Planet-Friendly Entertaining: It is easy being green (Mark Singh)

Let?s face it: everyone loves a good party. From birthdays to weddings, there are many things you can do to make your event more planetfriendly.

Invitations

By far the best thing you can do about your invitations is to go electronic. Use a website that offers free electronic invitation services; they make the job of keeping track of your RSVPs easy and some even let your guests organize into carpools. If you need printed materials, choose paper with high post-consumer content recycled material. Also, use a printer that uses vegetable based inks, waterless printing or other environmentally friendly processes.

Venue

Hosting a large event sometimes means that you'll need to book a venue. Your venue should have sufficient recycling facilities, including composting. Try to incorporate these considerations into your contract and don?t be afraid to shop around if you can't get the venue management to agree to your terms. As well, a centrally located venue can make it easier for you and your guests to walk or take public transit.

Food

Your menu choices account for a significant portion of your environmental impact. As far as possible, purchase organic, locally grown produce and meats. These can also be fresher than those that have traveled thousands of kilometres to your local store. Organic foods are widely available at most stores and local foods are found at farmers markets or can be delivered right to your door. An experienced caterer can offer decently-priced, high-quality, planet-friendly options so shop around.

Drinks

There are a number of locally-produced beer and wine options that you can tap into. As interest in organic products has increased, so have your options. For more information, talk to the staff at your local liquor and beer stores. If you've booked a venue, chances are that you can negotiate with them to bring in your preferred beverage choice, even if they do not normally offer it.

Decor

We've all seen the inside of those bland banquet halls that are begging for a creative intervention. Instead of struggling with those spaces, consider booking an art gallery or another location with some pizzazz of its own. If you must decorate, however, choose items made with recycled papers and natural fabrics as much as possible. You can go even further by planning to reuse these items in the future and recycle items you can't reuse.

Clean-Up

If you're not using re-useable cutlery and crockery, the amount of waste your event produces will likely be high. You can address this concern by choosing biodegradable products. Be sure to recycle and compost as much of the waste as you can. With Ontario's new bottle return policies, you can even re-coup some of your costs by returning beer and liquor receptacles to The Beer Store.

Author: Mark Singh