Miss Oprah Winfrey always said is was good to "vent"
....so here I go.....
Just last weekend I styled a sweet Wizard of Oz party on the Gold Coast. Held at a local council park it was the perfect location for a 6 year olds birthday celebration....lovely surrounds, great facilities & an awesome playground!
With 3 parties in the small park that day, it was nice to spend the afternoon surrounded by giggling children, families & friends all celebrating a little person in their lives. Unfortunately amidst the joy, something that really disappointed me was the amount of garbage left behind by other party goers. I was actually quite disgusted to be honest & I have found myself reflecting on this subject it a bit this week.
The party in the gazebo beside ours, left their site in a horrid mess....paper decorations were left waving in the wind, still taped to posts long after their owners had gone, bins overflowed with paper products, cans & bottles; bits of broken balloon could be found on the ground & bags of rubbish were left for council to take care of. Not only did I feel they had disrespected the environment, but also the council & their use of public facilities.
I'll be honest that, when I saw their site, then looked at ours, it gave me a sense of pride to note that we had taken our one small bag of rubbish to the car & left our party site in the same clean & tidy condition we had found it in....
the only footprints we had left behind were those of the guests in the playground sand.
This got me thinking over the next few days about the amount of waste from a few hours of celebrating. What a huge environmental impact parties must make each weekend. As it happened, during the week, I was reading a recent blog by my lovely friend & fellow party gal, Daneve of Ah Tissue, which made me realise I wasn't alone in my thinking about reducing consumables at parties. {Daneves beautiful products are a great example of reusing decorations in the home after they have graced a party - my daughters have a beautiful bunch of them in their room....still looking fabulous a year after the party we used them in}
I had decided early on I would make a conscious decision to be as environmentally "savvy" as possible with my Whimsy Petite events. When shopping for supplies I always keep in the back of my mind whether its an item that can be reused; is made from or can be recycled etc
Lets be realistic.....I style parties, therefore there are going to be consumables, I get that....& I love the variety of beautiful products available to add the sweet touches to soirees these days.
All I am saying is there can be a balance. Beautiful parties don't need to mean bags & bags of rubbish a few hours later. It may mean a little more time preparing, or having to do a few dishes after the event, but I figure its time worth the effort.
So you might be wondering how DO I seek to keep my businesses environmental impact down?
Reuse of fabric table linens
Thoughtful use of reusable jars
Use of timber products {such as cutlery as an alternative to plastics}
Resuable decorations for example -
Fabric Bunting has endless opportunity for reuse
Ah tissue poms - the ideal reusable paper decoration
Fabric decorations add a sweet touch to bedrooms or living areas post party
Reusable melemine ware
Recycled drink bottles
Paper Straws breakdown & wont harm the environment
Don't use disposable plastic ware
Use biodegradable products
Supply quality take home gifts rather than cheap breakable varieties
Cretive packaging that guests can reuse at home
Source, reuse & revamp old props & junkyard finds
Borrow items from family or friends
& the list is continually growing.
So here it is, my little rant ....and the point? When you are next planning a soiree of your own, I challenge you to think outside the square of commercially produced plastic party products...do you really need to use plastic plates, cup & cutlery - can you incorporate decorations which are reusable, or that you can pass on to someone else? Do the thank you gifts you bestow on guests need to be in throw away packaging? Can you provide a general garbage & recycling bin for your guests to use during the event - or are you willing to sort through this yourself? What about using cloth table linen rather than the disposable paper or plastic kind? Will you remove your rubbish from a public area and leave it in a clean and tidy condition for the next park goer to enjoy?
I'd love to share any other creative ideas for environmentally friendly party ideas you might have - please leave your suggestion in the comments below
I hope that my little rant has given some food for thought. Remember together we can make a difference! xx
If you would like inspiration or help in creating a fabulous {environmentally friendly}
soiree of your own, you can contact me about Whimsy Petites event styling services, party packs or inspiration boards.
Have a fun & happy week everyone!
Tash
