Parties can be fun and enjoyable, but they aren’t usually the most eco-friendly events you’ll ever see. This is especially true when it comes to the amount of waste these activities create, especially after everything’s over. Luckily, whether you’re planning to host a wedding, birthday, engagement, or a graduation party, there are many ways to make these occasions eco-conscious and sustainable from beginning to end.
Below are a few tips for creating an eco-friendly party:
Use Creative And Sustainable Party Decorations
Helium balloons are typical decorations for just about any type of party. Unfortunately, these balloons are made from plastic, which can damage the environment. They’re non-biodegradable, which can’t be broken down by the action of living organisms. Moreover, single-use plastic decorations, such as banners and tablecloths, are also detrimental to Mother Nature.
That’s why if you want to create an eco-friendly party anytime soon, rethink how you’re going to decorate the venue. Instead of using traditional decorations, such as balloons, try to be as creative and sustainable as possible by doing the following:
- Creating paper chains from recycled paper
- Using solar-powered fairy lights
- Designing the tables with potted plants or terrariums
- Opting for reusable tablecloths and napkins
- Using fresh flowers from your garden to decorate the venue
- Rent tables and chairs for a lower eco footprint, e.g. from Chair Rental Singapore
Use Online Invitations
Of course, every party needs invitations to send out to intended people. Previously, party invitations were only limited to physical, tangible items that were personally delivered to the guests. On the other hand, this option isn’t eco-friendly because of the waste produced by the creation of invitations.
In today’s modern world, sending invitations doesn’t need to be done in a physical manner. It can already be carried out through digital platforms with the help of reliable online invitation providers, like Greenvelope. They provide elegant digital invitations sans any form of waste. By using digital party invitations, you make the whole event eco-friendly and sustainable.
Offer A Menu With More Vegan Options
Another essential part of hosting a party is the kind of food you’re going to serve your guests. If you want everything in your party to be eco-friendly, you can incorporate more meat substitutes and vegetable options into the menu.
Although you can’t fully eliminate the meat dishes, offering a menu with more veggie choices means less harm to the environment because these require natural resources, plus they’re easy to cook. These veggie menu options may include the following:
- Vegetarian fajitas
- Gnocchi with mushrooms and blue cheese
- Caponata pasta
- Vegan ramen
- Vegan Thai green curry
- Veggie Chinese pancakes
- Spiced carrot and lentil soup
- Falafel burgers
Aside from the ones mentioned above, you can also try serving green party drinks to your guests. Fortunately, brewery, winery, and other non-alcoholic drink producers across the globe have started to become sustainable to safeguard the environment in the long run.
Hence, search for producers of green party drinks that you can incorporate to your event. These can include pink grapefruit lemonade, protein shakes for kids, exotic iced tea, fruity organic beverages, cold-pressed fruit water, and a lot more.
On the other hand, if you want to serve spirits, such as vodka, rum, and tequila, look for someone who produces them organically. By doing this, you’re not only getting rid of pesticides and other chemicals that can damage the environment, but you also promote organic drinks to your family and friends.
Avoid Using Disposable Crockery And Cutlery
There are many reasons why party organizers opt to use disposable crockery and cutlery. One of them is the convenience they provide during the cleanup. Instead of washing and keeping them, you just need to gather and dispose of them after use.
However, if you’re a nature lover, single-use plates, cups, and cutlery should never be an option for your party. Whenever possible, avoid using disposable crockery and cutlery to create an eco-friendly event.
In case you have to utilize single-use items, try to look for sugarcane or bamboo versions of what you need. They’re more sustainable compared to the single-use options usually used during parties. If you’ve run out of choices, your last resort could be implements made of paper.
Give Gorgeous Yet Sustainable Party Favors
Aside from the decorations, food, and invitations, you can also create an eco-conscious party by giving gorgeous yet sustainable party favors, which won’t have a negative impact on the environment. These can include:
- Seedlings or succulents – You can give out seedlings or succulents as party favors for your event. These are eco-friendly items that your guests can bring home and take care of afterwards. Instead of providing plastic-made souvenirs, plants can be a natural way of thanking your guests for celebrating the party with you.
