Party Time! Zero Waste style.

This weekend, I threw a cocktail party to celebrate my becoming an author. Our house's size limited our guest list, nonetheless, forty people RSVP'd. My full time work schedule did not give me much time to get ready. On Friday, I tackled the grocery shopping armed with a shopping list and a basket full of jars; Saturday, I worked from morning till 6:45pm, just in time to take a quick shower, take a few pictures to share with you and welcome our first guests.

My book describes Zero Waste entertaining, so this post is to show how I put some of my tips into practice.

Here is how we managed to make our soiree a Zero Waste event:

Glassware and plates

As mentioned before, when we host parties bigger than our table can sit (10) we serve a buffet of finger foods with our stack of cloth napkins (I only have 32, but was not worried about running out for our 40 guests, as I have learned from previous experiences that only half the guests actually use a napkin for finger foods). Our everyday glassware (two full shelves, about 50 pieces) eliminate our need for disposables. Our everyday (white ceramic) and camping (polished stainless) plates served as platters, a handful of turkey lacers as reusable toothpicks, and jars of plant trimmings as decorative items.

Reusable Ware

Food

To simplify my cooking, I took full advantage of items sold loose in my grocery store (one stop shop), including the salad bar, olive bar, prepared food counter, meat counter, fish counter, and cheese counter using jars; the bulk bins and bakery using cloth bags; and, the produce aisle using mesh bags. I also used home-grown and foraged (neighbor) herbs. Our menu consisted of:

Snacks

• Pistachios (bulk bin)
• Black olives (olive bar)
• Green olives (olive bar)
• Leo's breadsticks: He rolled leftover dough (onion tartlets) in a beaten egg, then in grated parmesan cheese (salad bar)

A few snacks

Veggies and Cheese

• Zucchini (produce aisle) slices topped with a chickpea mixture: Marinated chickpeas (olive bar), blended with an immersion blender and seasoned with ground cumin (bulk bin) 
• Mini Skewers of mozzarella balls, asparagus and cherry tomatoes: The ingredients consisted of a salad (prepared food counter), which we then separated and skewered onto turkey lacers.
• Onion tartlets: Homemade using bulk ingredients
• Eggplant spread and blinis: Homemade using bulk ingredients
• Marinated chili peppers (olive bar) stuffed with a mixture of feta cheese (salad bar) and cream (reusable bottle), then tipped in freshly ground pepper (bulk bin)
• Celery sticks (produce aisle) filled with a blue cheese (salad bar) mixture and a pecan (bulk bin) 
• Goat cheese balls: I rolled the mixture used to stuffed the chili peppers in 3 different ingredients, including chopped celery leaves (discards of previous appetizer), chopped herbs (home-grown), and chopped almonds (bulk bins). I hid a snap pea (produce aisle) for extra crunch in the first two types.
• Veggies (produce aisle) and hummus dip (salad bar)
• Three types of cheese (cheese counter) on a platter and toasted baguette (stale baguette)

Veggie and Cheese Appetizers

Meat

• Pate with toasted baguette and cornichons (recipe and origin of ingredients here)
• Chicken and Quinoa meatballs (prepared foods counter) with their honey-mustard dip (homemade using the recipe provided in the book by replacing sugar with honey).

Pate and Baguette

Fish 

• Smoked Salmon (fish counter) and lemon rind (produce aisle) on Blinis (homemade using bulk ingredients)
• Salmon Sushi: Homemade using fresh salmon (fish counter) on sushi rice (bulk bin, using a mixture of bulk apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt to season the cooked rice), and a drop of homemade horseradish (recipe in the book).
• Baked cheesy (grated, salad bar) shrimp (fish counter) toasts (stale baguette): This appetizer was my only hot item; once guests arrive I want to join the party and give them my full attention!

Smoked Salmon on blinis, topped with lemon  rind.

Sweets

• Five types of cookies (bakery self serve)
• Malt balls (bulk bin)
• Sugar coated peanuts: Homemade using salted peanuts (bulk bin)
• Fresh strawberries (produce aisle)

Sweets

Drinks

• Revive Kombucha, sold in reusable growlers at our grocery store (the bottles are returned to customer service to be reused by the company)
• Two types of beer, the growlers of which we get refilled at our local brewery
• Red and White wine, the bottles of which we get refilled at a local winery
• House Cocktail: Vodka (360 brand, available in flip-top bottles which we reuse for wine refills), French pomegranate lemonade (the bottles of which we also reuse for wine refills) and orange juice (I reuse and fill our milk bottles from the squeezing machine in my grocery store)
• Flavored water: Rosemary and Lemon, simply squeezed into flip top bottles and then filled with water.

Cocktail and Flavored Waters

These accompanied with beautiful weather, great music and our favorite people, made for a successful and memorable event. And even a couple of days worth of leftovers!

Have a party scheduled? Questions? Ask away!

Zero Waste Kids

Overdue... I agree.

I confess (yet again): I am a lucky mom of two fantastic boys.

