It’s Earth Day and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate today than to share my favourite ways to make any DIY party less wasteful.
Today is actually the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and while we still have a ways to go to reduce our collective environmental impact, we can do our best to make simple eco-friendly changes when party planning and ultimately aim to host a zero-waste party.
For a full guide to eco-friendly changes for parties and events check out this amazing resource from Oxford.
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Reimagine What You Have
Season after season I love to reuse decor and party accents for my bookshelf series and of course my DIY parties. It’s one of the ways I choose to make less of an environmental impact. Instead of constantly buying new, single-use trendy items, I focus on strengthening my creative thinking by reimagining the same classic pieces in new configurations to produce a completely different theme each time.
Craft Intentionally
Whenever I craft something, I consider the longevity of what I’m making and if it’s not something that will stand the test of time, I try to find a different way to produce it. Over the years, this shift in mindset has made considering these changes more second nature and less challenging. It all starts with a single change!
DIY party planning is all about making the best use of the finite resources available to you. Sustainable party planning is better using the few resources available to us on this beautiful earth. It’s important to take steps to reduce our waste, consumption and overall footprint with each and every celebration. Whether it’s timeless, reusable designs or using biodegradable or natural materials, there are so many opportunities to consider when hosting an eco-friendly party.
And it can start with you trying just one of the swaps below.
Swap printed invitations for E-invites
Who doesn’t love a beautiful handmade invitation? The intricate details, the quality of the paper. For some occasions, these invites serve as keepsakes, so it makes sense to have them be physical, tangible invitations. There are other times that you might be better off sending an e-invite through Paperless Post or Greenvelope. Both of these sites offer amazing, realistic, stationery-inspired invites. Almost like the real thing without all the work in addressing and sending physical cards.
Swaps box gifts for Money/experiential gifts
Today, it’s not uncommon for couples who get married to request “no boxed gifts” meaning they would like money in lieu of a physical present from their guests. But what about other gift-giving occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, or even Christmas? For your party, you are fully allowed to request guests to not bring a physical gift to a celebration by denoting your request in your invite asking them to comply. Wording can be tricky depending on the event, below are a few suggestions on how to phrase your request.
- “Gifts are not expected, but if you would like to donate to *child’s name* college fund, it would be greatly appreciated.”
- “In lieu of gifts, please consider donating to our preferred charity *provide charity name*.”
Fiver Parties
A big trend for zero waste birthday party for kids is to host a “fiver party” (or a toonie party here in Canada). This is where each guest gifts a $5 bill in a card and the collective amount from all the guests is used to purchase a single gift for the birthday kiddo (sometimes half is donated to charity).
This great way to avoid a sudden influx of clutter from a pile of gifts teaches the value of quality over quantity and helps them understand to consume less of what we have available to us by having the birthday child choose a single, special gift for themselves. Wording for asking guests to take part in a “fiver party” could look a little something like this:
- “In lieu of a gift, please bring $5 for *child’s name* to save toward [insert what they’re saving for here].”
- “*Child’s name* is having a toonie/fiver party in lieu of gifts. Half of this money will be used to buy a special gift and the other half will be donated to our charity of choice, *name of charity.*”
Swap Wrapping Paper for No-waste wrapping
Not keen on a gift-less celebration? Encourage guests to bring gifts with no-waste gift wrap. This could be upcycled materials like ribbons or twine from another project or gift. For a super simple trick, use a scarf or another wrapping paper alternative like Toronto-based Wrappr, which has such beautiful designs and even includes a reusable gift tag for the next user to reuse the Wrappr and so on down the line. There are so many ideas on no-waste wrapping over on Pinterest so be sure to search for more inspiration. Endless possibilities!
Swap Paper Plates for Porcelain Plates
A few years ago I upgraded my first set of dishes from the dollar store – clear glass everything (plates, bowls, etc) – to a beautiful set from Royal Doulton. Months prior to my purchase I knew I wanted a neutral set that would blend with every occasion of the year, so white seemed like a natural choice.
That decision has proved to be one of the best I’ve ever made because I’ve used the plates with my tiered stands and for dinner parties galore. The key here was choosing a neutral colour and minimalist design so that the dinnerware can seamlessly coordinate with virtually any party theme or occasion.
