Happy (almost) New Year...and new decade! With the new year comes an exciting metaphor for change. Lots of people are excited to make resolutions to change their lives for the better, but old habits aren’t the only thing left behind when the ball drops at midnight — so is waste. Heaps and heaps of waste. Think: abandoned disposable drink bottles, micro-plastic-ridden confetti, balloons, trash, food, etc.
Why not start making positive changes before this year ends by being intentional about reducing your party waste? With a few simple swaps, you can throw a fantastic shindig that leaves your party guests feeling excited, inspired, and even activated!
Start with electronic invites
Picture it: you mail out a paper party invitation. The recipient grabs it from the mail, gets excited, rsvp’s, and puts a reminder in their phone. What do they do next? Yep — toss the invite in the trash. Save everyone time and money, and save a few trees at the same time by just sending out electronic invites. Bonus: Include a reminder to delete the email because the Internet is physical, or even better, invite in person in the old school, face-to-face way!Arrange a rideshare among those attending the party
How we move is directly related to climate change and air pollution, so helping your friends get to a destination with minimal impacts is a great way to reduce waste. This could even be a fun way for your friends to make new like-minded friends on the way to the party. Bonus: Include public transit options in the invite, or if you live relatively close to each other, figure out a way for walking meetups to happen!Prepare a delicious plant-based menu
Food is the biggest daily impact in our lives, but you can throw an amazing party with low-impact food choices. Swap proteins for plant-based options, buy from the bulk section at your local co-op or market, and try to find produce from a local source. Bonus: Ask people to bring containers in case there are leftovers to take home with them.Ditch disposables
Parties are notorious for being packed with disposables — plates, forks, straws, napkins, bottles, individual food packaging— the average party is a plastic nightmare. But the good news is that is there a reusable swap for all your party needs. There are lots of ideas here in our Post Disposable Activation Kit to help you get started. Bonus: If you’re making party gifts, see what you can give that is an experience instead of stuff, or find other unique zero-waste gifts.DIY your decor
Say no to disposable confetti, garlands, tinsel, paper decorations, and balloons by instead getting creative and crafty to make your own decor. Use fresh flowers or food dishes to add some color to your table, and throw some birdseed outside instead of confetti to keep the festive vibe going. Bonus: Re-purpose what you already have around the house to decorate, and make it reusable for next yearServe up sustainable sparkling drinks
We all know that midnight traditionally brings clanking champagne flutes filled with bubbly goodness. But mass producing champagne of course has environmental impacts, so try to find some made with locally-grown grapes. For an alcohol-free option, have some glass bottles of sparkling juice made from locally-grown apples on hand! Bonus: If you or a friend have a seltzer maker, use that instead of buying bottles of fizzy mix.Kindly find ways of engaging with others who may not be quite there yet when it comes to disposables and waste-filled celebrations
It’s highly likely that everyone at your party won’t be where you are on your sustainability journey, and some people might even think you are *gasp* weird for having actual plates and veggie-centric food. Start thinking now about how you can mitigate their questions in a kind way that might spark their curiosity, or how you might even start a conversation around this topic! Bonus: Read this article by Leyla to help you reframe how you view frustration to prep for these convos.Be a rebel and break from the status quo by making up your own friend traditions that are more about giving back and having a positive impact.
New year, new you? How about “new year, new creative ways to make change” instead? Okay, maybe not as catchy and probably won’t be used in an email subject line anytime soon, but why not flip this from an individual-centric resolution to a positive impact plan that can affect your community and the world at large? Maybe even brainstorm one day a month that you and your changemaking squad rally and make positive change in your community! The sky is the limit here, so have fun thinking of creative ideas. Bonus: Exchange hugs with all your party guests at midnight. Hugs boost your endorphins, which all changemakers need!Instead of just hangovers, send your guests home with challenges to activate their agency and get positive things done this year.
Party favors are out, ways to level up are in. Create an easy-to-do list of things that can make an immediate positive impact in your community (Go plogging! Make a #meatlessmonday meal! Grow your own herbs! Organize a clothing swap!). Write ideas on a piece of paper (that you are reusing, of course), and send one suggestion home with everyone as a fun way to start 2020 on a positive note. Bonus: Share one of our free courses or toolkits with them.Plan a check-in with your friends to help each other keep your creative-changemaking resolutions.
How many times do we go into the new year with the best of intentions, only to fall off the wagon a few months into the year after the lull of normalcy has resumed and our old habits take over? It happens to the best of us, so set up a plan for (fun!) accountability in advance. Plan a changemaking day, a positive impact meetup, or even just an e-mail exchange to see how everyone’s doing with making change. Bonus: Throw another party a few months down the road and follow steps 1-9 all over again!
What’s your anatomy of action for 2020? Tell us in our LinkedIn group for creative changemakers, and reminder: if you’re signing up for one of our certification tracks, you can get the first month FREE (but only through January 4, so hurry) Just use the code ACTIVATING2020 when you register, and month one of any one of the tracks will be free.