Our home could not be Zero Waste (and this blog would not exist) if it wasn't for the whole family's combined effort, including that of my two supportive and conscientious kids.

It's funny that our waste-reduction efforts did not even phase them until last year, when I realized that they had not taken notice of our package-free pantry. Because our transition was unplanned and progressive (we did not simply decide one day to go Zero Waste), the kids never asked questions about our lifestyle, and I had assumed they knew what those 200 Le Parfait jars were doing in our kitchen. It's only when I went on a school field trip with my younger son to Whole Foods, where he could not answer the simple question: "Why is it a good idea to buy in bulk?" that it dawned on me that an explanation was in order. That night, we taught the kids the concept of Zero Waste and we received their full blessing and cooperation. An easy conversion (considering their growing environmental knowledge) that would surprisingly, and dramatically reduce our waste. It's amazing how much their “street junk” added to our weekly garbage tally (plastic bits, tennis balls, electronic bits, etc)...

Refuse has been their most essential assignment since that point. But it does not go without its challenges, in a society where kids (especially shy ones, like my eldest) feel ostracized when acting different than expected. Refusing party favors from school or birthday parties is difficult, but manageable if you teach your kids that actions have consequences, that examples must be set for others and that every effort can make a difference.

Sometimes I feel bad, providing my kids with an alternative lifestyle, deprived of tortillas, oreos, and chips, but books like the one I just read (“Slow Death by Rubber Duck”) quickly straighten my volatile mind. From what we know of the effects of plastics on our health, and the waste of resources that packaging generates, I believe that our lifestyle educates them, is better for their health and ultimately gives them a better future. As parents, “it is our responsibility to do what we can to ensure that they have a brighter, cleaner, healthier world to live in.” (smartparenting.com), and it is our duty to educate them about environmental issues so they too can make the right decisions when we're gone.

After all, our children are the future of a better planet. And it starts with your 8-year-old commenting aloud when a cashier hands out a plastic bag, “Oh my gosh, a plastic bag, mom!”.

Here are some of the things we are doing with our kids:

Party:
That your child is invited to:

• Talk to the host parent and request no party favor for your child. You can talk to them about your zero waste efforts, or more quickly, you can let them know that you are working on de-cluttering your home. Plus, that's one less tantrum that you'll have to comfort, when the cheap Chinese toxic plastic toy breaks after just one use.
• Bring a present that you would be happy to receive for your own child: Scout the thrift shop for an interesting book or give the gift of new experiences. My 10-year-old recently gave his best friend the gift of going out to lunch on their own (Their 1st time in a restaurant without parental supervision). Priceless.

That you are hosting:

• Remember the good old cake served on a ceramic plate with stainless forks? Forget about disposable plates, forks, glasses, napkins and cupcake wrappers.
• Request zero waste presents: For his recent birthday, my son received a gift certificate to the local gelato parlor, an afternoon of indoor climbing, and a ski trip. An ideal Zero Waste birthday! I pointed out to my son, that these great birthday presents are not only kinder on the environment but they also made his birthday last longer. It did not just stop at the unwrapping of a toy.
• Bypass the party favors: Who really wants them anyways?

Grocery Shopping:

• Shop together: It goes without saying that grocery shopping is easier without kids. But when they do come with me, I take the opportunity to teach them about eco-shopping (like choosing local products), I let them pick the meat and fish of the week (within financial reason), and treat them to their favorite sweet from the bulk section. That's when the organic gummy bears make it into my pantry.
• Get them involved: Our kids go to the ice cream store on their own with a jar, which they can fill with their chosen flavor.

Entertainment:

• Visit the library: We do not watch TV, but the kids get to choose the movie of their choice from the children's library every week. They also get all their books here.
• Watch movies!: Kids can absorb so much from movies and "Wall-E", "Earth" and "Home" are great options. We look forward to “Oceans” releasing soon!
• Propose inspiring books: Both “Land of Curiosities” and the “Little House on the Prairie” series are good examples.
• Connect with nature. Our weekly hikes are a great way to learn about nature. We get to spend time together, I teach them about botany and they see what they are fighting for with a Zero Waste lifestyle. Saving nature is ultimately what Zero Waste is all about.
• Play games: To get closer and not waste valuable together time watching TV.
• Focus on togetherness: Too many soccer matches, baseball games, over scheduled weekends all take away from simple family quality time. Hiking, volunteering, biking, beach going, everyday dinners, all make us closer and in agreement for Zero Waste.

School:

• Request less paper from your teacher/school at the beginning of the year: Our teachers have been more than cooperative about paper reduction, they know to only send necessary papers home with our kids.
• Simplify and reuse lunch containers: We are very lucky to have an organic lunch service that supports our school PTA, but the setup is not yet Zero Waste (working on it though). So, I send my kids to school with a fork and a napkin on the days that they do use the hot lunch program. Otherwise, I make them a sandwich, put a cookie and fruit in a small Le Parfait jar and wrap the whole thing in a kitchen towel, furoshiki style – I told you I was an addicted furoshikier!:). The towel serves 4 purposes: it is a protective padding, a carrying handle, a place mat, and a napkin all in one. No need for lunch boxes, lunch baggies, specialized lunch containers, or paper napkin. Although, a stainless steel container would be useful to little ones or those wanting to lighten their load.

