This is certainly the season for festivities! Whether it’s for New Year, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or a birthday, this is a busy time! We catch up with friends, family and work colleagues — even those you spend most of the year trying to avoid. But where there are parties, there are usually mountains of trash. Single use this, disposable that, plastic wrapped something else, non-recyclable wrapping paper. The list goes on. But surely there’s a better way? Surely we can host a great party and still be a good guest on Earth?
We’re here to help! We’re going to dive into some of the ways you can throw an amazing party and still demonstrate your respect for this planet. There will need to be some compromises, but nothing which will negatively impact the fun-factor!
Food and Beverage
I’m yet to attend a party of any description where there wasn’t eating and drinking. So this seems the logical place to start when you want to rethink how to green-up your gathering. And really, it’s a simple mind set shift: it’s not too much trouble to wash plates and drinkware. Repeat after me, “It’s not too much trouble to wash plates and drinkware!” So instead of buying disposable plates, cutlery, cups, bowls and glasses, opt for reusable. You don’t need to take your nan’s china dinner set down to the park, but why not choose sturdy, reusable plastic. Bonus points for grabbing the items from your local thrift store! They are almost guaranteed to have a generous stock of big plates, small plates, bowls for salads, cups and maybe even the odd polycarbonate wine glass. If you’re still left wanting, jump onto Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Locanto, eBay, Geebo, Letgo, Vinted, Preloved, Gumtree, and so on. There’s an enormous supply of websites and forums where people are supporting the circular economy! The reusable thing can even include cloth napkins. These need only be small pieces of cut up towel for messier, smaller children, or a hotchpotch selection of handkerchiefs for adults. If we’re talking about a swankier do, the options for lovely cloth napkins is endless!
Once you have the required stockpile of reusable items to throw a non-disposable party, you could really do the planet a favor and make said items available for use by other sustainability warriors in your community. This is exactly what some caring and sharing mums have done in Australia and England: they have prepared party Kits for loan. The items are loaded into a crate, the party host books it, collects it, uses the items, washes and returns them! What a beautiful system! Some of the super helpful kit creators are even including reusable decorations. This idea is particularly applicable to children’s parties as it would lend itself to a group of parents chipping in to create the crate of goods to then access when they needed it.
But what about a classier affair? Why not hire glassware and plates? If you’re indoors you can hire all manner of actual glass glasses, but if safety is a concern or being outdoors is your thing, then look to hire polycarbonate, which is a reusable, tough plastic. And you can still get an array, even down to martini or hurricane cocktail glasses.
Decorations
Decorations are used to help make a party feel like a party. And I totally get it. But there are things we should be aiming to avoid: balloons, glitter, paper confetti, balloons, tinsel, party poppers and balloons. Especially if the party has any outdoor element.
So how to decorate then?
Back to reusable again. You can even get (or make!) fabulous fabric bunting, which can be used for years! And fabric off-cuts make unique and creative wreaths. Paper bunting would be great too, but requires a little more care to ensure it lasts. Hand painted or screen printed fabric with a relevant (but somewhat generic) message, hanging on a wall or from the ceiling is a great way to set the mood, or if you’re less artistic, go for a chalkboard message. If you’d like some confetti for the tables, collect some colorful leaves and punch holes out of them, for completely natural and biodegradable alternative to glittery/shimmery pieces of plastic. And while you’re collecting those leaves, pick up some flowers from the park or nature strip (often thought of as weeds) to brighten up the tables. You could even hit up your neighbor who has that incredible rose bush for any petals which have fallen. A wreath of pine needles and cones looks fabulous! You can make all manner of decorations from nature. But the things you forage to punch holes in, display on tables or hang on doors should be already on the ground. Please don’t remove all life from the green space in your neighborhood in an attempt to be eco-friendly! And bear in mind that even detritus serves a purpose in the biosphere, so don’t take all the dead/fallen foliage.
