Remember birthday parties when you were a kid? Do you also remember all the bags of trash your dad carried out to the curb that evening? How about all the toys you never played with? Or all those cheap party favors and decorations that soon ended up broken and in the trash?

For our own kids, we can do better!

First off, find out what your kid really wants (and what you think he will play with!) and tell people if they ask. Don’t let her ask for the cool toy—she can borrow that from her friends (they’ll all have it!) And make sure your child knows that love is not measured in money or stuff.

Whew!

Now comes the easy part: The Party.

Invitations can be 100% recycled, charity, or both. Green Field Paper Co. has recycled and tree-free cards, as well as “Grow-a-Note” cards that have seeds embedded in them: you plant the initiation and it grows flowers! M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Children’s Art Project has cards designed by children cancer patients. All the proceeds go back into the program. Use one of their note cards for a unique invitation.

Party themes can be eco-friendly. Progressive Kid has several “Party in a Box” options to choose from, including “Ocean Steward” and “Music Party.” The boxes are inexpensive ($6), so get one and build your party around it. Or buy one for each child and the party is planned, bought, and done! Proceeds from some of these go to different charities.

Decorations should be reuseable. Buy a birthday flag to hang up outside instead of balloons. Get a table cloth to use at every birthday party. Your kids will cherish the memory of the “birthday table.” Do not use disposable plates! Or if you do, use recycled paper plates and compost them after the party. Hang up a retro and reuseable “Pin-the-tail” donkey in a prominent spot: if that doesn’t say birthday party, what does?

Food can be healthy and still a treat. Organic is better for the kids and the environment. Snacks like cheese cubes, fresh fruit, raisins, and graham crackers will be gobbled up as quickly as chips and cookies. And always remember when selecting snacks: less packaging=less waste=more healthy(fresh)!

Goodie bags are usually an environmental crime: plastic bags (suffocation hazards for your kids and wildlife, too) filled with cheap little plastic “toys” (choking hazards, easily broken and soon tossed in the landfill, made in China by child labor) and chocolate (too much sugar and caffeine, made by exploiting poor families.) What a waste! Have your child decorate brown paper (recycled) lunch sacks. Fill them up together with art supplies , stickers, and a small wooden toy or kite. Magic Cabin has some great little wooden toys, kites, and party favors. Or how about environmentally friendly crayons like Prang’s soybean crayons or Stockmar’s beeswax crayons (available at Nuno Organic or Hazel Nut Kids.))

There’s no reason that your child’s party has to be an environmental disaster! You can have the coolest birthday party on the block and still be responsible!

For more ideas, see also Eco Friendly Birthday Party by Nature Moms.