words Alexa Wang
When hosting a party, whether it’s for a birthday, anniversary, or reunion, there are many things to consider. There’s budget, the number of guests, food, games, gifts, and many others. But if there’s one thing that’s always neglected when planning a party, it’s the environmental impact that the party can cause.
Admit it or not, house parties are one of the biggest sources of trash in the community.
That’s because when we think of parties, using single-use plastic cutleries, plates and glasses is almost automatic. In addition to that, there’s the trash from gift wrappers, confetti, glitters, and other party materials. And then there’s food waste left after the party.
Clearly, the kind of party that we continue to host or attend, is not a sustainable one. And we should start to rethink how we plan parties. In this piece, we’ll give you some tips on how to host a sustainable party that can make both your guests and the planet happy.
1. Send paperless invitations
Everyone’s in the digital space now. So why bother to make paper invitations adorned with arts and crafts materials if they’ll end up in the trash, anyway? Skip the printed letters and envelope! Send out paperless invitations instead.
This way, you won’t need to exert effort and spend time cutting and gluing. Just ask a friend who’s a wizard in Photoshop or use free invite templates online. It’s faster, cheaper and more importantly, it reduces your environmental footprint!
2. Use recycled paper for posters
If you’re planning to make a big banner, it’s better if you let your creativity take charge in using FSC-approve recycled papers. This is a much more sustainable option than printing tarpaulins. For smaller posters, you can use chalkboards instead and let your kids do their magic with them!
3. Avoid single-use plastics
Another way of making your party sustainable is by reducing the use of plastic cutleries. We understand if you’re used to including a set of plastic sporks in the grocery list, but this must be the time to throw away that practice.
If you’re committed to making your party as environment friendly as possible, use reusable straws and compostable spoons, forks, and plates instead. Trust us, Mother Earth will thank you!
4. Pop the idea of using balloons
When you let go of a bunch of balloons, you don’t know exactly where they’ll end up. Most often, they end up landing in bodies of water once they deflate. That’s when they start to become a hazard to wild animals.
So if we were you, we’ll skip the balloon idea forever!
5. Donate the extra food
Having extra food left is only natural at parties. They happen all the time! Sometimes, hosts allow guests to take something home or let the workers who will clean up after the party serve themselves.
If there’s something left after all that, you can pack the extra food yourself in reusable containers and donate them to people in the community that need the extra food. You can also partner with local charities or food banks and they’ll be the ones to collect and distribute the food.
The best thing about doing this is that it helps you reduce your food waste, at the same time, you can help people who are in need.
These are only some of the best strategies that we’re already using when we host our own parties. You’re very much welcome to copy us! You can also devise your own techniques to make your party sustainable and spread the word on your platform!
Together, let’s make our guests and Mother Nature happy with our cool and eco-friendly parties!
