Events are all about extravagance, lavishness, and indulgence. Therefore, it is really difficult to imagine an event or party that is also eco-friendly. Green behaviors and practices are all about reducing consumption and using sustainable and safe resources; so how can you plan an event for throngs of guests and still stay conscious of your impact on the environment? Fortunately, there are many different ways that you can plan and execute a fun and entertaining event, conference, or party, and stay environmentally friendly.
Preparing for Your Eco-friendly Event
The first step is to lay the groundwork for a green event. This means keeping environmentally friendly choices in mind when making ordering and purchasing decisions. By the end of any function, all of the waste bins are typically overflowing with items such as paper cups, paper plates, paper napkins, and paper silverware.
There are two ways that you can counteract this problem. First, you can choose to use reusable dinnerware, which could be provided by a catering service. If this option is too expensive or too difficult, another option is purchasing biodegradable post-consumer content items. Then, set up plenty of recycling bins and be sure to instruct your guests regarding proper recycling procedures.
If you are hosting an outdoor event, or any other event where you might be tempted to provide bottles of water to your guests, forgo the bottles for a water filling station in stead. Discarded water bottles are a major contributing factor to our overflowing landfills today.
Lastly, when ordering food for your event, choose from locally based businesses that use locally grown produce. Locally supplied foods are often much more fresh, free of chemicals and preservatives, and they have the added benefit of not needing to consume large amounts of fuel to be delivered. If you are organizing an event for your company, it can also help your regional reputation to build relationships with these local businesses. Check out your food coop, one of our favorites is the Park Slope Coop.
Post Event Clean Up
One of the most important aspects of an environmentally friendly event is the clean up afterward. Eco-friendly and organic cleaning services are an excellent resource, as they can provide a professional staff that understands the best cleaning techniques and strategies to reduce as much waste as possible.
When cleaning up after your event, you will often need large amounts of cleaning products to clean tables, floors, and chairs. An NYC green cleaning service would have all natural cleaning products that will be safe, effective, and healthy. Cleaning an enclosed space, such as a banquet hall or even your home, with chemical based products can release dangerous toxins into the air, and then cause harmful chemicals to seep into water supplies during disposal, putting many individuals at risk.
An experienced cleaning service can provide organic products that pose no risk to humans or the environment as they help speed the post-event cleaning process. These cleaning services, available in New York, can even help you prepare and plan for your environmentally friendly event to make the entire process even more streamlined and simple.