Easter is around the corner, but did you ever wonder if celebrating it could have an environmental impact? Fear no more! Mattanja gives us 5 tips on how to celebrate this weekend sustainably, including how to veganize it. Click on the links embedded for some great resources and delicious recipes!

Even though the weather of the past days does not seem to take notice of the change of season, spring has arrived! And the arrival of spring naturally involves hay fever, terraces stuffed with people who are trying to catch as much sunlight as possible, and, last but not least, Easter. It is the holiday that we associate with the end of winter, and the blossoming of fresh flowers. Next to its religious origin, Easter is a holiday that has come to involve numerous other traditions. Some people might value these traditions more than others, and while it is a celebration, there are ways to make these festivities more sustainable. We want to share some tips with you to achieve this!

Choosing the eggs

There are more sustainable options if you regard eggs as indispensable to your brunch. Eggs come in many variants and prices and the more sustainable choice is to buy organic eggs. The word ‘sustainable’ can be interpreted freely here: nutritional values in organic eggs are higher and the chickens live under better conditions. Sustainability is a wider concept so to speak. Seek for the ‘beter leven’ sticker on egg containers, or better still, buy them (package free!) from your local farmer or at the market. You can also skip the eggs altogether, but I will come back to that later.

Check the picture below to see how the egg numbering system works ↓
(0: organic, 1: chickens that are kept outside, 2: free-range, 3: colony chickens)

Dyeing to decorate some Easter eggs?

But what to do with those organic eggs? There is of course the tradition of the egg hunt, which is preceded by the dyeing of the eggs. A sustainable choice would be to choose natural dyes, that are for example derived from fruits, vegetables, and spices: think for example beetroot, strawberries, and carrots. Once you have decorated the eggs and declared yourself the new Kandinsky, it is time for the egg hunt. Some advice that I can give you in this festivity, is to write down or take photos of where the eggs are hidden, especially when your garden is more than a few square meters of pavement and some flowerpots. Because if you’re like me, and your memory fails you every now and then, those eggs that you hid so very well might get lost. This is a waste of time, eggs, and effort. By noting down where you have placed all your eggs, none will be forgotten.

Get creative

Foods are at the center of any holiday, and the egg takes this spotlight for Easter. A traditional Easter breakfast/brunch will therefore naturally include eggs. Leftover eggs might be difficult to repurpose. But with some creativity, you will get very far. For example, did you know that you can make chocolate chip cookies with leftover hard-boiled eggs? There are many more recipes that will save your leftover eggs, and thereby contribute to the reduction of your food waste. 

Make it vegan!

First of all, eggs seem to be the center of Easter festivities. If you were also wondering why that is, eggs are the symbol of eternity, resurrection, and fertility.  And for that reason, they have been connected to Easter. However, that does not mean that you can’t transform your egg-centered brunch into a vegan one. There are various ways to veganize your eggs, for example by scrambling tofu. Find more interesting recipes for vegan eggs here.

And for the sweet tooth…

Chocolate eggs are the delicious treats that accompany the holiday. To make your chocolate egg choice more sustainable, you can choose fair-trade chocolate: again, ‘sustainable’ in the broader sense. Vegan chocolate eggs are also widely available (see the vegan Allerhande, in Dutch). Moreover, you could try and find locally produced chocolate, for example in bonbon stores and bakeries. 

We can only hope that Easter will come with more sun and less rain. And if not, at least now you have some guidelines on how to make your Easter a little more sustainable. And after all, that is worth some sunshine too!

Hi! My name is Mattanja, I am a third-year Dutch student of the Art History Ba. I try to live as much of a waste-free, sustainable lifestyle as possible, and through my love of writing, I aim to share this lifestyle with others!