Swap in Finger foods in Lieu of Cutlery
If you’re willing to go a step further than using sturdy plates in lieu of paper, you can opt for serving finger foods that require no plates at all. Finger food catering (even if it’s DIY catering, which I’m a huge fan of) can reduce waste in huge amounts, especially for bigger events.
If you’re hiring a catering vendor, mention that you’re aiming to reduce the environmental impact of the event, they’ll be able to suggest menu items and other ideas to help reach your goal.
If you can’t eliminate cutlery completely, make reusable cutlery your first choice. There have been huge strides made in plastics recently, with the introduction of reusable (even dishwasher safe) plastic cutlery like this option from Party et Cie. Metal cutlery will stand the test of time and can be rented from local vendors for large crowds. Bamboo is a great option for biodegradable single-use utensils, too.
Personally, I’m working on building a small inventory of reusable party essentials (including mini cutlery for my annual tea party). Open-stock classics like the Caesna collection from Crate and Barrel can be purchased individually or as needed over the course of different events (either by you or from gift-givers) to build your collection over a long period of time.
Instead of Buying New Serveware Borrow It
Living in the city of Toronto (or any big city around the world), space is at a premium. My 700-sq foot condo doesn’t have much room to store beautiful serving platters or cutlery to supply big DIY parties. And while you could certainly rent everything you need, it may not make sense if you’re hosting a smaller gathering (of under 20 people). Whenever I need a platter, a pitcher, a cake stand or something similar for a single event, I’ll call up my family and friends to ask to borrow from their collection. And I’m more than happy to reciprocate.
Of course, thrifting or buying second-hand is always a great way to build your collection of serveware. Platters, cake pans, pie plates, glassware, I’m a huge fan of buying all these and more from my local thrift shop, garage sales and inheriting from loved ones.
Swap Paper Napkins for Cloth
Similar to the tip on avoiding paper plates, reusable napkins are immensely more useful and avoid extra unnecessary waste. Paper napkins are not recyclable and contribute to landfill and as we saw in 2019 (the year that the plastic straw died) it’s thought that paper napkins are next to go. Good quality linen or cotton napkins in a neutral colour can be used for everyday meals and special occasions alike.
Use Recyclable or reusable decorations
The most eco-friendly party decorations are the ones that can be reused again and again. This is why I’m such a fan of simple colour palettes and neutral accents to enhance any event. While people say that the most eco-friendly events have no decor at all, I shudder at the thought of a party without a fabulous display of decorations. Looking for some zero waste birthday party decoration ideas? Try potted plants, fresh veggie table runners or even a dried fruit garland.
Need one-use party decoration for a birthday? Use recyclable materials (paper is best) to make banners or streamers and avoid any glitter or foil. Depending on your local guidelines, there may be other materials to avoid in order to keep things recycle so be sure to look into your geographic recycle guide.
Feed Stomachs Instead of Feeding Eyes
It’s true we feast with our eyes first. Is there anything more appetizing than a giant charcuterie board that invites you to eat until you can’t eat anymore? While this is picturesque and draws people to your food displays, it might not be a great idea in practice if you have a small crowd.
Even if you offer finger foods to avoid paper plate waste, if you’re left with half your weight in food after everyone has left, you’ve still created tons of unnecessary waste. While you could ask your guests to bring their own reusable containers to take leftovers home in, avoid too much waste by planning accurately.
Instead, try to calculate how much food makes sense to serve your guests. Time of day (meal vs snack), length of party and age of guests are all factors in this calculation. This infographic is a great visual to reference in planning your menu. While this isn’t an exact science, it’s the sort of method caterers use to figure out how much food will be needed at each and every event they cater.
Opt for multi-layer waste system vs a single trash can
Reducing landfill waste happens through proactive planning (taking the steps above) and having proper sorting systems. Provide party guests with the option to recycle and compost (properly) at the event to reduce the amount of trash that your party will produce. Soda cans and other recyclables can easily be tossed into a separate bin during the celebration and food scraps can be discarded into inconspicuously placed compost buckets. Don’t compost? Ask a friend to compost for you! They’ll likely use the compost in a garden or help take care of proper disposal on your behalf. Saving our planet is not a one-person job. It takes a village to introduce change.
What’s the one change that you’ll try at your next celebration?
