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Sustainable 4th of July!

The 4th of July is around the corner! While we love celebrating this festive holiday, it can be tricky to cultivate a fun yet eco-friendly event. Whether you are open for business as usual, throwing a company event for your employees and patrons, or just barbecuing with the family, here are some ideas for adding some green to the red, white, and blue!

• Say no to single-use plastics. Invest in reusable plates, cups, and utensils for your celebrations. If you must use disposable foodware, opt for BPI Certified Compostable products.
• Save money and time by reusing! Rather than going out and purchasing all new decorations to make your business or home look festive, utilize decor you already have to liven things up. No need to purchase single-use plastic streamers and balloons. Those red Christmas bows? Colored lights from Halloween? Perfect!
  • Check out this great blog post from Onya with more zero-waste party ideas!
• Grill smarter. If your business or family plans on grilling this year, opt to use an electric or propane grill rather than a charcoal grill to have a lesser environmental impact
• Avoid food waste. Plan for the number of attendees in order to purchase the right amount of (locally sourced if you can!) food for your event. For help gauging this, use a portion planner such as this one from Love Food Hate Waste!
• Mix things up. Fireworks contribute chemicals, smoke, and litter into the atmosphere (not to mention the fire risk!). Rather than trying to set off your own display, either find an alternative event like a parade or go to a professionally coordinated fireworks show.
• Don’t forget the trash! With everything happening, it can be easy to forget to set up proper waste stations at events and parties. Pre-plan and set up clear stations for landfill and recycling waste (and food waste if your jurisdiction accepts it separately) to set yourself up for success!