add them straight to your soil to help your garden grow. Grinding your eggshells into little pieces and sprinkling them in your garden accelerates the process, since it takes less time for tiny pieces to break down. And apparently, eggshells deter pests! 🥚🧯🐛

18/08/2021

You all know I have a soft spot in my heart for composting, so in honor of I would like to ask you to consider writing to your representatives in support of two new bills that have been introduced in Congress - the COMPOST Act and the Zero Food Waste Act - by Congresswomen Julia Brownley, Ann McLane Kuster, and Chellie Pingree. Senator Cory Booker has introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

These acts will make more funding available for composting infrastructure at all levels, including your home! In your letter to your representatives, you can remind them that according to Project Drawdown, reducing food waste is one of the top most effective solutions available to mitigate climate change!
❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚

18/08/2021

Paper is so versatile, and it turns up in so many daily use products. Sometimes, though, the way it’s mixed with other items or treated makes it impossible or difficult to recycle. A few examples are:

1. Wrapping paper: When mixed with glitter or other materials, it cannot be recycled. Look for rolls that state that they are recyclable on the label, or made with recycled paper. If it sparkles, it’s not going to be recyclable! ✨

2. Shredded paper: All those small bits and pieces are a nuisance to recycling facilities, so even if you collect them all and place in your bin, they might get land filled anyway. Sometimes they can be recycled if you bag them up separately from the rest of your paper recyclables; check with your local recycling program or search.Earth911.com

3. Wax paper: Again, mixing materials causes problems for recycling. Can you use a reusable alternative instead?

4. Milk and juice cartons: This one is actually a mixed bag, since some recycling programs have started to accept them, but you would need to check locally to be sure. These cartons are mostly paper but also are lined with aluminum and plastic, so unless your community works with a recycled that can separate those layers, they can’t be recycled.

The more you know! 😁

17/08/2021

For today’s Materials Monday: Paper! Paper and paperboard are used in so many different ways and forms, and we are actually pretty good about recycling paper in the US: 68% of paper waste generated in the US in 2018 was recycled. This means that a decent amount - I saw an estimate of about one third - of new paper is made from recycled materials.

But now the bad news: that means that a lot of new paper comes from trees. Paper can only be recycled 5 to 7 times before the fibers become too short to be used again, so there is a need for new materials to be mixed in. In addition, some paper is either mixed with other materials (plastic-coated cups) or used in such a way (toilet paper) that it isn’t recyclable.

Paper is certainly versatile, and the fact that it comes from a natural source - wood - and is typically recycled has earned it a reputation for being the better option in single use products. However, there are lots of applications that reduce its recyclability and compostability, and trees are valuable. So as always, single use should be a last resort! And look for the sustainable forestry labels! 🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳🌲🌳💚

15/08/2021

In a follow up to yesterday’s birthday party activity idea, here is an even easier way to make a bird feeder, that works for the littlest ones at the party! Cheerios on a pipe cleaner with twine! It can’t get simpler than that!

Another bird feeder that is a lot of fun is a pine cone covered in vegetable shortening and rolled in birdseed, but if you want to avoid the mess, this works, too! Happy bird-feeding! 🐥

15/08/2021

Seeking to entertain kids without buying junk or creating waste? Here is one more fun and wildlife-friendly birthday party activity to consider: DIY bird feeder!

There are lots of ways to do this, but I think this one is so pretty. It calls for birdseed, gelatin, a cookie cutter and twine. If gelatin does not sit well with you, cornstarch mixed with water and heated to boiling can be substituted. Agar is also a gelatin substitute. Once you mix the birdseed with the liquid solution, if forms a mushy mix that each child can form into a shape using a cookie cutter with a piece of twine to tie to a tree branch. As a bonus, you can send each child home with their own bird feeder plus a cookie cutter. Party favor solved!

The complexity here is that you need to be somewhere that you can access a stovetop to heat up the liquid mixture, but there are other bird feeder options that are even simpler! Stay tuned for more…!
🕊🦜🐥🐓🦢🦉🐣🦆

13/08/2021

Who else remembers this book as their introduction to the dangers of pollution? This is right up there with my 4th grade acid rain science project in my memory bank. Happy 50th birthday to the Lorax! We are trying to take your message to heart. ❤️

12/08/2021

After learning about how low US recycling rates are for aluminum and glass - two materials that are infinitely recyclable without compromising their quality - I was wondering why. It is surely a complicated question, but one culprit seems to be the way our curbside programs work.

