The holiday season is right around the corner. Considering that Americans produce 25 million tons of holiday-related garbage each year and buy a whole lot of stuff in preparation for parties, perhaps it’s time to start thinking about environmentally friendly entertaining.
To get you started, here are some of the key areas where you can go green—and still throw one heck of a party.
Invitations. If you’re sending out snail-mail invites, opt for recycled paper products. Or, better yet, if it’s not a super-formal event, send an Evite. Online invites are free, easy to create, and arrive almost the second you hit “send”—no postage required.
Food. Shop for local and organic ingredients as much as possible. I realize, particularly this year, that food in general is pricey and organic even more so. Make organic entertaining easier on your budget by going light—rather than whipping up a five-course meal, why not stick with appetizers or desserts? It will be less expensive and you won’t have to purchase mass quantities of food, so you can focus on quality instead. Of course, as Green Savvy reminded me, don’t forget the organic wine and beer too!
Dishware. Use real plates, cups, silverware, and napkins rather than disposable items. If you don’t have enough for the whole crowd, ask to borrow a friend’s dishware. Or take a trip to your local Salvation Army or a secondhand store to see if you can snag extra plates and silverware for cheap. Who cares if the plates don’t match? If you must go the disposable route, purchase biodegradable options. Many, like VerTerra’s organic and compostable dinnerware, are so attractive you may want to wipe them down and reuse them after all!
Decor. Sure, themes are great, but they often involve purchasing a lot of items you don’t already have on hand. Instead of buying all sorts of paper products, streamers, and goofy seasonal items, opt for the less-is-more approach by decorating with objects you already have or nice pieces that, once purchased, can be reused again. I particularly like the suggestions in this Fine Living article—for instance, green guru Danny Seo suggests using glass jugs as wine decanters for one party and the same jugs as flower vases at another. Or, if you do purchase decorations specifically for the big event, why not use them as gifts for guests? Then you don’t have to worry about buying party favors too.
Cleanup. Set out bins or bags in which guests can toss recyclable items such as cans and bottles. That way, you don’t have to mess with fishing them out of the garbage can later. Once it’s time to tackle the dishes, scrape rather than rinse them to save water. Cleaning items in the dishwasher is much more efficient than hand-washing, so fill the dishwasher as full as possible (but not overfull) before running it. Odds are you won’t be able to get everything in one load if you’re entertaining for more than a few guests. If you can’t handle waiting to clean all the dishes in the dishwasher, fill the sink up with water rather than leaving the water running to wash the rest. Also, consider what you’re going to do with all that leftover food. If you won’t eat it yourself, can you send it home with guests? Or make plates to take to a homeless shelter?
If you’re looking for more ideas on how to green your entertaining, let Danny Seo walk you through everything you need to throw a green party, from food and drinks to décor and entertainment, at Epicurious.com. Or steal ideas from “A Night of Eco-Chic Entertaining” over at Notes on a Party.
What great green entertaining advice do you have? Share here—and happy holiday party planning!
Until tomorrow,
The Home Know-It-All
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