Planet-friendly parties

Gone are the days when you could be thankful for the advent of disposable plates, forks and hats without giving a second thought to the garbage bags you’d fill after the party. Soothe your environmental guilt with these tips.

invites Save a tree by sending out e-mail invitations. If your heart is set on paper keepsakes, try printing a DIY design at home on recycled stock. For inspiration, check out the adorable invites made exclusively for us by Little Star Soup.

decor Skip balloons and streamers, and opt for reusable decorations, like a happy birthday banner you fashion from an old sheet and nontoxic paints.

dishware Instead of paper products, buy reusable plastic dishes and cups from Take & Toss or reSposables; plates made from renewable resources like bamboo and biodegradable flatware are sold at Worldcentric.org/store. If you must use disposable, try items made from recycled materials.

cake Choose a bakery that avoids refined sugar (babycakesnyc.com), or go for treats from an “eco-bakery” (birdbathbakery.com). Top your cake with beeswax candles made from sustainable resources (bigdipperwaxworks.com).

presents and wrappings Give a gift that doesn’t need to be wrapped—a membership to a museum or the World Wildlife Foundation, or tickets to a performance. When wrapping is required, use newspaper, repurposed subway and topographical maps (forestsaver.com), or kids’ drawings.

favors Pass on gently used books, or buy nontoxic beeswax crayons or fair-trade finger puppets (lucuma.com). Or give each child a mini terra-cotta flower pot (patriciaspots.com) and a packet of seeds (johnnyseeds.com).