Your engagement party is meant to be a memorable celebration that commemorates the union between you and your significant other, and it includes many elements, such as decorations, paper goods, and food. Unfortunately, unrecycled goods, excess food wastage, and leftover flowers can negatively influence the environment.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), mismanaged trash can lead to habitat, chemical, biological, and human impacts. Trash can travel throughout the world's rivers and oceans, and debris can harm physical habitats, transports chemical pollutants, and interfere with human uses of rivers, among many other things. Engagement parties that neglect the adverse impacts of mismanaged trash can contribute vastly to environmental harm. But that doesn't mean you must sacrifice critical elements that make your engagement party successful.
The key to hosting an environmentally conscious party is being mindful of how each element influences the earth and planning a sustainable or eco-friendly event. Consider the following tips to throw a successful party without leaving a huge carbon footprint.
Send Eco-Friendly Invitations
The invitations you send out to your family and friends are an important element of your engagement party as it provides the details of your event. Unfortunately, many invitation cards harm the environment as it requires you to cut down trees for production. More than 200 million trees are cut down daily to make paper, which means a tree is cut down every 2.5 seconds. On the other hand, some of your guests may not appropriately recycle the invitations and toss them in the garbage, leading to further harm.
You can choose eco-friendly invitations, such as recycled paper or alternative materials like upcycled fabrics and wood for your invitation, and encourage your guests to discard the cards appropriately. Opting for online invitations is an even better way to reduce the risk of environmental harm. Many platforms offer beautiful templates and the option to customize your card based on your preferences. This requires no paper and can also save you the cost of printing multiple cards.
Shop for Lab Created Diamond Rings
Lab created diamonds are an ideal centre stone option for couples who want to celebrate their engagement without negatively influencing the environment. They are visually, molecularly, and chemically identical to mined diamonds, but the only difference between the two is their origin. Lab diamonds have the same durability and hardness (10 out of 10) as mined diamonds, allowing you to reduce your carbon footprint without compromising on quality.
Reach out to a reputable jeweler that offers custom lab created diamond engagement rings and create a design based on your style and budget. Leading laboratories create lab diamonds by mimicking the process that creates earth-mined diamonds, which involves extreme heat and pressure. However, since the process does not require mining, the earth is left undisturbed to create the stone, making it a sustainable choice. Like mined diamonds, lab created diamonds can be cut into a range of shapes and sizes, so you can create a beautiful ring while protecting the earth.
Pick a Sustainable Party Venue
A great way to shrink your engagement party's carbon footprint is by choosing a venue that prioritizes sustainability. Many venues are taking sustainability seriously to meet shifting consumer demand. This has a lot to do with Generation Z and Millennials, who proactively stance on climate change. A study found that 39 percent of Generation Z and 42 percent of Millennials are willing to pay for sustainability, including event venues. So, forward-thinking event venues are making necessary changes to their venues to build relationships with younger clients.
Consider using resources that enable you to assess the sustainability or eco-friendliness of a building or party venue. This involves identifying event spaces with LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certifications and Energy Star ratings. Other aspects that indicate the sustainability of a building are the materials used in production (i.e., recyclable materials) and renewable energy sources.
Be Conscious of Floral Arrangement Choices
Flower arrangements are a beautiful addition to an engagement party. However, there are better choices than fresh-cut flowers for the environment. The good news is you don't have to give up on flower décor to host an eco-friendly party.
Many excellent sustainable alternatives to fresh-cut flowers can add the same beauty and elegance to your special day. Some options include potted flowers, such as spray roses, orchids, and artificial or faux flowers. You can reuse artificial flowers to liven up your home or elevate your home garden, reducing wastage and eliminating the need to cut fresh flowers. However, it's important to note that you must properly collect and recycle or use the plastic artificial flowers to prevent them from ending up in landfills with other garbage.
Minimize Food Waste
Food is a common denominator in every engagement party, and it plays a critical role in the success or failure of an event. So, many hosts tend to emphasize the menu and offer a diverse menu with a wide range of food options. Although this is a great way to show your guest you care about their satisfaction, it can also lead to food waste, especially if people take a lot of things on their plate and do not consume all of them.
Food waste is a significant problem as it has many economic costs. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food waste is estimated at 30-40 percent of the food supply. It is also the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills, where it emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Wasted food also misuses the resources used to grow, produce, and distribute that food to consumers.
Reduce your party's carbon footprint by creating a menu with a limited number of popular items and only ordering food for the number of attendees. Although it is a good idea to order a few extra meals in case people show up with unexpected guests, ordering excessive food will lead to wastage. You can donate any leftover food to charity or shelters to avoid waste.
When your party is over, compose the remains, such as food scraps and napkins, to avoid them from going into the garbage and ending up in landfills.
Throwing an eco-friendly engagement party requires some work, but its benefits outweigh potential inconveniences. Take the initiative to incorporate sustainable elements into your party and encourage your guests to follow in your footsteps for future events.
