from Natural Life Magazine
March/April 2007
Greening The Easter Bunny
by Wendy Priesnitz
 Easter is the most important
religious feast of the Christian year. But as with many other
Christian events, the celebration of Easter extends beyond the
church. Ancient civilizations celebrated Spring by feasting with
family and friends, and pagan fertility traditions and symbols have,
over the centuries, become part of Easter celebrations. However, for
many people today, it is just another commercial opportunity,
benefiting greeting card and candy manufacturers. Unfortunately,
most families’ Easter celebrations are also orgies of excess
packaging and unhealthy eating, tempting some to try to ignore it
altogether. But the season is fun for many children and invites
those of us in the northern hemisphere to be optimistic about life
and renewal, a sentiment that is much needed these days. In that
spirit, here are some thoughts about creating a greener, healthier
and more meaningful Easter, whether or not you celebrate the
religious aspect of the occasion.
Eggs have been symbols of Spring for perhaps as long
as our civilization has been around. Ancient Romans
and Greeks used eggs as symbols of fertility, rebirth and abundance.
Eggs were also solar symbols and played a part in the festivals of
various resurrected gods. The tradition of giving a chocolate egg to
mark the end of Lent dates back to at least the 19th century. Giving
candy eggs at Easter might seem like a harmless extension of that
tradition, but it’s one that can harm the health of both children
and the environment.
“I suspect the Easter Bunny
would run off like a scared rabbit if he knew the truth about most Easter
baskets! The jelly beans alone may contain more chemicals than you’ll find under
your kitchen sink!” ~ Jane Hersey, Feingold Association
Some FDA-approved
food dyes are made from coal tar and other petroleum products, so
they’re not necessarily healthy or eco-friendly. According to Jane
Hersey, Director of the Feingold Association, Easter candies can
contain sodium Hexametaphosphate, Malic Acid, Blue 1, Mineral Oil,
PGPR, Red 40, Magnesium Stearate, Yellow 5, Sorbitan Mono-stearate,
Blue 2, Polysorbate 60, Invertase, Yellow 6. Studies have shown that
synthetic food dyes, artificial flavoring, and certain preservatives
found in many candies and processed foods can trigger hyperactivity
and attention problems in sensitive children. So read labels and buy
natural jelly beans, Free Trade organic chocolates and other candies
at natural food markets. Also beware those waxy chocolate eggs and
bunnies because the coating is not something you want your kids to
consume.Hersey also suggests feeding your children breakfast before
letting them indulge in Easter candy, in order to reduce the amount of sugar
they eat. And replace some candy with dried pineapples, figs or dates, which are
much more nourishing.·You could also put a toy or stuffed bunny or chick in the
Easter basket to help take the emphasis off sweets.
Dyeing your own real eggs can be a healthier substitute for
candy (and means you don't have to lie to your kids about an anthropomorphized
rabbit hopping into your house overnight!). But beware of the dyes that you use.
Most egg dye kits are labeled as non-toxic, but that doesn’t mean they are free
of harmful ingredients. Look for plant-based dyes instead. The most enjoyable
and educational solution is to create your own natural dyes by experimenting
with foods like spinach, orange peel and red cabbage (which produces a blue
coloring, not red). To create a colored design on an egg using yellow onion
skins, wrap the dry outer skins around a raw egg and hold them in place with a
rubber band. Hard boil the egg, unwrap it and you’ll have a lovely random design
and rich orange/gold color on your egg. For a lovely pink egg, soak a hard
boiled egg overnight in beet juice.
The baskets that traditionally carry all those eggs can be
problematic too, all too often finding their way into the trash a few days after
Easter. Look for alternative containers like small plastic wagons, dump trucks,
book bags, toy carrying cases and other things that can have a second life after
Easter. Small laundry baskets, recycling containers or wastebaskets can be
decorated with stickers, markers, ribbon, fabric strips or raffia. And skip the
petroleum-based plastic “grass” in favor of natural products like sprouted wheat
grass or raffia, or recycled products like paper from your shredder.
Older children might enjoy foregoing the eggs and fuzzy stuffed
chicks altogether in favor of a plant pot, some heirloom seeds and soil so they
can grow their own herbs or small veggies.
The deliverer of the candy-laden Easter basket is traditionally
the Easter Bunny. That tradition probably dates back to second century Europe,
where the Saxon fertility goddess Eastre had the hare as her sacred animal.
However, unless you live on a farm, you should probably avoid the temptation to
bring home a live bunny. In the months following Easter, local humane societies
and animal rescue organizations are flooded with Easter gifts whose recipients
were ill-prepared to look after them and have tired of the novelty. The unlucky
ones are dumped outside where predators, cars, illness and injury virtually
guarantee an early death. Ditto for ducklings and chicks as gifts, which are
cute and fuzzy, but not kid-friendly pets, and which also are abandoned by the
thousands every Spring.
As with all traditional holidays, members of your extended
family might not be in agreement with your desire for a healthy, eco-Easter.
Nevertheless, don’t be afraid to share your concerns about too much chocolate,
candy dyes or excess packaging with close relatives and friends. Give them some
alternative suggestions. Or ask them to join in some fun activities, like
experimenting with natural dyes on a few dozen hard-boiled eggs or participating
in an Easter Egg hunt. Or hold a recycled Easter bonnet parade with everyone
crafting a unique piece of headgear out of scrap materials.
Or plant some trees. Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari
Maathai has called on people around the world to plant trees at Easter as a
symbol of renewal and to protect the planet. “If it was a worldwide campaign it
would be wonderful; you can imagine the millions of trees that would be
planted,” Maathai said when she received the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai, a
Christian who has led plantings of 30 million trees across Africa to combat
deforestation, thinks that an annual tree-planting drive could symbolize revival
for all peoples. Easter is a good time, she says, because Christians believe
that Christ was crucified on a wooden cross, which must have necessitated the
felling of a tree.
One family we know stages a family Spring cleaning event on
Easter weekend. They think up the chores at a family meeting and then write them
on pieces of paper and put them into a big jar. Each person takes a slip of
paper and runs off to complete the chosen task within a certain time limit. When
their chore is completed, they take a Fair Trade chocolate egg from a second
jar. With some energizing music on the stereo and everybody sharing the work,
the cleaning is accomplished in a short period of time, often accompanied by
lots of hugs and laughter.
Lastly, preparing and sharing healthy food is a great way to
celebrate any occasion, especially the beginning of the growing season. Host a
potluck with a theme, such as only local food, or one that puts you in touch
with people in the developing world by using cookbooks like the Mennonite More-With-Less Cookbook.
However you celebrate, have a Green Spring!
Wendy Priesnitz is a journalist with over 30 years
experience, the parent of two daughters, and the author of nine
books. Read her blog.
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