Six Tips To Throwing the Perfect Sustainable Dinner Party

So, you want to throw a sustainable dinner party for your friends or family, but you don’t know where to start. Throwing an eco-friendly party to impress your guests is a great way to help the planet and also make them aware of the growing threat plastics have on the ecosystem. Take into consideration what you need and where to buy it from. From napkins to bottles, mats, cutlery, plates and even storing your leftovers, re-think the way you host. Here are six tips to follow to get you started.

● Effectively plan every element
Every element of the party, right down to the ingredients you buy need to be planned. Always start with a menu and then go on to what you need to serve. Most individuals serve vegetarian or vegan food as they believe that meat is not sustainable for the environment. However, if you choose meat, do some research to find the best organically sourced meat, along with what possible ingredients you can use that do minimal damage to the environment. Ask yourself questions like, what can you buy from the farmers market? Do you need to travel far? What will your guests like and what can’t they have? And always look for markets with local produce.

● Naturally sourced
It’s commonly understood that dishes that are made from scratch with seasonal ingredients taste better than those bought from out. This is true, locally grown ingredients are free from preservatives, chemicals, and any other toxic substances that can harm you. When shopping for meat, fruit, and vegetables, always carry your own reusable bag or if you don’t have one try to buy eco-friendly products, it will come in handy in the long run.

● Limited Portions
Portion control is the best way to avoid being left with lots of leftovers. Find out how many guests will be attending your party, take into consideration how much each person would eat, and accordingly cook the food. If there is a lot of food, account for recyclable packaging to store it in. Cooking just enough will ensure that there is no wastage of food. Compost any food waste left instead of throwing it out.

● Think about Drinks
Even though food is the most important, leaving drinks is also considered as waste. Remember you are hosting a zero-waste party, try finding re-usable beer and wine bottles or maybe use your bottles at home and source wine from a brewery. Use swaps when it comes to hot drinks like tea and coffee in a large pot instead of individual tea bags for guests.

● Sustainable kitchenware
Besides what you eat, what you serve it in also needs to be sustainable. Buying an eco-friendly cutlery set is the best way to ensure this. The best thing about eco-friendly cutlery is that you can wash and reuse it again and again. If this is not possible use your stainless-steel cutlery at home and wrap food in cloth wraps instead of using cling film and foil. Many green stores allow you to hire items like baking trays, serving plates, and other others you may not have, another idea is to ask friends to bring their trays or plates from home, that way you can even send back some of that delicious food with them.

● Always RSVP
RSVP is important so you know how many guests you are expecting. If you are hosting a small gathering rather than a big party, inform guests not to bring any gifts like wine bottles or additional treats. This way they can save food and drinks from being wasted, and enjoy the dishes you have prepared. You can ask them to bring their containers from home and send back some leftovers to avoid food wastage. Remember to keep an eye out for the décor, centrepieces and napkins also contribute to being sustainable. Some people create their décor from leftover paper, glass, or even pebbles.

In conclusion
While hosting you will see how sustainable food and drinks are not only delicious but aid the environment in a number of ways. Always keep two bins for recycling different materials and if need be, informing your local centre of the same. Another way of making your parties more ecologically friendly is to send out e-vites or even text messages. Your friends will be impressed with your new outlook towards sustainability and may even follow the same.