As the year comes to end revelries reach their peak with wastage of resources like food and reckless partying all around. Needless to say such revelries bear negative impact on the environment. Even your careful attempts at curbing carbon footprint for 364 days of the year can go haywire with just a crazy night long New Year Bash.
However, with a little bit of caution and preparation you can change the scenario. It is possible to have a great New Year Bash without bashing the environment. Here in the following you will find some valuable tips on throwing an environment friendly New Year bash.
Eco-friendly Invitations
Start with making your invitations eco-friendly itself. The best way to do this is sending electronic invites via email. There are several websites that take orders for making customized e-cards for inviting guests. You may also try the free resources online for cost effectively making and sending e-invites to the guests right on time. If you are really keen on sending traditional cards then make sure to use recycled papers and envelopes. Keep recycle bins at the entryway to your party and ask all guests to put their invites in it. This way the wastage of papers can be minimized.
Flowering Plants for Décor
So many flowers are plucked just to decorate the home or party venue for one day. Instead you can use lovely small planters with flowering plants in them for decorating. Keep plenty of them in array and let guests take some back if they so wish. This way not only you can make your party more eco-friendly but also spread the desire of nurturing plants.
Recyclable Decorations
For those who want to throw an eco-friendly New Year bash paper and other recyclable decorations are recommended. Generally people just visit the dollar store and end up buying a lot of cheap and non-recyclable décor materials that sit inside a bucket in attic or garage after the revelries. Reused and upcycled decorations add a new depth to celebrations. Hand made decorations are more satisfying as they fetch special accolades from guests and encourage families in spending more time together.
Celebrate at Home or Close to Home
A faraway fancy venue might be tempting but it will mean more pollution and increased carbon foot-print. Celebrating at home saves your transportation costs and your guests also need not travel far. In case your home is too small for accommodating a lot of people then rent a community hall or hotel nearby.
Choose Food and Drink Carefully
Food and booze are crucial parts of celebrations. The choices you make can have huge impact on your surrounding environment. It is advisable to eat local, fresh and seasonal produce in parties. Products that are not available locally or not in season don’t just cost more but importing and supplying them wastes more resources than necessary. Transportation of food products causes a major percentage of air pollution. Moreover, preserved foods contain toxic chemicals dangerous for health. Needless to say organic and locally produced veggies, meat and cheese are better qualified for your consumption.
In case your locality has a wine industry find out what boozes are being produced for the party season. Local boozes are especially good choice if the climate you live in supports vine growth.
Prevent Wastage of Food
Wastage of food in a world where food is scarce is unfortunate. Talk to local communities and send the leftover food to be distributed among underprivileged. There are some NGOs working in this direction. If you are ordering food from a caterer make sure to limit the number of extra plates to reduce the amount of leftover.
By being a little conscious one can throw a memorable yet eco-friendly New Year bash. Recyclable and reusable decorations, organic and locally sourced food and limited noise will surely keep your environment cleaner and healthier for all.