In tune with the body and nature
The conscious move to eco-friendly food parties is seen as both a healthy and planet-friendly choice. While the organisation may appear daunting, it’s the little conscious acts that make a difference. Making small changes in everyday life costs little in the way of sacrifice but they do greatly help the environment. It’s also a subtle way of showing others that it can be done without making huge lifestyle changes.
No waste
All eco-friendly food parties start with an invitation and the most ecological method is by email or text message with an image attachment. Alternatively, you can get creative by using materials you have at home, such as newspapers and magazines, pieces of fabric and ribbons, cutting them out and assembling them into collages. The aim is to give free rein to creativity by recycling and reusing. You can apply the same method to decorations. Most people prefer using disposable tableware. Obviously, the classic plastic tableware is a no-no in eco-friendly food parties; instead, use forks and spoons in compostable wood and biodegradable plates and glasses. Write the name of each guest to avoid further waste. The good news is that all that yummy food is better served on these types of plates than on plastic ones. The ability to recycle is good for the planet is as it creates less waste. Depending on the number of people that are going to attend, you could ask them to bring their own plate from home, further solidifying the idea of eco-friendliness.
Go local
Eco-friendly food parties should ideally be provided with delicious meals that are locally sourced. You can opt to prepare all the dishes for your guests and grab the title of an eco-friendly master chef. The ideal is to choose local seasonal ingredients to have healthy and fresh foods with minimal environmental impact. Choose appetisers, snacks and finger food that require less preparation time as they consume less energy. However, cooking is not the only way to have food in eco-friendly food parties. Ordering in from local restaurants and then picking up the food is another means of having a party with the environment in mind. If you take the philosophy of eco-friendly food parties seriously, you should worry about reducing dishes with meat. A flexitarian menu would be ideal: you can offer lots of fruit skewers, grilled vegetables, falafel and hummus as they often have low sugar and fats. As for the drinks, the ideal is to avoid sugar and caffeine. Choose fruit smoothies with plenty of water and cold or hot teas depending on the season. There are many recipes; for example, why not try pumpkin and chocolate muffins, puffed rice cakes and cocoa or grandmother’s carrot tart? These are a delicious addition, especially since eco-friendly food parties are about health for both the body and the planet.
Games and entertainment
To animate the party there is nothing better than being inspired by creative recycling! All you need is recycled materials, vinyl glue and rounded tip scissors. If you are lucky enough to organize an outdoor party then fun games can be the party clincher, especially tug-of-war, treasure hunt, hide and seek and pin the tail on the donkey. Make sure not to forget the smashing staple of many eco-friendly food parties – a pinata. What to do with food leftovers? You can reuse all the ingredients to create new dishes or organise a post-party the next day for a small circle of family and friends. Savouring the pleasurable satisfaction of sharing and caring with your loved ones and taking pride in being environmentally friendly is a reward of its own.
