We’ve made a lot of changes this season in our household on our journey towards lowering our waste. When I decided to throw this year’s Galentine’s Day party, I knew that sustainability was something I wanted to focus on. Throwing parties generally creates a lot of waste, so today I’m sharing details from our eco-friendly Galentine’s Day party in hopes of inspiring you to do the same! Always remember that small changes collectively add up to big changes; so wherever you are in your journey, keep it up!

Opt for environmentally-friendly invitations

I’ll start with the easiest way to reduce your paper waste, since invitations are likely to end up in the trash after events have passed. I really love the concept and process of sending digital invitations and recommend using services where you can receive and keep track of RSVPS through an app or website. If you’d prefer to send out physical invitations, I love the idea of printing them on plantable seed paper or some sort of recycled materials and taking RSVPS electronically. There are also so many great alternatives that you can use in place of any paper goods you may need for your party- one of my favorites is to write on and use nature items as food tags.

Decorate with natural elements

Disposable party decorations such as balloons and plastic banners are a huge source of waste. Opt for nature-based decorations such as plants and flowers that can either be given away to your guests at the end or composted. I’m a huge believer in the idea of using what you have, so a majority of my parties have been decorated solely with pieces that I already have in my collection or items from our home that we actually use on a daily basis. If you get creative, it’s easy to mix and match pieces to create a new look each time. Things I always recommend keeping an eye out for when you’re building your collection are vases, baskets and artwork/picture frames. For our Galentine’s, I tasked one of my bests to style some greenery above the food table and chose to hang a simple branch over the mimosa bar.

Invest in serving pieces that you can reuse

Invest in reusable serving pieces such as plates, bowls, jars and cake stands- these are great pieces to add to your collection since they’re versatile and you’ll use them again and again. Look for pieces in neutral colors and styles that can be easily styled for any theme. Thrift stores, antique shops or shopping post-holiday sales is a great way to build your collection and some of my favorite one-of-a-kind pieces are thrift and vintage finds. My favorite recent addition is definitely these yogurt jars, since we have been planning to make our own yogurt soon anyways so I felt okay buying something new. You can find them here! My go-to tablecloths are a couple linen ones that I made myself, as well as this one from Gathre.

Cut down on food waste

Our Galentines was potluck style, so each person was asked to bring a dish. I love this option for small gatherings because it really helps to cut down on food waste since everyone is more intentional with what they bring. At the end, everyone was also encouraged to bring food home, since having too much leftover food is an issue that we have a lot after gatherings. You can also ask your guests to bring their own reusable containers with them so you won’t have to worry about providing them. If I’m hosting a party where I’ll be providing the food, I always try to source food and ingredients locally. Sourcing seasonal, fresh and local ingredients consumes the least amount of energy and is always the best way to go.

Switch from disposable to reusable

One of the biggest ways that you can cut down on waste is actually to cut out disposable and single-use items such as plates, cups, napkins and cutlery when hosting. Although it is convenient, using single-use tableware generates a lot of waste. I know what you’re thinking- isn’t plastic recyclable? You’d be surprised to learn that a lot of plastic is actually not easily recyclable, so your disposable items are likely to pile up in landfills and spill into our oceans where they will take hundreds of years to break down. For a majority of events hosted at home such as a Galentine’s Day party, making the swap from disposable to reusable is completely doable! Hit up your local thrift stores for plates, cups, silverware and vintage linens that can be washed and used again and again. The initial investment will save you money in the long run. If you’re hosting a large party or for any reason need to go disposable, opt for biodegradable options made from renewable or recycled materials. The collection of vintage plates, cups and utensils that I use for hosting parties at home is one that I’ve pieced together from past events – Thanksgiving dinners, birthday parties, etc. I store them away carefully in our garage in-between parties and pick up pieces from thrift and antique stores throughout the year. We recently made the complete switch to cloth napkins at home, so I provided those for our guests to use as well.

Make recycling and composting easy and convenient

Anything is achievable with a little bit of planning! Set out bins for waste ahead of time and add labels to the bins to make things clear and easy for your guests. I set out a bin for compost, recycle and for dirty napkins. This is also a great opportunity to teach guests that aren’t familiar with what can be recycled and composted. If you don’t compost at home you can always take your food scraps and green waste to a local compost drop-off location or place them in the green waste bin that goes out with your trash. Not everything can be composted, so make sure you familiarize yourself with the guidelines beforehand. This isn’t a perfect system and you may still have some things end up in the trash that shouldn’t be there, but I find that if things are accessible and convenient they are more likely to get done.

Choose low-waste party activities

Setting up activities for parties is definitely my favorite part of hosting. The main activity that we had at our Galentines party was a DIY flower bar, where everyone was able to make their own flower arrangement. Guests were asked to bring their favorite vase or were invited to use one of the recycled jars I’ve been collecting. I sourced all of the flowers locally and did my best to purchase seasonal, locally grown or fair trade certified flowers. This was a great low-waste option for a party activity since I was able to use the flowers and greenery for both decor and then guests were able to bring something home with them. I had a bunch of flowers leftover after the party which I then brought to Elliot’s school this morning to give out.

Give eco-conscious party favors

I’ll be honest, I was just looking for an excuse to make and give these fun valentines out. To make them yourself, simply stamp your message onto a recyclable piece of cardstock or cardboard, punch two holes and thread a piece of twine through the holes to attach your straw. I’m a big fan of activities where you get to take something home at the end, so we also made these fun Valentine’s themed chocolate covered pretzels. Set up a DIY station for your guests by setting out bowls of melted chocolate for dipping and sprinkles. To make the pink chocolate, add a few drops of pink gel food coloring to white chocolate after melting.