Earth-Friendly Ways to Celebrate The 4th of July
Garden grill parties are a ton of fun to throw and make the best memories! That being said, we must admit that parties and big celebratory meals can lead to excess waste—the amount of food tossed nationwide actually increases around the holidays.
At Kvaroy Arctic, our mission is to support families to live more sustainably and in harmony with the environment. One of the ways to achieve this is by taking an honest look at our waste bins. By analyzing what we find there, we can try to reimagine new, Earth-friendly ways in which we can all celebrate.
Throwing a low-waste 4TH OF JULY party is 100% possible, nor does it require a lot more work.
Here are easy ideas on how (and as added bonus, these can be be even cost-effective in the long term!):
The party:
Send digital invites or invitations printed on plantable, compostable, or recycled paper.
Say “no” to single-use plates! Instead, invest in reusable and sturdy enamel plates that you can reuse every year. Another option is to choose compostable ones—just remember to throw them away at the proper places for composting.
Forget about the paper napkins and create your own custom cloth napkins by repurposing old t-shirts and sheets—this makes for a fun kids’ project.
Tap into your imagination and reimagine creative alternatives that can replace the disposable decorations with something more sustainable— flowers, beeswax candles, handmade garlands, maybe even reuse your Christmas lights decoration!
Skip the straws, the balloons, and even the fireworks. Choose metal straws that you can use literally forever, compostable eco-confetti, reusable kites, soap water balloons or water pistols, frisbees, and other reusable fun outdoor games.
The food:
Follow the climatarian diet and choose more fruit and veggies for garnishes, desserts, and even decoration.
Replace some of your meat meals with healthy, omega-3 rich, and sustainable fish products such as our salmon hot dogs and burgers, which were created with your health and the environment in mind!
Try to buy more local products and choose those with less or non plastic packaging.
Be mindful of your leftover food before you throw it away in the trash. You can compost the ones that can’t be repurposed, and you can create various meals on the next few days by utilizing the leftovers.
Make croutons from all those buns and hamburgers that your party guests couldn’t eat; stir-fry the remaining veggies and meats; create frittatas with the very last bit of veggies, meats, cheeses, and herbs in one earth-shatteringly yummy pan—the options are easy and endless!
After the party:
Invite your kids and guests to help with the after-party cleaning. Make sure that you clean and put away everything that can be reused, and it will be ready when you need it for your next family party!
