Today, one day after Earth Day (please forgive--our work schedule lately has been insane), our top eco-friendly party planning tips.
Last week we were contacted for some of our eco party planning tips by Change magazine (www.changemagazine.net ), as well as being asked to be a part of the Sustainable Living Fest here in Houston on May 5 (regretfully we declined as we have two onsite cooking paella parties back to back on May 5 and couldn't spare anyone from our crew for this Fest, maybe next year?)
Here, our top three eco party planning tips in honor of Earth Day, one day later (this will also appear in Change magazine in June):
Try to source as much local food as possible--This is now easier than ever with many farmers' markets, farmers' outlets (wholesalers that sell produce from commercial, usually family, farms to the restaurant trade but also sell to the public), and large upscale grocery stores now getting on board by supplying local foods.
Here in Houston HEB and its offshoot Central Market provide wonderful local meats and dairy from their Texas plants as well as a lot of Texas-grown produce--so if you're short on time like most people you can source locally just by buying at these kinds of stores (one stop shopping!)
Use biodegradable plates and cutlery or real plates and cutlery for your event, and use real glasses (biodegradable glasses are hard to source)--Washing dishes/running a dishwasher from a party, because wastewater is treated and recycled, is better than feeding a market for chopping down trees (even those grown sustainably) or making plastic or foam from petroleum or than adding to a landfill with disposables that aren't biodegradable.
Greenest disposables--those made from bagasse (sugarcane residue)--better than bamboo because bagasse would just be thrown away and instead it's made into cool plates (no harvesting of trees, even sustainable bamboo trees, needed!) and now also very available at large upscale supermarkets (for us, also at HEB, though we also buy in bulk online).
Recycle from your party--including glass bottles, any plastics that can be recycled, paper menus or favors, even flowers (donate them). We love the party bins for this from Susty Party (www.sustyparty.com ), but the point is to put out a nice-looking recycling bin at your event so that recycling is more doable and attractive--and people will be more inclined to recycle at your event. If your event is at a private home, after the event put the bin full of empty bottles for recycling next recycling day; if it's at a venue (rented space), ask what recycling containers there will be (and if they say none, ask them why not!).
Warmly,
Kristina
Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com
No comments:
Post a Comment