Look at your entertaining habits, for example. How much trash do you generate when you host a party? Below are some ideas for reducing waste at your next party:

Do Away with all the Cans and Bottles

Instead of individual sized cans or bottles of soda and water, use decorative glass pitchers or beverage urns to serve beverages in bulk. Offer ice water, lemonade or ice tea, and something a bit more creative, like our Cranberry Peach Sparkler, made with equal parts of white cranberry peach juice from the grocery store and club soda. This option will generate only 3-4 empty bottles.

Use Non-Disposable Service Ware. It breaks my heart to see disposable plates and cups at parties, especially when it is so easy to use the real thing. Even if you don’t have 50 matching plates, it might be worth the investment if you entertain a lot. And if storage is an issue, opt for rentals. In many cases, you can rent a plate, glass, fork, knife, and more for less than 50 cents per item. The best part about rentals is that you don’t have to wash them – just rinse and return.

Use Waste-Free Décor

I love to decorate parties with edibles – whole pomegranates during the holidays or pumpkins in the fall. Jars of dried pasta for an Italian party or colorful hard-boiled eggs for an Easter brunch. Learn to use what you have and what you will consume for your décor and you’ll also get double-duty out of your dollars. And instead of cut flowers for your summer event, try using potted flowers for color and then plant them in your yard after the party.

Choose Your Food Carefully.

Hosting an eco-friendly party is more than avoiding plastic bottles – it also means looking at the foods you serve. Buying locally, for instance, not only helps your local economy, it saves emissions caused by shipping. Take it one step further by cutting out meat. According to a report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 percent more – than transport. It is also a major source of land and water degradation. Additionally, having a meat-free party simplifies your life in a lot of ways: it’s cheaper, healthier, and all of your scraps are compostable.

Use Care with Your Waste Products

Recycle bottles and cans, compost food scraps, and think about where "away" really is before you throw something there. Putting some thought and effort into reducing waste party-over-party not only means a smaller carbon footprint, but cost-savings, as well. And just imagine how classy your event will be without all those tacky paper plates!

From our kitchen to yours, Celebrate Stylishly (and Considerately).

At Party Stylings, we made a commitment to be eco-friendly from the very beginning, and we are proud of the fact that we can produce an event for 100 guests without generating more than a single kitchen trash bag of waste and recycles combined. ◊

"We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."  David Brower

For more information:  Kimberly Kee, owner of Party Stylings can be contacted at 303-814-3159 or kimberlykee@partystylings.com, www.partystylings.com