Kermit the Frog said it best all those many years ago: It’s not easy being green. But every environmentalist will tell you that like everything else, it gets easier with practice. Even large gatherings. No one does everything in the most eco-friendly way. Life is messy, loud, noxious, slimy and utterly disgusting. And that’s on a good day. On a bad day, we’re not very good to ourselves, even less so to other people. And the earth comes in a distant third. It is a wonder any of us ever make it out of life alive. In point of fact, we don’t.
If we are very lucky and very mindful, we will not leave the planet in worse shape than we found it. And if we really put our heart and soul into it, we will leave things much better for our children. Nobody does it perfectly. So don’t beat yourself up if you accidentally put a plastic bottle in the bin intended for cans.
Take a deep and cleansing breath. Think of something good that happened for you recently. And throw a party to celebrate. Any excuse for a celebration will do. Just be sure to do it responsibly. It is not that hard to host an eco-friendly gathering. Just keep these three things at top of mind:
Pick the Right Products
Picking the right products is the first step in hosting an eco-friendly gathering. We’ll use a gender reveal party as our prime example. You may have heard of the El Dorado fire, a California wilderness fire that was caused by a gender reveal party in which a pyrotechnic device was used. Investigations showed that the pyrotechnic device used was not packaged according to legal specifications, and the environmental impact was devastating. That’s why it’s important that, if you’re holding a celebration like this, you should make sure that you use gender reveal products like the ones from GenderRevealCelebrations.com. They don’t cut corners–they never have and never will. So whether you’re buying gender reveal confetti poppers, smoke bombs, or burnout kits, you’ll know that they’ve been manufactured in 100% accordance with legal safety guidelines.
Accurate Food Estimates
How much food will you need? Guess too little, and you have unhappy guests. Too much, and you have waste. In the grand scheme of things, too little is better than too much. If someone doesn’t get seconds, no one will starve to death. A cake will only feed so many. If there is waste, precious resources were set on fire for no reason, not to mention the problem of disposal. Accurate catering should be a priority when planning a sustainable event.
You can greatly reduce waste by avoiding the buffet and serving pre-portioned plates. It all starts with an accurate count of the guests who will be attending. There will always be last-minute cancelations and last-minute additions. It is okay to have a few extra plates ready to go. For anything left over, have a homeless shelter in mind for the unserved leftovers. An accurate food estimate leads to greater sustainability.
Recycle Everything
The process begins by purchasing items made from recycled material. Make that a priority so that almost everything you use at your gathering is part of the renewal cycle. When you are done, recycle the items again. Leftover food waste should become mulch to grow more food. Be sure to offer clearly-marked recycling bins for everything. Don’t leave it to your guests to bus their own tables. Only let designated people trained in proper recycling deal with the mess. That will cut down on recycling accidents. It takes a little more work to do recycling correctly. But it is always worth the effort.
It is not really about having an eco-friendly party, but about living an eco-friendly life. To the extent that parties are a part of life, have them with adult supervision, responsible food allocation, and with recycling as a priority.
