Who doesn’t love a Birthday Party?

How do you keep birthdays green without being that obnoxious sustaian-a-Mom that everyone rolls their eyes at?

1. Invitations. Keep them digital. No one wants another piece of paper. Most of the moms in my neighborhood use evite, it’s good and reliable and you can even add potluck, carpool and end times to the evite.

2. Decorations cut down on the paper items and invest in a few pieces that will be appropriate every year. How about a fabric Happy Birthday Banner that will be festive, and build tradition.

If you’re crafty, you could probably make this yourself, but if you’re me, $38 is a bargain.

3. Cake. Kids love to bake cakes, but until they’re reading and understanding fractions a little bit, three steps is about all they can handle. Pick up a copy of the Joy of Cooking and mix all the dry ingredients ahead of time, that can be your cake mix, and your kids can bake their own cake, using all organic ingredients.

4. Party Favors. You could buck the trend and not offer party favors to your guests, but I’m afraid that the storming of the Bastille would be nothing compared to a group of slighted four year olds. The best party favors my kids have given/gotten include:

• water bottles with their names on them (Sharpie)
• Tee Shirts with the birthday child’s name on them (friends own the tee company)
• plain white tees that they decorate at the party
• Art/craft project done at the party
• Handball from the grocery store (approximately $2 each)

5. Thank you notes: This is a case of knowing your audience. The other moms might be delighted by a photo of your child opening their gift (and smiling) in their email inbox, but some people really need the written thank you note. At a minimum opt for recycled paper whenever you can.

Jessica Gottlieb is a freelance writer in Los Angeles.

[This post was written by Jessica Gottlieb.]