Hey earth muffins! I recently posted about the 5 things I am glad I did before turning 24… As my birthday month comes to a close, I thought I should write a post about celebrating a sustainable birthday. It seems that for every major holiday I share my tips with you all, and, honestly, your birthday is one of the biggest days of the year! So, it is crucial to make sure you still treat the planet right on your special day. 🎂 Here are some of my favorite tips for celebrating an awesome, zero waste birthday!
Use secondhand and/or reusable decorations.
Birthday parties create a lot of unneccesary waste. From streamers to balloons, most people toss everything into the trash after the celebration is over. But, it doesn’t have to be that way! I suggest checking your local thrift stores (and Facebook Marketplace) for secondhand birthday items. You might even find some brand new items that were extras from another party in the area! If your secondhand options are limited, be conscious about your decorations. Instead of helium balloons, purchase foil balloons. These are blown up with a straw and can be deflated and reused for years to come (peep my reusable birthday balloons (affiliate link) in the photo above!). Use streamers that can either be recycled or rolled back up after the festivities die down. Having one set of birthday items allows you to use them for other birthday celebrations too!
Request experiences or eco-friendly gifts!
If your loved ones ask for gift suggestions near your birthday, tell them that you would rather be gifted an experience instead! These are better for making memories anyway; plus, they save from having to use pesky wrapping paper. If your family or friends must get you a present, give them a list of some eco-friendly products that are on your wishlist. Also recommend that they use sustainable wrapping methods. This can be reused packing materials, reusable cloth wrapping paper, or even delivering an e-gift card. A perfect zero waste birthday tip!
Support local bakeries or bake a cake from scratch. 🥳
Having some sort of cake on your birthday is a must. Support local and buy a cake from a bakery in your area! This prevents you from buying a cake at a grocery store that is often heavily wrapped in plastic packaging. It also supports a local business during these challenging times. If you are wanting to be even more sustainable, try baking your own cake from ingredients sourced from bulk bins or eco-friendly packaging. For those who aren’t cake lovers, you can opt for cupcakes and use reusable silicone liners like the ones I recently purchased (affiliate link). Such a great way to be green in the kitchen!
Use plastic-free candles and a rechargeable USB lighter!
I recently wrote a post comparing soy and paraffin wax candles. When it comes to a birthday, you can’t have cake without singing and candles. But, many birthday candles contain paraffin wax and plastics. Probably not the best when it drips on the cake you are about to eat! To make your zero waste birthday extra special, buy some plastic-free and/or soy wax candles for your tasty cake. And, use a rechargeable USB lighter (like one from the USB Lighter Company) to light them up. These lighters are awesome because they can never run out of lighter fluid! 🎉
Conclusion
There are so many ways to make your birthday awesome AND sustainable. I personally think thrifting decorations is my favorite tip because you can find so many funky things secondhand. This is perfect for themed parties too once Mister Corona decides to leave us all alone! Instead of wrapped gifts, opt for experiences or e-gift cards. Support local and use eco-friendly candles/a lighter when it comes to your birthday cake. As long as you are thinking about how your birthday is impacting Mother Earth (and then acting in an eco-friendly way), your birthday is going to amazing! 🥳
Love,
Jenna ♥
