Things You'll Need:
- Durable plates, flatware, cups and linens
- Organic and local foods
- Recycling cans
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Step 1
Use durable plates, utensils and drinkware. A lot of waste comes from using paper plates, plastic utensils, and plastic or paper cups. By using durable, reusable items, you'll save some trees and keep paper and chemical laden plastics out of landfills.
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Step 2
Use cloth tablecloths and napkins instead of disposable plastic or paper ones. You'll keep a lot of waste of landfills, and you'll probably only have one extra load of laundry.
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Step 3
Serve as much organic or local food as you can. Choosing organic beef for your burgers or organic chicken for your kabobs ensures that the meat you're serving has left less of an impact on the earth. Buying locally grown or organic mushrooms, peppers, and zucchini to add to the kabobs does the same. These foods just taste better, too, and your guests will appreciate that. A lot of this food can be found at farmer's markets that abound in the summer months.
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Step 4
Serve organic beer or wines from a local winery. Fill a large pitcher with ice water and let your guests drink water in durable cups instead of out of plastic bottles.
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Step 5
Cook on a gas grill instead of a charcoal grill. Charcoal grills emit more harmful gases and chemicals than a gas grill. If you are going to use charcoal, use a natural charcoal to minimize impact.
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Step 6
Make your recycling can easy to find and empty it to another receptacle if it gets full. If your recycling can is overflowing, your guests will head straight for the trash can with their empty bottles.
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Step 7
Use the most earth friendly disposables you can if you do use disposables. Buy paper plates and napkins made from recycled paper and use biodegradable cups and utensils made from corn instead of plastic.
