Mmm: An organic, local cheese tray. Photo by Magical Moments Photography.
Your food choices every day have an environmental impact, but they have an even larger one when you entertain guests. Here are a few ideas for how to green your special event’s food and beverages.
The most environmentally friendly choice is to serve food and drink from local sources. It is also important to serve organic food and drink, where it is available. Meat, dairy products, and eggs have more adverse environmental consequences than fruits and vegetables.
A truly sustainable meal is an organic, local, vegan meal, but that is not the only choice! Opting for organic, local food, including meat or fish, will provide your guests with a tasty meal that has a lesser environmental impact than a meal that is trucked in from distant conventional farms. Choosing either organic or local is also a way to make your celebration more sustainable.
Whatever you serve, arrange to have the leftovers picked up by the local food bank instead of going into the trash. Check your local ordinances first, though. Not every municipality permits re-serving of prepared food.
Greening your meal is easiest if you can choose a caterer who will make environmentally friendly choices. If the caterer composts food waste and recycles as much as possible, that will have a positive effect. Also, consider renting dishes instead of using disposables and finding a rental company close to your event location to minimize trucking time. If you must use disposables, use compostable disposables and be sure that they are composted afterwards. And you can reduce waste and save money at the same time by serving beer in returnable kegs instead of in bottles or cans.
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