Zero Waste Dining and Entertaining

By now, you already know that we have chosen a simple life, free of unnecessary objects. I truly believe in the 80-20 rule. In a regular home, only 20% of household items actually get used. In ours, we have evaluated those 20% and have let go of the remaining 80%.

Thru my simplifying business, I have noticed that most kitchens are filled with unused kitchen gadgets that are supposed to make cooking and entertaining easier. But are the sorbet maker, waffle iron, or panini press really being used? What about the specialty cake pans, the cookie cutters, the dozen placemats, the fancy wine stoppers, the wine basket, the wine cooler, the champagne bucket, the 2nd or 3rd set of china, the stem glass charms, the shot glasses, and the tablecloth weights? Oh! And the candle that is too pretty to be lit? Think of the drawer filled with hot pads (aren’t a couple enough?), the drawer filled with matches (can’t the refillable lighter do the job just fine?), not to mention…the junk drawer (what is in there that you can’t live without?). These items take precious space, make it harder to find cooking essentials, create stress, and clutter our lives, not to mention waste time and valuable resources. There is a really good chance that most of the items mentioned here can be forgotten, simply donated, and their use replaced by something else (the grater plane works just fine as a zester). Clearly, the more accessories you have, the more you take out, the more needs cleaning (individual measuring cups are a great example).

Of course, you can zero waste dining and entertaining with a packed kitchen, but honestly, the simpler the kitchen, the simpler it is to get there.

Here is how we dine and entertain with zero waste in mind:

• Zero Waste Grocery Shop: Make sure you bring extra jars to the grocery store when shopping for company (including take-out).
• Make finger foods for larger parties (more than 10 people at our house, because 10 is all we can sit at our dining table): Finger foods are a fantastic waste buster for larger parties (no store-bought party trays here).
• Instead of fizzy water, consider serving tap water with lemon slices in it.
• Forget about disposables (duh): Use ceramic dishes, cloth dinner napkins and cloth appetizer napkins (sooooo much nicer than paper).
• Avoid the use of serving platters/dishes: When serving straight onto dinner plates, it simplifies, saves water from extra cleaning, and it allows for a plate presentation.
• Find creative ways to decorate your table: I personally do not use tablecloths or placemats, I find that both get dirty too fast, are a waste of physical and electrical energy, and detergent. I also have more fun decorating it with a few napkin folding tricks, discarded leaves/branches from the yard, designs drawn in some scattered flour, fuzz of a seeded dandelion flower, or just seasonal fruit… For a recent buffet, I set small fern branches in water glasses and covered them with different size Le Parfait Jars so that these “cloches” could set the serving plates at different levels.
• Reuse empty votive tins (and the wick base) to make new votive candles for company: Super fast and super easy. Locally, I can find beeswax in bulk at Rainbow Grocery, and lead-free wick by the yard at Ben Franklin. I have about 20 rotating votive tins.
• Transfer your music onto your iPod: Donate your CD player and CD’s for others to enjoy, use your iPod connected to your home sound system instead. (THIS is my birthday wish, Scott!)
• Use rechargeable batteries for those remote controls!
• Try no TV/gaming for a while: We cancelled ours about 1½ yr ago and I love it. We finally have time to read the books that we wanted to read, and watch movies, commercial free. We rent and watch one PG movie with the kids on Friday nights, Scott and I watch another more mature movie during the week. Sunday night is game night!
• Lucky to be invited somewhere? Need a hostess gift? Bring a jar of a homemade consumable, or your favorite bulk item (we love the Whole Foods chocolate malt balls).
• Need wrapping? Consider Furoshiki (the Japanese art of cloth gift wrapping).I think it’s so cool, I have become an addicted “furoshikier” I have wrapped presents in 24x24” piece of curtain, or French antique kitchen towels (I had a stacks of them in my previous kitchen). A zero waste present is a great opportunity to let your friends know about your waste reduction efforts and inspire them to follow lead.
• Educate your friends about your zero waste efforts: so that they don’t show up at your door step with a large pastry box (full of pastries wrapped in throwaways… speaking from experience, here). Remember that Zero Waste Home starts outside the home.
• Lastly, please don’t forget to bring your own container for leftovers, when dining out!

What are we doing for Easter? This year, we’re invited to a brunch. I will bring bulk wine wrapped in a French antique towel. But before we go, the kids will enjoy their Easter “egg” hunt of bulk candy: Chocolate malt balls, organic jelly beans, and chocolate covered peanuts. I just have to decide before tomorrow whether to wrap them in paper or get refillable plastic eggs (stainless yet to be found) from the thrift store… It all depends on the weather and where the Easter Bunny will decide to hide them… Inside or out?