Eco-friendly practices you’ve adopted in your daily life flow naturally into entertaining on a budget.
When Sara Snow needed decorations for a wedding shower she was hosting, she put on her walking shoes and gathered the crimson-tinged leaves that colored her path. Layered atop tables in her home, they set a festive fall tone. “They were beautiful, free and natural,” says Snow, a green lifestyle expert who hosts two Discovery Networks shows and is the author of Sara Snow’s Fresh Living (Bantam Books, 2009).
For Snow, entertaining is all about simplicity and sustainability. She was raised in a family that grew much of what they ate (her father, Tim Redmond, cofounded Eden Foods and is a pioneer in the organic foods movement). As a result, Snow learned about eco-friendly living long before it was fashionable. “Now so many people are awake to these ideas,” she says.
Snow and Lynn Colwell, coauthor of Celebrate Green!, offer these easy, natural approaches to entertaining:
- Avoid Themes. Special occasion decorations such as ghost cutouts, paper turkeys or birthday banners waste resources and often end up in a landfill. “Especially when people are watching their dollars, you can decorate by just using natural elements that are all around you,” Snow says. Leaves, twigs and grasses are free, and pumpkins and gourds are inexpensive additions. Instead of cut flowers, make houseplants your centerpiece.
- Rethink Invitations. “Electronic invitations are free, treeless and instant,” Snow says. Invitations sent via Evite, Facebook and Twitter are increasingly socially acceptable. For an eco-friendly paper invitation, Snow suggests cards or papers imbedded with seeds; the recipient can plant the invitation in the ground or a pot and later watch wildflowers bloom. (Search online for “plantable paper” or “cards.”)
- Set The Menu. “Be adventurous,” Snow suggests. When shopping for a dinner party, pick up an exotic-looking and unfamiliar ingredient and try it in a new recipe. But there’s no need to turn adventure into over-ambition. An appetizer can be as easy as cheeses, the entrée a pasta dish with tomatoes and herbs, and dessert simply fruit and chocolate—all organic and fresh. Offer guests organic juices, wines and beer. You’re not likely to find many printed coupons for organics. Instead, Colwell suggests searching online (including individual manufacturers’ websites) before you head to the store.
- Spin The Plates. Hosting a large buffet but don’t have enough dinnerware servings? Instead of buying paper plates, ask guests to “Bring Your Own Plate.” Colwell says it’s a great way to spark dinner conversation as each person tells the story behind his or her plate—flea market find, family heirloom, wedding china.
- Favor Consumables. Looking for favor ideas for a shower? Snow once ended up with an abundance of rosemary and turned it into a body scrub she gave as party favors. Or you might want to give a packet of seeds or plant cuttings from your garden to guests, says Colwell.
- Avoid Waste. Keep recycling bins visible in the kitchen for any guests who pitch in to help clean up after a big party. Snow uses a tower-type recycling bin that’s pretty enough to pull into her kitchen, but galvanized washtubs or plastic bins will work too. Colwell suggests sending leftovers home in glass jars you’ve saved up (more earth-friendly than disposable plastic). Or provide reusable shopping bags as favors/totes for leftovers.
“With a little creative thinking, we can celebrate without spending a lot of money,” says Colwell. And what could be more naturally appealing?
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