Convenient Ways to Make Events Green Successfully

There isn’t just one way to go green. Going green is about being as environmentally conscientious as possible when planning, executing, and cleaning up after your party. Keep in mind that washing reusable cups, plates, and utensils can be just as wasteful as the waste made by using disposable supplies. If you have an Energy Star rated appliance that uses the least amount of energy and water you may be better off using reusable supplies. If you don’t have an energy efficient machine, try to find recyclable items and ones that have been made from recycled materials.

For birthday parties, holidays, and any other family events save and reuse decorations whenever possible. Signs, paper streamers, and sometimes even themed decorations, like those used at baby showers, birthdays, and holidays, can all be packed and saved for future events with a similar theme. For more neutral themes the decorations can be repurposed for almost any event. If you can’t reuse the decorations yourself you may have a family member or friend that can. The most important part about reusing decorations is proper removal and storage.

Weigh your options when deciding to use recycled and recyclable materials vs. reusable dishes that you can wash at home. It’s important to consider whether you have an energy efficient and water smart dishwasher available and if you don’t you may consider just using materials that have been recycled and can be recycled again.

For birthday parties or any other events that have presents and therefore wrapping paper be sure to reuse gift bags, tissue paper, and any wrapping paper that can be repurposed. For any paper that can’t be reused make sure it is recycled.

For corporate events such as meetings, small employee parties or large business events use a lot of the same convenient ways to make events green as the ones at home. Whenever possible reuse decorations, signage, and anything else you can repurpose.

Consider whether or not you actually need to have plates or if you can get away with just using cocktail napkins. Make corporate events more fun and make it easier to mingle by serving hors d'oeuvres and finger sandwiches and forgoing the need for plates, forks, and knives. This way you’ll cut down on waste and make it more of a cocktail party than a sit down meal. Not only are you going green, you’re making it easier for everyone to network and get to know one another.

Get your boss on board by presenting green events as cost effective for the company’s bottom line. Even if they aren’t interested in being earth friendly and going green, they’ll definitely be interested in saving some green.

No matter what size your party, you can use these convenient ways to make your events green. Just remember that even small changes, like recycling disposable materials or using Energy Star appliances to wash your reusable materials, can make a big difference.