Green, red, white and blue…the colors of our most celebrated national summer holiday. OK, well I threw green in there because it SHOULD be part of our national color palette ; ) Being eco-friendly is quite Ameircan and shouldn’t be forgotten over our most patriotic of holidays.
What with so many bbq’s, picnics and fireworks, the 4th can be a very litter filled holiday, both for your body as well as mother earth. So I’ve compiled a few safe, healthy and eco tips to add a little “green” to your 4th as well as some recipes that will complement the boatloads of bbq and beer you may be consuming throughout this festive weekend:
- Plan ahead on where you will be spending the 4th and see if you can carpool with friends. Check online for the nearest fireworks site and either take a romantic stroll or bike there to save gas, parking frustration and to burn off the days grub!
- ay no to home fireworks and sparklers and opt for other colorful decorations like ribbon streamers (maybe even home-made recycled newspaper ones!). And maybe even have a chat with your local fireworks authorities- they might be willing to look into using Sekon biodegradable fireworks next year (the gunpowder-free “air launch” technology that Disney now uses).
- If hosting a party, opt for reusable dishware. You can even ask guests to bring their own plates, utensils and glasses! But if you’re not in the dish washing mood and want to conserve water, opt for eco-friendly, 100% compostable dishes, napkins and utensils instead.
- Buy local, organic produce for your salads, snacks and grillin’!
- Recycle! Beer bottles, soda cans, etc – be wise and have a well labeled recycle bin placed in a convenient location at your party.
- Grill green! A solar powered grill is the most eco-friendly way to grill, but if that’s not an option for, opt for a natural gas grill instead of a charcoal one as it burns cleaner. And if you don’t have an outdoor space, invest in an indoor grill or a nice grill pan!
- Be sun smart and wear sunscreen! opt for an organic, vegan and all natural brand for optimum results!
- Make smarter drinking choices like juices with organic liquor, organic wines and beers and most of all, drink responsibly.
- Opt to make a healthy dish to bring to the festivities. Pre-packaged sides and snacks are full of preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients as well as yucky plastic packaging that fills up our landfills. If you can’t cook, bring organic bagged lettuce, organic dressing, a big bowl and you’ve brought a healthy side everyone will appreciate ; )
