Tips for Planning Sustainable Fall Festivities
It’s that time of year when the days get shorter, the air turns crisp, and warm, fuzzy sweaters come out of storage. Fall may have you feeling sentimental, cozy, or downright happy to see the warmer weather go. You may want to give summer one last soiree to send it on its way before you start planning your fun-filled harvest season. Or, you may want to ignore the end of summer altogether and head right into fall party planning activities.
Autumn gives us countless reasons and ways to celebrate. You may want to consider a harvest-themed potluck, a tailgating event for your favorite football team, or a couples date night party where everyone tells their story of “FALLing in love.” Having a fall event is an excellent time to stretch your sustainability know-how so that you can save a little money and go green while having harvest fun.
Here are six tips you can use to plan your party that will keep the Earth and your budget in mind.
Choose an Online Invite
Paper invitations and postage can get pricey. Not to mention that it all ends up in the trash a day or two after your party. If you want to kick off your fall event with an eco-friendly mindset, start by not purchasing paper invites. Search for online invites at Paperless Post or another online store. Look for invitations that match your theme, color-scheme, and budget. Email invites to all guests about two weeks before the big day.
Go Digital
You won’t find cuter pictures than babies sitting inside giant pumpkins or pets dressed up in Halloween costumes. But printing out your images requires a process laden with chemicals and a significant number of dead trees. If you are looking for a more sustainable way to share your pictures with guests, we have good news!
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to find a sustainable option for sharing your photos with family, friends, and party guests. Take all of your photos on a digital camera or phone and then upload them to the cloud. You can ask each of your guests to do the same and then share all of the images between every party attendee. Store them in a community folder on the cloud so that no one feels the need to print them but can download them to picture frames, send them in emails, or store them on their phones for easy shareability.
Pick Local and Organic Foods
There are various food options when planning an eco-friendly fall picnic, autumn birthday celebration, or other fall event. You might even be able to buy everything on your menu from local farms or farmer’s markets. Before you head to the supermarket, check with community businesses and farmers to see what organically grown items you can source locally. If you are doing a potluck-style meal, make sure to put the names of local farmer’s markets on the invite to encourage your guests to do the same.
Next, consider the types of foods you serve, how they affect the environment, and their value to your guest’s health. You may want to skip serving meat or choose organic locally raised meat and choose a plant-based menu to offer healthy, cost-effective choices. This lower-calorie, heart-healthy diet minimizes the long-lasting negative environmental impact that trickles down from the meat industry as well. With this party-planning strategy, you can tell your guests that you are serving a menu that is good for them and the planet.
Limit Single-Use and Big Ticket Items
Being cost-conscious and eco-friendly go hand and hand, especially when planning a fall party. Instead of heading to the local party store to purchase tables, chairs, or other large items like a tent, consider renting these from a local business. Rentals may seem a bit pricey, but when you think about the limited waste and risk of purchasing something that you may never use again, it may actually be a cost-savings. As a bonus, you get to support a local business in the process.
Eco-friendly decorations are a must for every harvest party. Utilize natural things for decor such as pumpkins, corn husks, or nuts. You can even cut fall flowers from your garden for table decor or to adorn an entranceway or activity area. If you are purchasing decorations, try to pick out items that are more generic, such as white lights that can be used for other events throughout the year.
Plan Natural Activities
No party is complete without some fun activities. Here are a few ideas for activities for your eco-friendly party. Purchase frisbees made from recycled plastics, corn-hole sets built from reclaimed wood, or even plan activities that require no supplies. Organize a fun game of tag, plan a short hike, or decorate gourds or pumpkins with non-toxic paints so that they last longer than if you decided to carve them into jack-o-lanterns.
If you aren’t sure how to pick a charity for your party, research local non-profits and ask about their mission and vision. Once you’ve chosen a few possible organizations, ask them for information about how they spend their donations. You will want to have a thorough understanding of how much of your donation will go to programs versus administrative or “overhead” costs.
Give Back
Getting together with friends and family is an excellent time to be gracious and pay-it-forward. Look for a local charity that needs winter hats and gloves or get a head start on spreading Thanksgiving cheer by asking everyone to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to a local food pantry.
If you aren’t sure how to pick a charity for your party, research local non-profits and ask about their mission and vision. Once you’ve chosen a few possible organizations, ask them for information about how they spend their donations. You will want to have a thorough understanding of how much of your donation will go to programs versus administrative or “overhead” costs.
Look Ahead to a Successful Party
Fall is the perfect time to bob for apples or make homemade sauerkraut from your homegrown cabbage. In fact, it is an excellent time to plan several different types of fall parties. What it’s not a good time to do is stop being cost and earth-conscious just because you and your closest friends want to celebrate the season. Use these tips to plan your sustainable fall festivities and feel good about the fun you get to have.
