Animal- and Eco-Friendly Celebrations

Weddings

Birthday Parties

Family Reunions

Balancing the desire for fun at parties and keeping the local environment safe takes a bit of doing, but it’s worth the effort!

No matter what the occasion—wedding, birthday, family reunion—use it as an opportunity to celebrate the natural world too. Making celebrations animal- and eco-friendly brings us pleasure as well as peace of mind. It’s possible to have the most fun while doing the least harm to the natural world.

Weddings

Weddings remind us of new beginnings, selfless affection, and unconditional love. What better opportunity to spread an animal- and eco-friendly message to your family and friends? There are several factors to consider when planning a wedding, regardless of whether it will be an indoor or outdoor service and reception.

Animals

Please don’t include live wild animals in your festivities. Having boxes of butterflies ready for release is inhumane to them and often upsetting to your guests. Many of these creatures die before they are released—imagine your guests’ reactions when they open the box only to find dead butterflies. The same is true for doves. Keeping boxes filled with doves is inhumane to the birds. Once released, they are often disoriented and may fly straight into buildings or other structures only to be killed.   

Displaying live animals such as swans is also equally as inhumane. Although swans may represent love, these animals are most likely not in their native environment and may become disoriented by the noise, the presence of people, and the unnatural setting. As a result, they may not display love but aggression instead.

Rice and Confetti

Often, as the bride and groom leave the wedding ceremony, guests will celebrate them under a shower of confetti or rice. A warning: If native birds eat the rice, they will die. It expands in their stomachs and causes agonizing deaths. Also, confetti often bleeds color over the surfaces where it lands. Consider instead having guests blow bubbles or throw birdseed. These alternatives are just as romantic without the negative impact on animals and the environment.

Gift Suggestions—For You, For the Guests                                                     Back to Top

Now that you’ve considered ways to help animals and the environment remain healthy and alive, consider having donations to animal-friendly charities made in your name rather registering your pattern at a local emporium. Tax-deductible donations to your favorite animal or environmental charity will have a far-reaching impact. After all, just how many toasters can you have? Sending this humane message to friends and relatives may also encourage them to adopt similar principles!

What to leave at each guest’s place setting as a favor…Jordan almonds? These are overdone and boring! Use wedding favors as another opportunity to spread a humane message to your guests. Making seed packets is fun and easy—especially if you recruit the help of your wedding party. Include seeds that are native to your environment that guests can bring home and plant in their own gardens. When the flowers bloom, they will think of you!

Wedding Attire and Invitations

You can plan an animal- and eco-friendly wedding right from the start. Rather than purchase a new wedding gown, go for a classic vintage gown. Some of these dresses are very beautiful, and you will have the comfort of knowing you haven’t contributed to animal- or human-maltreatment with your purchase. Plus, it’ll be cheaper than a brand new gown! Your wedding party can also benefit from your decision if you look for vintage clothing for them as well.

Invitations

Something else to consider right from the start of your wedding planning is invitations. Use invitations made on recycled paper. There’s no reason not to! Recycled paper invitations are every bit as beautiful as non-recycled paper invitations, and you will be helping the environment by not contributing to deforestation and pollution. You might also consider paperless invitations. E-mail, although not the norm for formal invitations, might set the right tone for an informal wedding celebration.

Food

Choose a vegetarian menu for your reception! Your vegetarian friends will thank you, and you’ll be contributing to a cruelty-free meal. Who knows, your delicious wedding food may inspire a friend or relative to go vegetarian! Added bonus: vegetarian meals are usually cheaper than meat meals and just as easy to prepare.

Birthday Parties                                                                                           Back to Top

Birthday parties are all about making memories, especially childhood birthday parties. But, just because little Jackie asks for a monkey at his party doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to “rent” one for the afternoon. Animals used for entertainment are rarely treated with the respect and care they deserve.

Wild animals specifically, including monkeys and large reptiles, are kept in cages the entirety of their lives—or at least until their performing days are done. These animals have not been fully domesticated and still have a level of uncertain behavior. They’ve been taken out of their environments and dropped into unfamiliar worlds where they are lost and frightened.

People who claim to have tamed these animals for use in children’s birthday parties can never fully be sure they’ve eliminated every wild instinct these animals possess, especially when these creatures are mistreated. Beating, shocking, and starving these animals only contributes to their uncertain dispositions.

Using live animal entertainment puts children at risk and supports the cruel industry that forces these animals to breed so that more animals can enter this type of work. These animals have no choice—you do. You can, instead, choose other party activities that do not harm innocent animals: moon bounces, clowns, face painting… Please, don’t contribute to animal cruelty by bringing live animals to the party.

Family Reunions                                                                                         Back to Top

Family reunions are a great time to visit new places, eat new foods, and enjoy new scenery. Often these reunions are large enough to require a special location such as a hotel, resort, or park. Consider choosing locations that support the environment and that are gentle on the surrounding wildlife.

In the Park

Reunions at parks require a lot of advanced planning. Be sure to research what is and is not permitted in that area. For example, there may be prohibitions on open fires, cooking of any kind, or bringing breakable items. There is a reason for these prohibitions: They ensure a safe and healthy environment for the animals who live in the surrounding area.

While you are picnicking, make sure you contain your trash. Wild animals will be very interested in it! Some trash can seriously injure or kill animals—those plastic rings from six-packs can strangle wildlife; metal tabs from soda cans can cut paws and if swallowed, cut throats. If you leave food out, the bears, ants, and bees will find it. Treat the outdoors with as much care as you treat your own home. Try not to disturb nests, burrows, or other wildlife homes, and don’t pick flowers or disturb the flora in any way. Also, make sure you separate your trash so you can recycle as much as possible. There might even be receptacles you can use at the site for such a purpose.

Leave No Trace

If you bring your own grill for cooking, make sure that it isn’t harmful to the environment. Gasoline spills can seep into the ground and pollute not only the soil but ground water as well. Be a gentle, caring steward of the land. You are bringing a group of people to an outdoor setting who may not have much experience in outdoor living. Educate them on the do’s and don’ts. Your reunion will be far more enjoyable with fewer insect bites, cuts, and injuries.

An animal- and eco-friendly reunion involves not just seeing Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Jesse under the great canopy of mother earth. It involves treating that canopy with care and respect. Leave the area better than you found it. If other party goers left trash, pick it up along with yours. The lighter our footprint when we leave the great outdoors, the better wildlife can live their lives in safety and peace.   

Note: There are destination locations that you should avoid altogether, namely, those that involve animals as entertainment, such as petting zoos, rodeos, and circuses. These forms of “entertainment” exploit the animals who often travel long distances to perform, live in substandard conditions, and are brutally trained to perform unnatural acts for your enjoyment. What kind of enjoyment can you have if they are suffering?

There are numerous other celebrations—graduations, anniversaries, business celebrations, rites of passage, etc. Remember that you are celebrating life, love, and prosperity at these events. Include the local ecosystems in your celebration by keeping it free from harm.

Updated March 2009                                                                                     Back to Top

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