No matter what your team colors are, it’s a good thing to be green when you’re having a Super Bowl Party (or really any kind of get together with friends and family). Here are some tips for making your get togethers more environmentally friendly.
Choose homemade over prepackaged.
You know those greasy, cheesy pizza boxes can’t go in your recycling, so why order pizza? Making your snacks from scratch means you don’t have all that packaging to dispose of, and let’s face it, they usually taste better too. Too much work? Opt for a potluck-style where everyone brings a dish. It’s a great way to share the work and get new ideas and recipes.
Ditch the Styrofoam plates.
To be green, it’s best to avoid single-use items like disposable plates, silverware and cups. Your best option is to use what you already have in your kitchen (or buy reusable plastic dishes if you’re worried about breakage), but that means doing dishes. That’s fine if you have some kids who need chores to keep them busy, but if dishes aren’t your thing and you don’t have any free labor, at least make better choices for disposables. Choose materials you know are accepted in your normal recycling collection or paper items that will be made into renewable energy in a Granger landfill. Or go crazy and get some compostable dishes and cups made from sugar cane or corn syrup.
Decorate the green way.
We’re not talking about using green streamers here. Invest in some reusable decorations, like cloth or vinyl tablecloths in your team colors, instead of using disposable plastic. If you’re crafty or good at sewing, make your own tablecloths, banners or streamers and use them over and over.
Use ALL the food.
That doesn’t mean you have to stuff yourself until you’re uncomfortable. But if you know all the leftovers won’t get eaten by you and your dog, have reusable containers on hand to divvy the leftovers up and send them home with your guests. Or contact a local soup kitchen to see if anything can be donated.
Make recycling visible.
Even if you normally keep your recycling container in the garage or the basement, be sure there’s a container right next to the trash can in your kitchen to make it convenient (and remind people) that many of the items can be recycled. If you want to avoid sorting through the recycling later, be sure to post a sign with acceptable items (based on what’s at your party) near the bin. Recycling guidelines aren’t always the same everywhere or with every company, so even if your friends and family recycle at home, they might not know the rules for your collection.
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