Top 4 Green Entertaining Tips for Labour Day

By / Magazine / September 4th, 2009 / 1

Want to beat global warming while entertaining?  With the Labour Day long weekend upon us and parties planned all over this great country of ours, we’ve compiled the top 4 tips to help you splurge on your guests without taxing the environment or your wallet. Edith Jakobs, the owner of Toronto-based Opulence Catering has noticed her clients make a concerted move toward what’s best for the environment. Her number one rule when organizing a party is simplicity. Good advice for everyone. Eco entertaining doesn’t require a lot of effort, and it won’t make your pockets bleed dollar bills. All you need is a little imagination and the know-how to hunt down the right products.

#4. Dish It Up

Use your own dishes and wash them with biodegradable soap. If you would rather not use your special flatware and china, choose biodegradable plates and cutlery made from 100 per cent sugar cane fibre. The fibre is renewable and can be recycled or composted.

#3. Organic Décor

Whether you’re hosting a party in your kitchen or on the patio, you can provide some natural ambiance by showcasing locally grown and in season plants. Decorate with vases of delphinium, coneflower, hollyhocks, liatris, gladiolas, hydrangeas, roses, black-eyed susans, coreopsis, sunflowers, daises, snapdragons, lilies and begonias.

#2. The Bar Essentials

Some would argue that the most important part of any party is the bar. Stock your cellar with wine, beer and spirits produced by the artisans living in your area. Choosing products from local purveyors lowers the carbon gas emitted to ship imported alcohol. If you normally buy bottled wine by the case for parties, switch to Tetra Paks. The cartons can all be reprocessed into tissue and they require fewer trucks to ship them. Tetra Paks come in sizes of 1 litre or more compared to the 750 ml glass bottle. Getting more for your money is always a good thing.

#1. Farmers Rule

Visit your local farmers market for fruits and vegetables before the party starts. Locally grown produce has a lower carbon footprint because it hasn’t travelled over a great distance, which also means it’s the freshest and tastiest. Along with the mains that you’ll need to pull your meal together, pick up extra produce to “accessorize” the table, drinks and food. Make a white wine sangria and throw in some seasonal, local fruit such as peaches and berries to add flavour.

“Keep the environment at the top of your mind as you plan for your party, and look for local, organic, recyclable or reusable options,” said Jakobs. “Being wasteful and inconsiderate is intolerable to most Canadians and entertaining is one easy opportunity to reduce our collective footprint on the environment without breaking the bank.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Looking at the small things that make life great and the people who create them.

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