Associate kids' parties with disposable hats and balloons?

03.12.2009

The Bite:
Make the connection with low-waste tableware, decorations, and other party flair. They'll keep things feeling festive and cut back on the flow of resources like oil, trees, and so on...

The Benefits: 
  • Saving planet resources - period. Manufacturing new paper and plastic plates, hats, and utensils eats up a lotta water, energy, and other resources.
  • Keeping landfills free(form). Most foam cups and plastic tablecloths will never break down completely. Our picks are compostable, recyclable, and/or reusable.
  • Not interrupting our coastlines. Balloons make up 7% of trash on our nation's beaches - if you gotta have 'em, ditch the Mylar ones and go for latex, which breaks down faster.
  • Linking to safety. Our recycled and recyclable plastic options are free of hormone-disrupting BPA.
Personally Speaking: 
Every year on his birthday, Elijah Goldberg, five, of Short Hills, NJ, wears the same paper party hat, which is miraculously still intact since his mom carefully stows it away for all family birthdays. Everyone wears it - even the dog.


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Wanna Try: 
Tableware
  • Kids Konserve Party Pak - plates, cups, and utensils for 25 young revelers; dishwasher safe; made from recycled #5 plastic yogurt cups, BPA-free, and recyclable ($55; see Cash Saver).
  • Preserve Tableware Pack - recycled #5 plastic plate and cutlery set for eight, available in four colors; dishwasher safe, BPA-free, and recyclable ($16).
  • Compostable Cornware Tableware - biodegradable, compostable cornstarch cups, plates, and bowls in three bright colors; comes in sets of six ($4-$6).

Decorations
  • Cloth Birthday Banners - hand-crafted, cotton and felt birthday banners that you can reuse year after year; also table runners ($25-$35; see tomorrow's Cash Saver).
  • Felt Party Hats - colorful, reusable felt hats and crowns in polka-dot, stripe, animal, pirate, and princess designs ($6-$7; see Cash Saver).
  • Recycled Paper Garland - reusable garland made from partially recycled paper; in four colors; also biodegradable crepe streamers ($3-$4; see Cash Saver).
Cash Saver: 
  • Enter code idealpp at checkout when you order Kids Konserve party packs and get 10% off through April 30, 2009.
  • Enter code BITE15 at checkout when you order hats, streamers, and more at Green Party Goods and get 15% off.

Timeout

Elijah at his most recent birthday party.

Bang For The Bite

If 10,000 Mama Biters opt for a reuseable birthday banner instead of a disposable one, we'll keep 60,000 feet of plastic out of landfills.

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Saving planet resources - period. Manufacturing new paper and plastic plates, hats, and utensils eats up a lotta water, energy, and other resources. free games

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