"Green" Easter

How do you celebrate Easter? At our house, it's a time to enjoy the rebirth of Nature, the renewal of our spirits, and the  arrival of a long-anticipated Spring. We try hard not to get caught up in the commercialization of this holiday and don't go overboard making big flashy Easter baskets or buying lots of junk. This year, I'm getting new ideas for Easter decorations and treats from my green sister bloggers, who offer a wide variety of thoughtful ways to put the eco back into Easter.

Lisa at Retro Housewife Goes Green suggests several natural alternatives to conventional egg dying - including using red cabbage and onions, and dying ceramic eggs for veganistas.

Kristina at the Greening of Westford offers a very useful, step-by-step guide for dying eggs using spinach, blueberries, coffee and chili powder. One smart suggestion: make the dyes early in the morning or even the day before. Another, especially for someone like me who is somewhat artistically challenged: wrap rubber bands around the eggs to make stripes and other designs on the eggs when you dye them.

 If you don't want to deal with dying eggs at all, how about covering them? Lisa at Condo Blues uses Japanese Washi paper to cover her eggs, something I think I'll try this year after seeing a picture of how Lisa's eggs turned out (photo left)

Ronnie at Eco Nesting has done something similar with beautiful old silk ties her father-in-law gave her. I never would have thought to use fabric like that, but it makes perfect sense!

If you prefer to give your kids small gifts rather than baskets filled with candy, Lisa at Retro Housewife Goes Green offers a few suggestions here.

Speaking of candy alternatives, check out Trina's post at O'BoyOrganic. She and her husband put together Easter baskets full of toys and books that their boys can play with over and over.

Amanda of The EcoFriendly Family also suggests looking outside the candy aisle for items to tuck into an Easter basket, like natural bubble bath and beeswax crayons.