Since the 90s, the share of “single-stream” recycling programs has increased so that by 2014, 80% of US communities used this system. What this means is that people toss all recyclables into the same bin, with no separation of metals and glass from paper, etc., and leave it for the processing plants to sort out later.

While this makes it simpler for people, it hasn’t trained us to become educated recyclers, it requires a significant mechanical processing effort to separate the recyclables on the back-end, and it has resulted in a lot of contamination.

I saw an estimate that 40% of glass collected through single stream recycling programs is recycled, as compared to 90% of glass from multi stream recycling programs (where we separate the materials ourselves). That’s a big difference! It’s actually refreshing to know that human sorting is so valuable at a time when the robots seem like they might replace us any day! 🤖💪

Do you have single stream or multi stream recycling programs in your town?

10/08/2021

Our second Materials Monday material is glass! Glass is great because it can be recycled over and over again without losing its quality. It’s also fantastic for reuse, and I have the growing, mismatched set of glass storage jars to prove it! It is best to reuse and refill when possible also because glass is made of sand, which is not a renewable resource, and it’s pretty heavy to transport, which adds to recycling costs. (.shop )

As usual, our recycling rate in the US is lower than one would hope, unfortunately. In 2018, only about 25% of glass that is discarded by households is recycled, according to the EPA. The rate through glass container deposit refund programs is higher, though - apparently 65-80% of containers collected through this channel are purchased by manufacturing companies to make new bottles.

So all in all, it’s best for your glass jar to live forever on your shelf as your useful food storage go-to than as an endlessly reincarnated container!

08/08/2021

For our next installment of “Compostable: Yes or No?” I bring you paper towels! In general, paper towels are compostable, but if you have used them for cleaning or with any kind of chemicals, then please do not put them in your compost pile or food scraps recycling bin. The chemicals will not be good for our soil, and they might also be detrimental to the good bacteria that accelerate the composting process. Remember our earthworm friends! They don’t like chemicals!

For cleaning, consider using washable cloth rags (I use old ripped up cotton shirts) or other reusable cloths!

08/08/2021

Our soil is in trouble. At least a third of earth’s land is degraded as a result of intensive farming and land management practices. What does this have to do with birthday parties you might ask? Well, nothing exactly, but consider this when you are deciding what to do with your leftover food bits from your next party: humus, which is what comes out of the composting process, builds heathy soil by contributing to its retention of moisture and nutrients. So compost your leftovers! And give an earthworm a birthday party!! 🪱🥳

05/08/2021

If you’re stumped thinking up children’s birthday party activities and favors, here’s an idea that can help and that the planet will love! 🌎 ❤️

Try having the guests make tiny planters out of toilet paper rolls (see photos), fill them with soil, and plant seeds. I think sunflowers are nice for this because they sprout so quickly, which is always gratifying to a child’s attention span! They can plant the rolls right into the ground without having to cut off the cardboard first, although that means that they shouldn’t decorate the rolls/planters.

Tip: You may want to draw dots on the roll to indicate how far they should cut the flaps to make sure the planter sits evenly.

Happy planting and partying! 🌱 🎉

04/08/2021

Sometimes it’s hard to know what you can compost, so I thought I would share periodic “Compostable: yes or no!” posts. I’m starting off with a bit of a softball: fruit peels! 🍊🍌 They are compostable in commercial and backyard compost settings, BUT do try to remember to remove the produce stickers first! Some companies are working on getting compostable stickers onto fruit, but for now it is safe to assume that the stickers do not break down into compost.

What materials do you wonder about?

03/08/2021

Following up on yesterday’s post about aluminum, I wanted to share a few things we can do to improve our low US aluminum recycling rate. Let’s not lose the opportunity to make the most of a material that can be recycled endlessly! ♻️

1. Recycle: So this sounds really obvious, but a lot of Americans don’t recycle. In a 2018 survey, 52% of Americans said they didn’t feel that they had access to recycling, particularly young people and low-income families. If you or someone you know finds it challenging to recycle, I would love to hear from you and help think about how the system can be improved. 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

2. Recycle properly: This means rinsing out cans and removing plastic rings or labels (note that the label needs to stay if you are redeeming the bottle deposit) before placing them in your curbside recycling bin. Tin foil should also be clean, and if you have very small pieces of foil (like Hershey kiss wrappers), combine them with other bits until you have a ball about the size of your hand to make it easier on the recycling facility to work with.

