Sustainable Event Planning – Powerful Daily Green Habits I Adopted for an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle – Series 8

Welcome to series 8 of my Daily Green Habits blog posts!

When planning an event, I never thought about the amount of waste it would generate. I was just too happy to hold the most colorful, enjoyable, and easy-to-arrange events. Words like sustainable event planning were not even in my dictionary. But this was well a few years ago.

It was a few years ago when I was helping a friend to clean up the place after a party and I saw the amount of plastic waste it generated, it was a real eye-opener. It was during that cleanup activity I asked myself “How to plan a sustainable event with biodegradable products?”. This was a question that kept me awake for a few nights as it was not just a one-time thing that you can go and order and you are done with. It’s a huge ball game altogether, I have to change not only my mindset but also the ideology of the friends with whom I generally work.

I hold a party almost every other month, it would range from various events like birthday parties, anniversaries, 4^th of July, Thanksgiving, and simply just a weekend get-together. If I was not holding, I would be attending some or the other party every weekend.

Almost all the parties would have 20+ people and disposable cutlery, and favors were the major
source of plastic waste we were generating. Looking at that massive amount of disposable waste, the only question came to mind was “How to reduce plastic waste in event planning with eco-friendly options?” and I started looking for the best biodegradable alternatives for event planning.

I have broken down the major items of sustainable event planning in my post 10 Creative and Sustainable Party Ideas for an Eco-Friendly Celebration.

Eco-friendly Sustainable Event Planning Tips Using Biodegradable Cutlery

Just a little search on the internet showed me several options to replace my disposable plastic cutlery with a biodegradable one. Switching to biodegradable cutlery is one of the simplest and most effective ways to make your event more sustainable. Here are some practical tips to incorporate these eco-friendly choices into your sustainable event planning:

• Choose the Right Materials: When selecting biodegradable cutlery, out of various materials available, I select the option based on the composting available. If the number of people attending the event is more and I need to reach out to industrial composting I will opt for corn starch or Bamboo cutlery. Still, if the people are fewer, I opt for palm leaf and sugarcane cutlery as I compose them in my house composting unit itself. I always prefer Palm Leaf cutlery as this gets composed very easily in any setup.

• Plan for Proper Disposal: I ensure to put the waste bins in clear view at all my parties, this helps all my guests also to dispose of the cutlery in the correct bins. It also makes them inquisitive to know more about the biodegradable cutlery. I always encourage guests to compost or recycle the cutlery. I also keep the information about industrial composting units readily available to encourage them.

• Pair with Biodegradable Plates and Cups: For a fully eco-friendly setup, use biodegradable or compostable plates, cups, and napkins alongside your cutlery. This creates a cohesive, sustainable theme throughout the event and helps minimize overall waste. You can create the entire table setup using the biodegradable cutlery.

• Buy in Bulk to Reduce Packaging Waste: When purchasing biodegradable cutlery, try to buy in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging waste. I generally buy from Amazon and get it delivered without any plastic packaging. You can also look for suppliers offering eco-friendly packaging or reusable bulk containers to limit your environmental impact.
• Source Locally: Whenever possible, source your biodegradable cutlery from local suppliers to cut down on transportation emissions. This supports local businesses while further reducing your event’s carbon footprint. You can find several small businesses providing this biodegradable cutlery made easily at a very small plant without many chemicals. This also helps support the local small businesses.

You can read all about biodegradable cutlery in my post “5 Brilliant Reasons to Switch to Biodegradable Cutlery – Your Eco-Friendly Party Hero!”.

Sustainable Event Planning – Zero-waste Event Ideas with Eco-friendly Party Favor

I was always confused about “What to do with the useless plastic stuff we get as favors at parties”, especially at kid parties. I have seen several of my friends in the same boat and together we were getting frustrated with all the plastic junk being circulated. Kids will get excited for a few minutes maximum for a few hours and then it will just be lying and gathering dust.

It was the frustration that got me thinking about hosting a zero-waste party favor for my younger one’s birthday party.

My zero-waste party favors or eco-friendly party favors were an instant hit among all the kids and parents alike. Most of my party favors are either made by kids themselves with eco-friendly material or something they can be consumed without any leftovers. If none of these are viable options, my best bet goes towards books or something made of wood and I cute note written by my younger one about reusing and recycling.

Parents don’t need to worry about keeping the stuff and kids are genuinely happy as they love what I give. I not only started this culture but have also inspired several of my friends and extended family to follow the same.

