When you’re making choices for yourself, choosing environmentally friendly and green products over wasteful ones can be easy.
On the other hand, throwing a bigger event and simultaneously staying green can be a challenge. Here’s how to throw a sustainable outdoor event so that you can get everyone together without burdening the environment.
Use less or no plastic
Plastic is one of the worst things for the environment today, and it’s almost everywhere. It’s incredibly convenient, which is why it’s so pervasive. For your events, encourage guests to bring their own reusable water bottles, and for the drinks you do offer, have glass cups for everyone. Similarly, don’t use paper plates and plastic cutlery; instead, bring finger foods. If you’re catering, you can ask the catering company to provide washable dinnerware for your event.
Use less water
This point can be hard to implement. It seems as though almost everything today requires massive amounts of water to function, but as the event organizer, you can make choices to limit water usage. One thing you can do is rent a portable restroom. Regular restrooms consume multiple gallons of water with every flush, but portable bathrooms will dispose of waste without using water, potentially saving thousands of gallons.
Bring homemade food
Catering or bringing food that comes in plastic bags, such as chips and snacks, is often easiest for outdoor events. Many people will be happy with this, but homemade food is a greener and more sustainable alternative. An assortment of plant-based homemade food will be drastically better for the environment than other options. If this seems too daunting, encourage a potluck, where people bring homemade food.
Simplify transportation
Another way to throw a sustainable outdoor event is to encourage people to think about their transportation choices. Everyone would typically drive there without a second thought, but try encouraging them to bike, carpool, or even take the subway or bus, depending on where you live. These choices will be much more sustainable than every person taking their own vehicle across the city.
You can make many more sustainable choices for your event. If you’re outside and enjoying the green grass, you should do everything you can to make your event green, too.
