5 Quick Ways to Green Your Mother’s Day

by Milena Viljoen

Celebrate mom and Mother Earth this May. Here are a few quick tips on how to make your Mother's Day a bit more sustainable:

1. Make your own recycled greeting cards. All you need are craft materials and an open mind. From writing your own poem, to cutting out a simple heart, a homemade card is much more special than a preprinted one - it's from the heart! If you've got kids, making Mother's day cards for Grandma can be a fun way to occupy an afternoon. Green Living Ideas has great ideas for "planet approved Mother's Day cards". You can even save paper, postage, and airmail carbon emissions by making your own e-greeting card.

2. Buy seasonal flowers from local nurseries. Seasonal flowers require fewer resources to produce, and will likely save you money, too! Buying local means flowers take a shorter trip from the nursery to your door, which means fewer travel-related carbon emissions. If Mom's got a green thumb, consider skipping the flowers and buying a native plant - they can be just as pretty, and last for years.

3. Give an e-certificate. Not only do electronic gift certificates reduce the pollution involved in air-mailing a card or gift, they are also delivered instantly and offer the recipient a chance to choose something they'll really use. These days, most on-line retailers offer e-certificates.

4. Wrap your gift in repurposed paper. Turn a paper grocery bag inside out and add a raffia bow for a country flair. You can also repurpose magazines and newspapers. Have an intellectual mom? Try the New York Times or Harper's Weekly. For a fun-loving mom, you can use the funnies. For a more traditional but still sustainable look, check out Green Field Paper Company's recycled gift wrap.

5. Opt for an eco-friendly restaurant. If you're taking Mom out for a night on the town, consider visiting a restaurant that caters to the sustainable lifestyle. Many eateries offer organic entrees and vegetarian options. Feeling even more daring? Try a vegan or raw food restaurant. Online databases for sustainable, organic, vegetarian, and raw foods restaurants include the Certified Green Restaurant Guide, the Green Restaurant Association and rawfoodinfo.com.

Do you have more ideas on how to have a green Mother's Day? Share your thoughts!