You can read all about zero-waste party favors in my post “10 Delightful Zero-Waste Party Favors That Will Wow Your Guests”. This post contains favor ideas about kid’s parties and even for grown-up parties.

Sustainable Event Planning – Other Things to Consider for Sustainable Event

Cutlery and party favors were my biggest waste generators in all parties. Once these were sorted I felt on top of the world and almost my plastic waste after the event has already gone down by less than 50%.

After hosting quite a few parties with biodegradable cutlery and zero-waste favors, I started paying attention to other plastic waste from my events. This waste was mainly from invitations, decorations, lights, etc. These were not so easy to handle, and I still have a long way to go, but I can proudly say that plastic waste from my events is down to 20-30% compared to a few years ago.

You can check out my post “10 Brilliant Zero Waste Event Ideas for a Greener Future” to learn more about the changes I made to reduce this much of plastic waste.

I warmly invite you to share your own inspiring and powerful daily green habits that contribute to a healthier planet in the comments section below. I believe that we can all learn from each other, and I’m genuinely eager to hear about the eco-friendly practices you’ve been following. Your experiences could offer fresh perspectives and practical tips for everyone in this community, including myself. Every single day, I make it a point to seek out new strategies or ways to reduce waste and minimize my environmental footprint, with the ultimate goal of leaving this planet better than I found it. By sharing our knowledge and habits, we can collectively make a greater impact.

FAQ

I always feel more comfortable reading any post if I get answers to the most frequently asked questions also on the same page. That’s the reason I try my best to answer as many questions as possible in my posts. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I found on Google, pls read on.

• Why is a sustainability plan needed?
  • A sustainability plan enables a business to minimize its ecological footprint, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote responsible resource management. By adopting sustainable practices, companies contribute to the protection of ecosystems, biodiversity, and overall environmental health.
• What are the four principles of event sustainability?
  • Four Principles of Event Sustainability
    • Conservation of resources, including water, energy and natural resources.
    • Waste management.
    • Carbon emissions reduction and management.
    • Supply chain management and responsible purchasing.
• What are the 5 P’s of sustainable event planning?
  • To simplify this intricate process, the “5 Ps of Event Planning”—Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and People—serve as a foundational framework to guide event planners through event development and execution.
• How to build a sustainable event?
  • Eliminate single-use plastics.
  • Organize waste management and onsite recycling.
  • Encourage public transport use or ride-shares.
  • Choose local/seasonal food, donate leftover foods and provide more sustainable catering.
  • Opt for eco-friendly swag, prizes and giveaways.
• What does sustainability mean in event?
  • Definition for sustainable event planning: Sustainability for events means taking action towards preserving our natural environment; promoting a healthy, inclusive society; and supporting a thriving economy. The Principles for Sustainable Events address all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• What is the concept of sustainability within events?
  • Sustainable events: events efficiently utilizing available resources (human resources, infrastructure and funds), thereby being self-sustaining without, or, in the case of externalities, with a minimum of, public sector support.
• What are the three pillars of sustainability activity?
  • The concept of sustainable development is named after the Brundtland report, which reported sustainable consumption in developed countries. Sustainable development is based on three fundamental pillars: social, economic and environmental.
• What is a sustainable event?
  • Sustainability in event management incorporates socially and environmentally responsible decision making into the planning, organization and implementation of, and participation in, an event.
• What are the goals of sustainable events?
  • Sustainable event management aims to reduce the event’s carbon footprint by minimizing waste generation, conserving energy and water, promoting sustainable transportation, and using environmentally friendly products and materials.
• What are the 3rs of sustainable event management?
  • At the heart of sustainable event planning are the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This mantra should guide every decision we make, from the initial planning stages to the post-event activities. Reduce: Aim to minimize waste and unnecessary consumption.
• How do you throw a sustainable party?
  • Throwing an eco-conscious party is all about minimizing waste and maximizing fun. Start by sending out digital invites to save paper. For decorations, think reusable or biodegradable; cloth banners and potted plants can add a festive touch without adding to the landfill. Opt for reusable plates, cups, and utensils.
• What are some sustainability ideas?
  • Use reusable bags.
  • Purchase reusable straws.
  • Use reusable containers when packing a meal.
  • Ask for no plasticware, straws, or condiments.
  • Invest in a reusable water bottle.
  • Get yourself a reusable coffee cup.
  • Ditch those paper towels!
  • Compost in your kitchen.

You can read our other posts here.