We’ve put together our recommendations for the items and activities you need to do in order to host the meanest, greenest parties of the summer of 2018.
What you’ll need
Environmentally friendly items often come at a greater financial cost, but we believe it’s worth paying a small percentage more to avoid doing unnecessary damage to the environment. Here are a few important items that you can switch over to in order to show your happy party guests that you are hosting a planet-first party.
- Recycled paper napkins
- Compostable plates
- Bamboo tableware
- Biodegradable cutlery
- Biodegradable balloons
- Recycled paper bunting and streamers
For comfort and relaxation
We are a big believer in ‘old is gold’, and for your eco-friendly party to be a big hit, there is an opportunity to upcycle old items into comfortable seating for your garden or venue.
Here are some ingenious ways of doing this, such as:
- Old standalone bathtubs converted into garden sofas
- Warehouse pallets with cushions on top, simple but effective
- Homemade swings (requires a tree!)
- Logs from the forest, which make great stools
- An old boat, converted into a two-person sun lounger
Try visiting your local tip or reuse centre, you may be able to pick up some unwanted chairs for very cheap. Give them a lick of paint to add colour and to match your party theme, and you’re good to go!
Doing things digitally
Instead of sending out paper invitations to your eco-friendly summer party, set up an event on social media and invite your guests there, or even via email. The carbon footprint of postage is quite high, and when you multiply that by the number of guests who you’d like to come, you are much better placed by going to Facebook.
Food, food, food!
Food is sacred, and we all want happy tummies at our eco-friendly summer party, which is why we’ve come up with three ideas that will reduce your environmental impact whilst feeding your guests.
- Shop local. By supporting local businesses, especially farm shops and family owned shops, you are reducing the road miles on your food, meaning it has had a smaller carbon footprint by the time it reaches the plate. Locally grown or raised is ideal.
- Solar BBQ. Building a solar BBQ is not a difficult task for those who love a bit of DIY, otherwise you should look online or in your local homeware stores. By avoiding the use of coal or gas to cook your food, you will be serving more eco-friendly dishes (hopefully on reusable or compostable plates too).
- More salad, less meat. The environmental footprint of meat, especially beef, is considerable. We aren’t saying to go fully vegetarian, but there are alternatives to meat that will still put smiles on faces. Otherwise, increase the variety and quantity of salads and reduce the meat.
Conclusion
Hosting an eco-friendly summer party is going to bring a great deal of joy to your friends and family, knowing that they can let loose and enjoy the ‘sunshine’ whilst helping to protect the environment. So, get prepared, and most of all, enjoy!