- Bamboo straws – These are another great party favor idea which your guests can use every day. Instead of using plastic straws during parties or just about any occasion, they can bring these straws with them for their personal use.
- Homemade goodies – You can also prepare a goodie bag full of homemade delicacies, such as raw vegan superfood chocolates, peanut butter and jelly, and hazelnut chocolate snowballs, among many others.
- Craft projects – Another exciting party favors you can have for your party are craft projects. If you’re creative enough, you can make crafts, such as origami and painted wooden treasure boxes. These can be an excellent party giveaway, especially for children.
- Organic soaps – You can also have soaps as eco-friendly party favors. You can look for organic soaps and custom-wrap each one of them based on your party theme. If you want to be extra creative, you can melt some natural soaps and transform them into different shapes.
As you can see, giving party favors can also be eco-friendly. You just have to be creative and imaginative to come up with nice and sustainable party giveaways that your guests will surely love.
Wear An Eco-Friendly Outfit
Hosting a party doesn’t necessarily mean you have to buy a new outfit. If you want your event to be eco-conscious, consider these fashion ideas:
- Repurposing your old garment – If you have clothes that have been stuck in your closet for a long time, take them out and repurpose them.
- Trying vintage clothing – Look for pre-used items from your local vintage store. You might find something nice to wear during your party.
- Buying organic clothing – There are apparel chains and brands that sell organic clothing and accessories. Hence, if you should shop for new pieces of clothing, choose the organic and sustainable ones, as well as those that can be used for multiple occasions.
- Using handcrafted jewelry – Aside from organic clothing, wear eco-friendly jewelry, such as handcrafted bracelets, belts, and necklaces.
Regardless of what you choose, these outfit ideas can reduce the amount of waste the earth has to endure on a daily basis, plus it can save you a ton of money.
Encourage Charity Donations In Lieu Of Gifts
If you’re hosting a party with gift-giving, it’s an eco-friendly idea to encourage charity donations instead of expensive and luxurious gifts. This is, still, a great way of gifting you during your special occasion because they’re able to help people in need and ensure zero waste throughout the party.
Plan Nature-Based Games And Activities
Most parties come with games and activities to generate more fun and excitement. This is especially true if you’re throwing a party for kids. And, to make the party eco-friendly, plan and prepare nature-based games and activities for your guests.
For example, you can organize an obstacle course in your local park or egg hunting in your garden. Remember, letting kids play outdoor games can encourage them to explore the beauty of Mother Nature.
Handle Leftovers The Sustainable Way
Whatever kind of party you organize, leftovers will always be there. However, disposing of these is something you should think thoroughly as they can add up to the already alarming amount of environmental waste.
Because of this, it’s best to come up with an eco-conscious food leftover plan, which may be comprised of the following ideas:
- If your guests end up with so many leftovers on their plates, pack some dog bags that they can bring home to their pets.
- If there’s, still, a lot of food left after the event’s over, store them in containers for you to eat in the succeeding days.
- Don’t put all the food on display and just refill containers when necessary. That way, you can prevent the food from getting spoiled.
Encourage Your Guests To Carpool
If your party venue is far from your guests’ homes, they’ll most probably use their own cars to get there. However, having several cars on the road can increase the amount of air pollution in the environment. So, it’s best to encourage pooling. In doing so, you can minimize parking congestion and, more importantly, save the environment from air pollution.
Final Thoughts
Indeed, hosting a party while protecting Mother Nature is never an easy feat to achieve. There are a lot of considerations to make, especially the needs and comfort of your guests. However, it doesn’t mean that your party can never be eco-friendly. From your party décor, invitations, favors, food, outfit, to the leftover plan, everything can be carried out without compromising the safety of the environment.
Therefore, keep these tips in mind, and you can successfully pull off a low-waste and earth-friendly party.
