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How to have an Ethical Easter

                                  

I recently joined a social justice group at my church, and it's been a real eye-opener as to how much injustice there is in the world. Over the lent period, we've been looking at International Justice Mission's  lent videos, in which every week they focus on a different food product that slavery is a problem in. After this week's video on chocolate, it inspired me to share some of the tips to have your own Ethical Easter...

1. Choose ethical chocolate brands

If you haven't already bought your Easter eggs, then 2021 is the perfect year to spend some time seeking out the impact unfairly traded chocolate has on the growers and workers. IJM's video on chocolate was a real eye-opener for me, and it led me to get my family's Easter presents from Tony's Chocolonely this year. 

If you've already bought this year's Easter presents, then don't worry! Make it your mission to look into the companies you bought from and see whether they are doing anything to combat modern slavery and reduce their environmental impact. Are they Fairtrade? Is there any plastic packaging? Is it vegan?- questions like these are all good places to start. If you feel like the brands could be doing more, why not contact them to see what you can find out.

For next year, here's a few of my favourite brands to look out for:

  • Tony's Chocolonely
  • Doisy & Dam
  • Divine
  • Seed & Bean
Photo by Aaron Burden (via unsplash)

2. Zero waste ideas

If you fancy having a go at making some Easter treats or decorations from scratch this year, then this you're in the right place! Some zero waste shops have started to reopen again, and if you're lucky enough to have one local, then Hot Cross Buns are easy to make using ingredients from there. This classic Easter treat need a lot of dried ingredients such as flour, dried fruit, and sugar, which should all be easy to source packaging-free. If you're looking for a good recipe, the vegan buns from The Conscious Plant Kitchen are delicious.

Easter Sunday wouldn't start right if it wasn't with an Easter egg hunt- and no, you can never be too old to take part. Instead of the mini eggs you often get in plastic bags, why not invest in a reusable egg mould, buy some chocolate from one of the brands mentioned above and make your own eggs? If you're hiding them outside, you could either wrap them in foil (making sure it gets saved up to recycle afterwards) or buy some reusable plastic eggs that you can hide the homemade eggs inside.

3. Change up your Easter Sunday Roast

When spring's all about new life, it's always made me wonder why we kill it to eat it- especially on Easter Sunday. So, why not leave the lamb off your plate this year and go for a meat-free alternative instead? The veggie meat market has really taken off recently, and it's hard not to find at least one tasty alternative that you'll like. If you're looking for something a bit fancy than just a nut roast or sausages, most supermarkets have released special buys for the Easter weekend- such as Aldi's vegan roasting joint, or Tesco's Wicked Kitchen wellingtons would make a tasty treat.

Photo by Annie Spratt (via unsplash)

4. Use it as an opportunity to share with friends and family

With lockdown finally easing (again), it means we're able to spend time with loved ones that we probably haven't seen in person for a long time. So, if they ask you what you've been up to, why not chat to them about what you've been learning about the injustice in our everyday products like chocolate? It would be a great opportunity to see whether they realise how much of a huge problem this is, and how we need everybody we can to show brands that we care about where our food comes from.

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