3. Encourage companies to use recycled aluminum by looking for it: We can put as much as we want into our bins, but if no one is buying the recycled aluminum to make into new products to sell, it won’t make any difference! There are probably a lot of variables that affect how much companies use recycled materials in their packaging or products, and I have to say that I don’t really understand them. I am going to start looking for recycled aluminum in stores and exploring why some of the biggest companies don’t use it more. If you know why, please share!

02/08/2021

Because materials are such a big part of the sustainability equation, I thought I would dedicate August to an exploration of several of the most common ones that we run across in daily, consumer life. So: Materials Monday!

First up is aluminum, and there is a lot to love here. First, it is light and sturdy, so it ships more easily and less energy-intensively than glass. Second, it can be recycled infinitely! Your soda can could become another can and another one relatively easily, quickly, and less energy-intensively than other materials. In some parts of the world, the recycling rate for aluminum is extremely high.

Now the bad news, the US recycling rate for aluminum containers and packaging is only 35%, and the process of mining for the bauxite ore that becomes new aluminum is very carbon-heavy and destructive.

Tomorrow I will share a part 2 with some more information about why this happens and what we can do. In the meantime, though, it’s a reminder that no matter what material we use, staying away from single-use products is always the best!

01/08/2021

We love a good pizza-movie night at my house, so I consider myself to be somewhat of a pizza expert. While the boxes are cardboard, you can’t recycle them whole because the bottoms are usually pretty greasy (yuck, but also delicious).

Technically, paper is compostable, so you could put the greasy bottom in your compost pile, but I don’t actually do this because I don’t feel that I can be certain that the boxes haven’t been treated or printed with some kind of chemical or ink that would not be good to absorb into our soil. Instead, I separate the top and put it in our curbside paper recycling bin, and I but the bottom in the trash can. I don’t like adding to the trash, but with our soil, I feel that it is better to be safe than sorry! What do you do with your used pizza boxes?

30/07/2021

It’s easy to get discouraged when you try to implement more environmentally sustainable changes in your daily life, so if you are feeling a little exhausted on this Friday, I want to encourage you. Remember: sustainability is the opposite of burnout in all forms! Also, by doing the work to understand how to reincorporate the costs to human health and the environment that are ignored by the markets, you are a pioneer!

I invite you to check out my blog post on the Green Kids Party! Medium page (medium.com/green-kids-party/blog/home) for more encouragement. You can help me get out of the rabbit hole tomorrow, OK? 😊🐰

30/07/2021

If you are feeling worn down at the end of the week, take a look at my new blog post below, and cut yourself some slack. You are doing great!

This post is about sustainable living, but it is also about being kinder to yourself in the process. Remember: sustainability is the…

29/07/2021

Isn’t it refreshing when someone tells you that you actually should do less? Well it turns out that overdoing it on lawn maintenance is hurting local wildlife. Runoff from chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides harms streams and ponds, contaminated our drinking water, and hurts pollinators. There are lots of other recommendations available at the website. I am still learning how to manage my little corner of the earth for best benefit of wildlife, but it is deeply encouraging to know that a lot of the secret lies in just doing less!

28/07/2021

I am a rookie vegetable gardener, and I love my little plants. But I have to confess that I really don’t know what I am doing. I credit the good soil, enriched with compost, with my success in growing anything. My main contribution is probably annoying the plants by chatting to them daily. 💬😒

Because of my gratitude to compost, I was thrilled to see that a bill has been introduced in the US House of Representatives by Congresswoman Julia Brownley (thank you, good people of CA’s 26th district) to officially recognize composting as an approved conservation practice, which would allow the compost industry to receive USDA conservation program funding. This makes a lot of sense considering that compost is an excellent store of carbon! Hopefully the bill will pass and provide a boost to the composting industry! Vegetable gardens everywhere will celebrate! 🥕🥦🌶🍆🍅🥬🫑🧅🎉