Eco-Friendly Eventing

Fun Shouldn’t Cost the Earth: DIY Eco-Friendly Event

Written by Jenny Holt            Photo by Abigail Keenan

In the U.S., there are around 155 national forests located across 42 states. That’s almost 190 million acres! With all this beautiful green space, it’s not surprising that so many fun events are held outdoors. Outdoor events are a wonderful experience, especially when the weather is warm and the sun is shining. You can get beautiful pictures, and there’s plenty of space for everyone to enjoy themselves out in the fresh air. Even during the colder months, outdoor events can still be great fun for everybody.

If you want to organize an event in one of America’s beautiful forests, woodlands, or green spaces, you must give consideration to the area in which your event will be held. It’s not enough to plan just for your guests and the entertainment. You need to ensure that your eco-friendly event respects the natural environment. Don’t spoil it for other people!

Sustainable Event

Your eco-friendly event should have as little an environmental impact as possible. This can start from the very beginning with invitations, flyers, and tickets. In this modern digital age, do you really need them to be printed? If you do, make sure they are printed on recycled material, and afterwards the can be recycled again. When it comes to providing drinks, use a large water dispenser instead of a number of smaller bottles. In addition, encourage people to car share to minimize the number of vehicles on the road. If you are providing food, then perhaps think about sourcing locally grown organic food. Always recycle and compost as much as possible afterwards.

It’s worth remembering that the average American produces 4.3 pounds of trash every day!  That is 1.6 pounds more than in 1960. This waste contributes to just over half of the 220 million tons of trash dumped into landfill sites. Do you really want to be contributing to that?

Protecting Forests and Wildlife

Depending on where your event will be, you need to give thought to the local flora and fauna. If you will be in a forest or woodland area, then it is important that you do not damage or pull up any ferns, flowers, or trees. Try not to disturb or harm the local wildlife like interfering with their nests or burrows. Irresponsible destruction degrades the habitat over time. Habitat degradation can reduce biodiversity, and in severe cases, the location will not be able support native wildlife. The consequences are bad: increased chance of disease, increased chance of extinction, and an increased risk of not adjusting to natural disasters. It’s impossible to deny the huge impact we have on the environment every day. But, there is hope. As long as we’re mindful, it is possible to enjoy and explore all the Earth has to offer without damaging it.

Leave No Trace & Take Your Trash!

If you want to hold your own event in an outdoor area such as a woodland or forest, then your number one priority must be to ensure that your event is respectful to the area you will be visiting. Your end goal must be that you leave no trace.

When you have finished, pack away all your trash and throw it in the proper recycling and disposal bins. As you leave the site for the last time, look back and give the whole area another check to make sure you haven’t left anything.

Making your event eco-friendly doesn’t mean you have to compromise on any aspect of the celebrations and activities. America is a haven for nature lovers with its forests and woodlands. But with just a little extra thought, care, and planning, we can make sure that we reduce our impact and protect it for future generations.