Throw A Green Party With Smarty!
Parties are serious business...as we very well know! But, unfortunately, they can also be an invitation for excess and waste. Every big life event — birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, holidays, and religious festivals deserve to be marked appropriately. Celebrate in a greenway, and you extend your focus on an environmentally friendly lifestyle to every aspect of the fun.
Smarty cares about the planet just as much as you do. So we’ve collected just a few Smarty tips for being a bit greener at your next event.
Start with Eco-friendly Partyware.
First things first - you’ve got to have recyclable and compostable dinnerware at your green party. Forget about those faux-styrofoam potato-based pieces, we’ve got a collection of beautiful palm leaf, bagasse, and birch tableware that will impress even your most discerning guest.
Buy fresh instead of packaged.
One of the biggest sources of waste at every party is food, and this is where you can be eco-friendly. Buying fresh ingredients instead of packaged foods can be a great way to cut down on waste. For example, instead of buying frozen vegetables or meat, go to your local farmer’s market and purchase everything fresh.
Dress your tables with reusable centerpieces.
We love a big, beautiful floral centerpiece as much as the next guy... but they’re just not very eco-friendly. Instead, be original and create reusable centerpieces. You can use gorgeous manzanita trees, glass vases, LED lights, water beads, and more. Get creative and combine these elements for environmentally-friendly displays that will have your guests oohing and ahhing.
Reuse or gift your table linens.
While our prices on table linens are some of the lowest you’ll find, that doesn’t mean you should just toss them when the party’s over. Clean them right away and store them for your next party. Or, if you know someone who’s getting married soon or throwing a very special event, help a hostess out by gifting your linens for their use.
Don’t let anything go to waste.
At the end of the night, there’s the inevitable cleanup...and the usual throw-out. But you don’t have to let your leftovers contribute to our landfills. Send guests home with unopened bottles of wine, those reusable centerpieces, and, of course, any leftover food. People love noshing on leftovers the day after a party. Simply order some eco-friendly take out containers before the party, so everyone has something to take home and nibble on.
These are just a few basic ideas on how to be more environmentally conscious when hosting an event. What are some of the earth-friendly things you do at your parties?