Eco-Friendly “Green” Event Planning Tips and Ideas

Happy EARTH DAY!  In celebration of Earth Day and Earth Week, we wanted to share with you some ways you can reduce your carbon footprint and make your next event eco-friendly “green.”

• Consider evites or online invitations instead of traditional paper ones, and offer your guests the option of online registration. If you must have paper invitation, be sure to use ones made with recycled paper.

• Encourage your guests to carpool to your event.  While this option maybe less realistic, asks your guests to walk, bike or take public transportation to your event instead of driving.  For larger events, offer a shuttle service to guest (budget permitting!).

• Re-purpose event decor.  Also, go to consignment stores or prop rental shop to find décor for your event. You just might me surprised with the neat things you find!  Opt for re-usable tablecloths and consider glassware instead of disposable table and flatware.  If you can, try to hold your event at a venue that has plenty of natural lighting.  It will set the perfect ambiance for your event and please your guests.

• Use a local catering company or vendor that offers organic cuisine.  Some of these companies may also offer compost services.  The amount of energy it takes to wash them at the end of a party is much less than the amount of energy spent to produce and dispose of single-use table settings. If you are hosting a large event I suggest renting the tableware from a local rental company. They deliver and pick up the dirty dishes at the end of the night!

• For beverages, consider serving craft beers or wines from a local brewery or vineyard.  And stay away from plastic water bottles, opting to use filtered tap water instead.

• Recycle, recycle, recycle! Be sure that recycling receptacles are readily available and easy to access for your guests, and make recycling a priority during post-event clean up.