Want to host a garden party that Emily Post would be proud of, but without racking up consumer-remorse? You can have your party and your politics too—just think neither paper nor plastic, and you’ll come out with your low carbon footprint intact. Get your grill on with our zero-waste barbecue guide:
Setting the scene
You can cut down on a lot of waste in the behind the scenes prep, such as invites, ambiance, and presentation.
- Even though Evite may lack the tactile charm of print invitations, it saves a ton of trees. Makes for a more up-to-date headcount as well, which means fewer leftovers.
- Encourage biking, walking, carpooling, and busing to your event. Include information about bike paths and bus routes in your invite. Give a prize to the most creative mode of transportation.
- Think sustainable kitchen gear for your parties, as well as for daily use. A good choice is dishtowels and aprons made from bamboo, which regenerates, biodegrades, and requires no pesticides. The deliciously soft bamboo dishtowels and aprons from mukitchen come in an array of snazzy colors.
- Choose the paperless route when it comes to napkins by using cloth. If cloth doesn’t make sense, spend a little extra on post-consumer recycled napkins.
- Instead of paper plates, opt for real china, which has the lowest environmental impact. According to celebrategreen.net, if each US household replaced just one package of conventional paper plates each year with recyclable alternatives, 487,000 trees would be saved. Scour thrift stores for an eclectic array of dishes and cutlery, or go for biodegradable or compostable dishware, flatware, and cups made from vegetable starch, bamboo, or corn. We love VerTerra, a company that makes elegant dinnerware from pressurized fallen leaves.
- Illuminate your outdoor area with soy or beeswax candles, which burn cleaner, last longer, and are better for the environment than conventional paraffin candles, which come from crude oil and give off soot similar to that given off by burning diesel fuel.
- Plant some rosemary in your garden, or put a pot on the table as a centerpiece, as an alternative to the toxins in most mosquito repellent.
Feast Responsibly
Choose a menu that focuses on real, unprocessed foods and what food activist Michael Pollan refers to as “mostly plants.”
- Highlight local, organic food whenever possible and financially feasible. You’ll avoid a chemical stew of over 300 different pesticides used on foods, plus the emissions of food’s average 1,500-mile journey to the supermarket. For staples, buy in bulk or choose food with the least amount of packaging.
- Think outside the hamburger. Meat production causes almost a fifth of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Try grilled vegetables, such as Portobello mushrooms as the piece de résistance, and meat—local if possible—as a side dish.
- Say cheers to organic wine. Grapes are the most pesticide-laden produce, so reaching for the organic vino means toasting sustainable farming and a healthier ecosystem.
- Don’t be foiled again—you can even get aluminum foil that’s 100 percent recycled. Perfect for grilling, check out If You Care’s heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Wrap It Up
You’ve wined, dined, and luxuriated in the company of dear friends or family. But don’t let fatigue interfere with your best-laid plans for keeping your party green.
- Compost scraps and give guests leftovers in reusable containers. Avoid conventional plastic wraps and foils.
- Leave a marked container out for empty bottles and cans.
- Go for the green clean and eschew cleansers with toxic chemicals such as ammonia and sulfates. Bonus tip: Use balled up aluminum foil to get the grease off the grill rather than a harsh cleaner.
Elizabeth Marglin is a contributing editor to Mindful Mama.