Babies, birthdays and weddings: top green tips

by Tamsin McCahill on 02.04.08

We all want to be greener, but sometimes life gets in the way of all our good intentions. Take getting married, for instance. While you may normally recycle all your back issues of Grazia, your quest for the perfect day could push eco-commitments out of your mind faster than you can say “are these sugared almonds Fairtrade?”

But the only way we‘re really going to make a difference is to make changes to the way we live – all of it - and that’s got to include the big life decisions and celebrations, as well as the washing up and the drive to work.

With that in mind, we’ve had a look at three demanding situations and come up with some top green tips for dealing with them.

1. It’s your sister’s birthday
You may have loved the novelty slippers and matching dressing gown you got her last year – but have you actually seen her wear them? Top of the list of our green tips is that gifts that just get chucked in the bin the moment your back’s turned (or, for that matter, moulder away in a cupboard before being thrown) are, frankly, rubbish.

The great green website Treehugger.com suggests you should only give material possessions if you’re sure it’s what the recipient wants. That’s why consumable gifts like organic teas or Fairtrade chocolate are always a good bet – they’re unlikely to sit unused in a cupboard making her feel guilty.

If you think a belt or a hat is in order, why not boycott the big high street stores and go to a local craft fair instead? She’ll get something unique, and you’ll know your item hasn’t been made by a nimble-fingered eight-year-old in a sweatshop then flown half-way around the world.

Then there’s packaging. Buying gift wrap which will only get torn to shreds in seconds is as green as filling a bath to wash a pair of socks. Next on our list of green tips is recycling. So why not make your own out of all those Grazias?

If you want to be really militant about green gift-giving, you could buy her some energy-saving light bulbs or a kitchen composting bin. On the other hand, if you want her to carry on speaking to you, what about giving something you don’t need to buy or wrap – like your time? You could offer to babysit while she goes out on a date with her partner, or secretly arrange to decorate a room in her house that you know she’s always hated.

More eco gift websites:
Feeling the need to pig-out? Give a pair of piglets to someone in the developing world on her behalf, via World Gifts.

Eco Outlet delivers ethical gifts to your door, such as attractive energy-saving lamps and rechargeable radios.

Want to get her a beautiful bouquet? Go organic with The Organic Flower Company, rated top online florist by Ethical Consumer Magazine.

Help her grow her own kitchen garden with a voucher from Rocket Gardens.

2. You’re arranging the wedding of the century
It may be the most important day of your life, but with guests flying in from all over the world and a brand new silk dress you only wear once, it could leave behind a footprint bigger than Krusty the Clown’s. Not the greenest way to start your married life together.

But there are ways to have wedding with a conscience, without compromising on style.  Take the dress, for example. The first of our green tips for weddings involves recycling again. Either choose a simple gown you can dye and wear again, or trawl your local retro shops to find a fabulous vintage number (unless your mum or gran still has theirs, of course). Even better, Ethical Weddings has a list of charity shops with a dedicated wedding dress section so you can recycle, save money and give to charity in one go.

When it comes to your invites, use recycled paper. The latest craze in the US is to write invitations on botanical paper which is embedded seeds, so that guests can plant them rather than throwing them away. Rather than including directions and an accommodation list, why not point your guests in the direction of a wedding website or blog instead? A lot cheaper for you, and much easier on the planet.

Then there’s the venue. If most of your guests are from the same part of the country, it makes sense to find a location near there. Think about having the ceremony and reception in the same place, or at least put on a coach so that guests don’t have to drive their cars between the two. Then once you’ve found your dream location, ask what they’re doing to conserve energy and water? Make sure they recycle all those Champagne bottles, and ask your caterers to donate leftover food to charity rather than throwing it out.

More eco wedding websites
There are plenty of sites out there with more green tips for planning your wedding. Want to source a seasonal, locally-sourced wedding breakfast or a ‘carbon neutral’ honeymoon? Eco Moon is a UK eco-friendly wedding planner who can help you get the green day you’ve always dreamed of.

Environmentally-friendly printers for your wedding stationery.

More wedding green tips at Great Green Wedding.com.

3. You’re having a baby
They can get through mountains of disposable nappies, they have a penchant for plastic toys and you can use up gallons of petrol in the car ferrying them around: so it’s no wonder that some people believe having a baby can be bad for the environment.

But come on - green parenthood is no longer the preserve of those wearing kaftans and vegan shoes, and there are green kids out there with names other than ‘Sunshine’ and ‘Moon Unit’ (fab though those names are).

First on the green tips list for new parents: just keep in mind that as first-time parents you’re an advertiser’s dream, and it’s all too easy to get carried away with buying brand new items for your precious first-born. But as those at Baby Centre know, the mantra of the ecologically aware is: repair, re-use, recycle – and this should apply to the things you buy for your baby.

The big trick, passed down through generations before ‘green’ was ever considered: borrow as much as possible from other people. Not only will it save you money, it’s a great option if your home is small because you can give everything back. Baby clothes are also great to get second-hand, because their occupants grow so fast that they’re often hardly worn. Baby Centre has a great article on buying second-hand kit.

Your next opportunity to be a greener parent comes when decorating the nursery. Use organic compound paints and when it comes to furniture choose real wood in natural finishes.

It’s been estimated that it takes two trees a year to keep a baby in disposable nappies – and hundreds of years for them to break down in landfill sites. A recent study concluded that they make up an astonishing 2.6% of household waste.

Luckily, reusable nappies have come a long way since the terry towelling numbers our parents used, and they can save you about £600 in total. The market leader is a brand called Bambino Mio, but there are others available. This year, Real Nappy Week runs from 21-27 April.

When it comes to feeding, breast is best for baby and the environment. There’s no pollution or packaging created by formula factories and nothing needs to be shipped around the world. If that’s what you’re planning to do, but you’re not finding it as easy as you expected, help is out there. The National Childbirth Trust has its own breastfeeding helpline on 0870 444 8708 and there’s a wealth of information on the NHS website.

More green parenting websites
For lots more green tips for parents, check out EcoFriendlyKids.co.uk.

Even if you go for disposable nappies, why not ditch the expensive and polluting baby wipes and go for washable soft cloths and liquid soap instead? They can all be found on Babykind.

From paper plates to plastic toys, children’s birthday parties can be an environmental disaster. For tips on how to have a greener party, see this eco blog.

IMAGES by Flickr users Soctech, Rissy.Janee, australian_overanalyzer, Steve Batch, Foxtongue, tanakwho, marcuzzo, jessicafm, asterion1