Whether you are traveling this Fourth of July or spending time with friends in your home town here a few tips to make your holiday celebration more eco-friendly!
1. Enjoy the Outdoors
Hopefully you will be enjoying this holiday celebration outside. By taking the party outdoors you can reduce the amount of energy used and cut the energy costs of utilizing indoor facilities.
2. Eat Local
Consider hitting the farmer’s market this weekend and purchasing locally grown organic food to cook on the Fourth. Locally grown and organic foods are not only good for you but the environment too, as they help reduce chemicals used in processed foods and pollution caused by transportation that is necessary to ship non-local food products.
3. Avoid Using at Home Fireworks
Fireworks are definitely not environmentally friendly. They contain hazardous chemicals that pollute the atmosphere. Avoid doing fireworks at home this Fourth of July and head to your local beach or park to enjoy a nearby fireworks show. You may want to consider talking to your local officials about more eco-friendly fireworks, or fireworks alternatives.
4. Grill Greener
It is estimated that 60 million barbeques are used on the Fourth of July alone, consuming enough energy in the form of charcoal, lighter fluid, gas, and electricity to power 20,000 households for a year. Grilling is not a green activity, though there are several ways to make the activity a little less harmful. Natural gas barbeques are considerably less harmful to the environment and you can buy organic or natural charcoal instead of traditional ones to decrease the negative impact of grilling. Here are some more green grilling tips.
5. Use Washable Dishes
Avoid using landfill-bound plastic plates and utensils. Non recyclable plastic food containers are detrimental to environment, remaining for hundreds of years and often littering beaches and parks. Try to use washable dishes for your Fourth of July party or picnic. If you plan on using paper plates purchase dishware and silver that is made from recycled materials.
6. Don’t Buy Water Bottles
Most plastic water bottles are simply thrown away, not recycled, causing a huge negative impact on our planet. Instead of offering your guests plastic water bottles, have reusable cups and water stored in a large container. If you are not the party host bring a reusable water bottle with you for your Fourth of July activities.
7. Recycle
Fourth of July parties are sure to have soda and beer. Be sure to provide your guests with a recycle bin somewhere to put their empty cans and recyclable products.
8. Reuse
If you are using non recyclable products for a Fourth of July party, such as decorations and tablecloths, try to reuse them. Use decorations from last year and be sure to save the table cloth for future summer parties.
9. Bike or Walk
Bike or walk to the party, beach, or wherever you will be spending the Fourth. If your destination is too far, then carpool with friends of family.
10. Ecotourism
If you are traveling this Fourth of July, whether you are enjoying a vacation at a lake house or relaxing at a beach cottage, be sure to stay at an eco lodge that has initiatives in place to minimize the property’s impact on the environment.
