Earth Day is coming up soon and while you may not necessarily plan to host a big Earth Day celebration, it is a good opportunity for us all to look at our overall impact on the planet and make a few easy changes! I partnered up with Imperfect Produce to bring you a few easy (and tasty) ideas on how to be a little bit more Earth-friendly in your celebrations.

This post is in partnership with Imperfect Produce. All opinions are my own. Imperfect Produce is a delivery company that sources “ugly” produce straight from the farm and delivers it to your door at 30-50% less than grocery store prices. See my spot on KGW’s Portland Today introducing Imperfect Produce below! 

Tips for an Earth Day Celebration

I throw a lot of parties. I have to admit, I’m not always as earth-friendly as I really should be. I’m busy, on a limited budget, and often make choices based on ease, affordability, and effort. However, I also really believe that we each need to do a better job at protecting our limited resources and our home planet!

You know the saying… Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! That isn’t just a thing we repeat in elementary school when we are learning about conservation. Those three little words can help move us toward being better stewards of our earth in areas of adulthood as well. The below tips (based on this saying) can be integrated into ANY celebration to make it more Earth-friendly in easy, affordable, and effortless ways!

Reduce

One of the easiest ways to celebrate while reducing your overall impact is to focus on where you are sourcing your food. Foods that come from close by, are in-season, and ethically sourced all help to reduce the environmental impact of putting that food on your table.

Another option to help reduce is to source your produce from Imperfect Produce, a company that helps reduce food waste. Grocery stores often require stringent requirements of the foods that they purchase because the more appealing those items look, the more likely they are to sell. Imperfect Produce sources the vegetables and fruits that farmers cannot sell to traditional buyers, but are perfectly usable.

Afraid of getting vegetables or fruits you won’t eat? No need! This company is one of the few produce delivery companies that let you select which items you want to include in your box! Bonus? While you reduce your impact on food waste, you’ll also be reducing the impact on your wallet.

Reuse

One of my biggest failures in earth-friendliness is usually using paper products for their easy and customizability. Listen, I’m not going to tell anyone they CAN’T use a paper plate at a party… you’ve got a lot going on to have to worry about that. However, I do recommend–and make efforts to practice– using reusable dishware and napkins as much as possible. It looks beautiful. It doesn’t break under the weight of a plateful of delicious food. It is also better for the planet. If you are hosting a HUGE event and just are not going to deal with reusable dinnerware, I highly recommend getting compostable dinnerware (affiliate link).

Don’t limit your “reuse” to tablewear… reuse home decor as party decor. Use planters as stands for platters or your herbs to decorate! Leftover food from your party? Make sure to reuse what you can for leftovers or perhaps make a tasty breakfast!

Recycle

Finally, once you are done with all the celebrating make sure you are taking the time to recycle things like glass, cans, plastic, etc. Party printables should be thrown in recycling… not the trash! If available, compost your food scraps. Make sure you have out a recycling can during the party so you don’t have to sort through the trash at the end to find bottles or cans.

Need some recipe ideas for Earth Day? Try the ones I created from my latest Imperfect Produce box!

• Mushroom and Leek Tartlets
• Artichoke Dip
• Citrus Tarts

What do you do to help reduce your impact on the planet? Comment below and have a great Earth Day!