Also, please rethink the piñata: this is wasteful because they’re usually unrecyclable due to the pieces of shredded tissue paper they’re covered in. Christmas decorations are meant to be reusable, and sometimes can last for many years, but they are often plastic, so when you dispose of them, it’s a problem. And don’t even get me started on Halloween decorations! The mountains of single use plastic is definitely the scariest part of this festivity! We need to stop and take a breath when it comes to decorating. Your guests are there to celebrate with you, so do you need to cave in to the consumerism of decorating heavily? I would suggest that no, you really don’t.
Favors for the planet not the guest
When discussing kids parties, one of the biggest worries, environmentally speaking, is the party bags. They are usually filled with candy at best, or plastic, often malfunctioning little odds and ends at worst. If a party bag is something you are absolutely married to the idea of, there’s TONS of things you can give which aren’t the aforementioned. They need to be age appropriate, obviously, but here’s some ideas: a craft or making activity. Maybe even one which the kids all do together during the party, but they take their creations home. Or a small game, like a card game. Or perhaps a glass jar filled with the ingredients to make half a dozen cookies. Or maybe something useful like stationary or a pencil case or lunch case if they’re about to start school. A seed kit for herbs. A wooden yoyo. A mini lip balm in a tin. A keepsake tin or wooden box. A piece of the birthday cake. Also spend some time thinking about how you’ll give it. We need to do better than little plastic throw away bags which are ripped before the kid even gets home. So maybe go for paper or fabric. If you’re handy on a sewing machine you can whip some up yourself! But honestly, the child you’ve hosted doesn’t need a memento of the occasion.
The art of giving
Depending on the reason for the party, gifts and cards might be a social norm. But are they really necessary? Do we really need to give someone a card at Easter or is Hallmark just very effective at marketing? If you decide that these things are a necessity, or that some people will ignore the ‘no gifts please’ message, why not politely place some guidelines (okay, restrictions) around them? Everything must be second hand. Or books only. Hand made cards only. When gifts are exchanged, use newspaper, magazine pages or fabric for wrapping them, or reusable gift bags.
Fir or fake?
With Christmas approaching, the question of tree comes up. Fake or real for the environmental win? Well, why not get creative and have some other alternative altogether!? There is likely to be something you already own which you can temporarily fashion into a ‘tree’ of sorts. And as we’re always happy to reiterate, the most sustainable option is the thing you already own (or can borrow. But, as Christmas trees are in demand the world over at the same, borrowing is slightly more challenging). Got a coat rack you can hang some solar powered LED lights from? If not, I’m quietly confident you have a wall, so you could strategically place small removable hooks on the wall in the shape of a tree, to then hang said solar powered LED lights from. Et voilà! Instant tree, no mess and what a space saver!
Little extras
There’s lots of bits and bobs of a party which can also be greenified. Removing glow sticks from the equation is a definite. These are landfill bound after only a few hours. Not to mention that they contain chemicals which would ordinarily be placed well out of reach of children, rather than adorning their necks and arms. Children’s drinks can be a last minute decision, leading to juice boxes (largely unrecyclable) or plastic bottles of juice or water. With a little planning ahead, you can remind parents to make sure their child has their own drink bottle (having your own water bottle isn’t just for the kids!) or use reusable cups for cordial/juice from large dispensers. Food waste is another often overlooked part of the party. Try to consider how to capture and use leftovers yourself or by giving some to guests as they leave. Have containers or boxes on hand ready to deal with this. Food waste has a very high carbon footprint and is easily avoidable.
I am not out to be a downer on all things festive and party! If I can humbly say so, I consider myself a good partier. Albeit that in the most recent 8 years of my life, my methods for doing so have changed. I’ve felt the need to rethink and really question what the purpose of each party norm is. Surely it’s time that we get out of the habit of using that old ‘it’s always been done this way’ as our handy excuse for continuing wasteful and less than environmentally responsible ways. I can’t think of a much more appropriate time to get your creativity hat on than for a party! Let us know your fave eco friendly party hack!
