We have always been invited to or thrown parties where there is so much leftover food, and it goes wasted. Your trash bags are always full, from leftover food to plates, cups, and decorations. Unfortunately, most parties are not eco-friendly or sustainable, and this chronic nature of humans is severely destroying our globe.
When it comes to throwing eco-friendly parties, they aren't that daunting; they're much easier to throw than typical and conventional parties. All you need to do is to adopt the ways that help reduce the ways as much as possible, so nothing is left for the garbage truck the very next morning it comes.
Whether you're throwing a party or just looking into the internet, if there are any possible ways, this is the ultimate guide that'll help you go through the entire process.
What is Sustainability?
The process of making changes to preserve the environment and its natural resources to create a healthy world is known as sustainability. Promoting eco-friendly methods and organizing sustainable events are essential to saving our environment.
While some might think throwing a sustainable, eco-friendly party is expensive, there are several ways to throw an eco-friendly party.
1. Electronic Invites Instead of Paper Mailed Ones
Switching to digital invitations is one of the easiest ways to throw eco-friendly parties. First, you must create your guest list, choose your design preferences, and go off. Then, ditch the paper invitations for your next party and send digital invitations through email.
You can customize your own digital invitation cards using various apps available on the internet and send them to your guests or text them the invitation cards.
You can save paper and trees while hosting an eco-friendly party. It also saves time and money as you don't have to buy stamps or envelopes.
2. Digital Slideshow Instead of Printing Photos
Do you know that you create tons of waste while creating memories? Yes, we are talking about paper photographs. Can paper photographs be recycled?
Photographs are made from paper, making us think they can be recycled. Still, unfortunately, the paper in photographs is full of chemicals, so the paper can no longer be recycled. Instead, they will eventually be thrown into the trash bin, causing environmental pollution.
Suppose you are having an anniversary or a birthday party and are thinking of surprising your friends by arranging a slideshow of their favorite pictures. In that case, luckily, you can avoid this waste with the invention of digital cameras.
All you need to do is to put all those pictures into a folder and hit the slideshow button. This way, you can save time and money and the environment.
3. Reusable Fabrics
How about using reusable napkins and tablecloths? For an eco-friendly party, use tablecloths and napkins made of real fabric. If you don't want to spend the money on a tablecloth, you can use bed sheets instead. To match your color scheme, choose a white tablecloth.
4. Invest In Reusable Decorations
If you want to transform your party into a green event, you can use household items for decoration, like plants, vases, newspapers, magazines, and string lights. You can also decorate with natural materials like branches, leaves, and flowers.
You may be tempted to add festive decorations to your party, but you must resist the temptation of one-time-use items like helium balloons, plastic banners, and glitter. Single-use table settings, cutlery, and decoration clog landscapes and oceans, and it takes hundreds of years to degrade, killing marine animals and birds.
Balloons are lovely, but they are also harmful to the environment. Did you know that animals like birds, sea turtles, and seals usually mistake balloons for food and get choked? So instead, use rice paper lanterns or a multi-colored cloth banner that can be reused over and over.
5. Make a Meat Free Meal
The UN described the meat industry as "one of the most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." So to make your next party eco-friendly, try to serve a meat-free meal.
There is a lot of food that doesn't contain meat products. You can also use fruits and bake your own food like bread, cake, cookies, and desserts.
6. Don't Cook Extra Food
You might cook some extra food out of the fear of running out of food and leaving your guests hungry but be mindful of the quantity of food you make. Food waste is a significant threat to the environment. All the food wasted globally goes to landfills, where decomposition causes methane emission, a poisonous greenhouse gas detrimental to the environment.
7. Gifts
If you are throwing a birthday party, you will receive many gifts. Receiving gifts means you will have a large number of wrapping papers which will ultimately lead to a non-eco-friendly party.
One of the easiest ways to keep your celebration green is to request guests to bring environmentally friendly gifts. For example, ask them to bring gifts in reusable bags instead of wrapping paper. This way, you and your guests can significantly contribute to throwing an eco-friendly party.
8. Buy Eco-friendly Dinnerware and Flatware
One of the easiest ways to make a party more eco-friendly is to use cups, plates, and forks already in the cupboards. Alternatively, invest in reusable dinnerware and flatware for your next party.
It's good if you have porcelain or ceramic plates, but you can also use disposable dinnerware and flatware made from bamboo sticks or palm leaves.
Luckily, The Kaya Collection offers an extensive collection of biodegradable serving ware and eco-friendly dinnerware for parties, including disposable eco plates and palm leaf dinner plates which means they can be decomposed in a couple of months, allowing for a quick and easy post-party cleanup.
They also offer compostable flatware, including knives, forks, and spoons made from palm leaves. So with their products, you can throw an eco-friendly party without harming the environment.
9. Candles
Candles are a decorative item rather than a necessity. The issue is that most candles in your house are made from paraffin wax derived from petroleum. The demand for these products damages our environment and contributes to global warming.
When you burn paraffin wax, you are actually releasing carbon into the atmosphere. Therefore, carbon ingestion is not a smart idea! It is better to avoid using paraffin candles.
Instead of paraffin candles, we suggest looking for candles made from natural and organic waxes such as soy wax, coconut wax, beeswax, or LED candles.