To celebrate how Calgarians came together after the worst flood in its history, many communities will be hosting celebrations on Neighbour Day, June 21st. The flood created an estimated one year’s worth of garbage in Calgary in only a few hours. So when you are planning your commemorative event – or  any backyard BBQ or block party – it’s important to think about minimizing the waste.
Here are a few of the ways you can green your event:

Make It a BOYD Party

If you’re hosting a BBQ or potluck party, an easy way to reduce the amount of waste created is to ask your neighbours to bring their own dishes. “This not only helps reduce the amount of waste being thrown away at the end, but it also saves you some money and cleanup,” says Louise Daly, Manager of Events with Green Calgary. It’s also important to have some disposable plates on hand in case people forget to bring their own. World Centric sustainable and compostable fibre plates are a great green option. They are made from wheatstraw fiber – an annually renewable resource – and they are soak proof.

Have a Dishwashing Station

If your neighbours are on-board with bringing their own dishes, have a dishwashing station that allows them to clean up their plates, cutlery, and cups afterwards so that you can minimize the mess. All you’ll need is dish soap, a few wash tubs and some wash cloths and you’ll be all set for your eco-friendly potluck or barbeque!

Choose Green Food & Beverage Options

Food and beverage are a big part of any event, but they can create a lot of waste. To keep your community space clean after the big party, Green Calgary recommends opting for food and beverage items that minimize waste – this can be a wide variety of things, from providing tap water instead of bottled water to serving drinks and condiments in bulk form.  Asking your neighbours to bring their own reusable water bottle  and provide jugs of tap water instead of individual disposable bottles for re-filling.

Recycle & Compost Leftovers

Set up waste stations at your event that include recycling and compost bins in addition to garbage bins; this way, your community can recycle and compost as much as possible. If you use compostable dishware like fibre plates, be sure to let your neighbours know they can go in the compost bins. Bag to Earth food waste bags  are made from all natural materials and are designed to disappear fully into the earth: perfect for disposing of food scraps and other compostable materials at your party.

Since the 2008 launch of  What’s the Green Deal, London Drugs now tallies more than 42 million pounds of materials recycled including over a million kilograms of electronics and devices, and over 200,000 pounds of Styrofoam.