How to take the trash out of Easter
Easter is just around the corner, although I'm fairly certain the chocolate eggs and hot cross buns flooded the supermarket shelves as soon as the Christmas detritus was packed away..It gets earlier and earlier every year, am I right!?
Easter can mean a lot of extra trash, but I have some super simple ways you can make your Easter more sustainable this year.. and NO, it doesn't involve painting chicken eggs with plant dyes.. although power to you if that's your kinda thing. I on the other hand, am all about the chocolate, if you are too - read on!
- Watch out for Palm Oil: Help South East Asian rainforests and the species that inhabit them (like Orang-utans) by choosing palm oil free chocolate. Its a complex subject, but the extraction of palm oil requires mass destruction of eco-systems. Remember a while back when Cadbury's switched to Palm oil - yuck! it tasted bad, the mouth feel is horrid and its just bad all round - sales plummeted, and they had to change. The Auckland Zoo has an awesome guide here so you know what easters eggs are palm oil free.
- Choose Fair Trade Chocolate: If your budget allows, choose fair trade certified chocolate. This ensures better pay and conditions for cocoa farmers worldwide. Brands such as Trade Aid, Loving Earth, Bennetto, Pana Organic, or Wellington Chocolate Factory, to name a few..
- Choose treats that aren't packaged in plastic: Opt for coloured foil wrappers instead, this can be scrunched in to a big ball and put in your recycling. Don't have enough to make a big ball? Pop it inside an aluminium can in your recycling. Avoid individually wrapped treats, as the plastic waste is always excessive.
- Only buy what you need: Chocolate is a treat after all, don't go overboard. Buy what will be eaten and enjoy a lovely home cooked meal with your family to balance out all that chocolate. Easter egg hunts are a great way to get the kids running around for their treats, and pretty coloured foil eggs and bunny are great for hiding around the garden.
