Hosting Waste Free

I’m not sure about you guys but my plans this holiday season are to keep the hygge vibe going strong and host as much as I can rather than going out. Not to try and be anti-social by any means, believe me I can fit a good 25 in my 700 sq foot apartment, but there’s something so cozy about staying in, controlling the music, picking at homemade tapas and not having to fight for a table or scream over music. Perhaps that’s just Manhattan style, but if you plan to be a little hermit like me, here are my plans for hosting waste free.

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When it comes to hosting, I generally try and keep it pretty simple in terms of what to serve food wise. If I need an ingredient that I know a friend has, I’ll ask them to bring something over to contribute to the spread. I generally try and make everything homemade including hummus and dips to accompany carrots, celery, broccoli and the like. I honestly used to just put out the vegetables for myself but have noticed people generally appreciate a healthy spread, and it truly does look beautiful when you lay it all out, a rainbow of colors that are even punchier in hue when they come from the farmer’s market. And yes, believe me they taste better too! With this kind of spread it’s easy to waste less because you don’t have to put everything out at once. Usually I’ll put out a base, see how the crowd is reacting, and add as I see necessary. Everything leftover I can snack on the rest of the week.

In terms of shopping, something I’ve changed this year has been shopping more and buying less. My husband and I used to spend upwards of $150-200 on groceries per week and I’d say we ended up throwing out at least a third of that simply because we couldn’t eat that much in time before it went bad. We both happen to eat a lot but between dinners out and travel, it never really got finished. So now, we both shop separately and only include what we really need for that week.

In case you’re making a bit more food, have your guests bring Tupperware so they can take home some leftovers too. Leftovers happen to be an absolute favorite of mine, but sometimes my husband will get sick of it after a day or two… This way your guests can enjoy a little bit extra as the week goes on and again, you’re helping alleviate the waste you may end up throwing out. Stasher Bags is a favorite single-use plastic replacement of mine. They seal up really well and are dishwasher and microwave safe!

If you’re trying to be conscious of your spending, encourage a potluck type night where everyone brings a dish or two to make up an entire meal. It’s a nice way to try foods you oftentimes wouldn’t make at home and is much easier on you in terms of hosting. Plus, less mess to clean up! If you’re worried about everything going together, just have your friends send what they’re bringing to a group chat or assign people different dishes to bring such as apps, mains, sides or desserts.

With regards to clean up, these are a few recipes below for your own air fresheners, bathroom and everyday cleaners using just a few household ingredients. Vodka-Citrus DIY air freshener, DIY all in one bathroom cleaner and the All purpose cleaner are a few of my personal favorites. Good on You also has some great suggestions on their website.

Some more things you can do to stay green while hosting are to use cloth napkins, save wine corks for future projects (for our wedding we used them as table number holders), ensure you save all the small scraps for composting, refrigerate all half empty bottles of wine that will help keep it fresh a little longer (unsurprisingly, we never seem to have issues with wasting wine…;), and get creative with recipes for leftovers.

Check out these items below to feature at your next dinner party:

A Conscious Holiday Season

The holiday season is fast approaching, and while it may feel necessary to tap into your consuming habits, we have some suggestions for you to go into the end of 2019 and to start off the new decade with a different mindset this time around!

Reuse decorations

Think about what you already have when it comes to the holidays. A lot of the time, we think we need to buy more decorations each year, but make sure and check out what you already have. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to see you may not need another plastic wreath or more plastic decorations to cover your tree. Think simple. Use what you have. Borrow what you need. Use things from around the home to make new decorations. Use this cold weather as a time to be creative and crafty at home.

Renting holiday outfits

The environmental impact on renting clothes versus buying the fast-fashion counterpart are not studied in detail quite yet. However, here are my inputs when it comes to ordering from sustainable companies online. We have to monitor shipping and returns, types of cleaning used after each use, packaging used and the like are done consciously as well. This article by Elle magazine sums up my concerns pretty well! I do however have hope that renting is a huge step in the right direction. It’s training customers to rethink buying for every event they have, and resorting to reusing what’s already out there, which is great! The first most wasteful part of the fashion industry is the production process. So if we can produce less and re-wear more of what we have, that’s a huge advantage. And if we can continue to increase the demand of renting, perhaps we’ll also start to consider greener options within the shipping, cleaning and packaging realms. While production is the ‘dirtiest’ in terms of harmfulness to the environment, other aspects such as energy usage, transportation, recycling, and recycling issues need to be addressed as well. Check out these rental platforms below.

Vacation Local/Take comfort in relaxation and staying put

Okay this is selfishly mostly for myself, but I tend to get overwhelmed by FOMO over the holidays, thinking I need to travel here, visit there, do that, see this. Because I have the time off, naturally, it makes sense to put the holidays to use and travel. But sometimes, it’s best to relax, stay home, visit the family, and take comfort in relaxation. I’ve been practicing this on the weekends, taking time for myself to catch up on work, catch up on silly shows on Netflix, read a book, and do it all guilt-free. I talked about this in a recent IG post on @ondutycitizen about taking comfort in staying put and not making any plans. So if you’re thinking about a last minute trip but can’t decide (guilty!) think about the alternative, staying home with friends and family, in a new light and while it is important to live in the now, perhaps you could save up and use that money for two bigger trips the following year. Plus you’ll be reducing your travel on airplanes by staying local which we all know is much better for the environment and C02 emissions. :)

Here are some cool travel trips on the Good Trade. They list a lot of cool destinations close to home (if you’re up for it), or stay put and cozy up at home with a blanket, a candle and a good book!

Carbon offsetting

Carbon offsetting is the act of purchasing carbon credits that will support companies and nonprofits that are working to cancel out C02 emissions either by sucking up the C02 (planting trees for example) or avoiding future emissions altogether by investing in clean energy technologies. There are a few arguments against offsetting, one being it doesn’t tackle the main issue of creating C02 emissions in the first place. Writer George Monbiot famously said: “Just as indulgences allowed the rich to feel better about sinful behavior without actually changing their ways, carbon offsets allow us to "buy complacency, political apathy and self-satisfaction". I personally use it not to exonerate myself, because beyond offsetting I really do try and be ‘green’ in many other aspects of my life. I use it to offset the travel I have to do for work, but I also do other things to combat climate change. With this balance, I think offsetting is okay. As long as we’re investing in other resources to tackle the climate crisis. It’s also important to make sure the company you’re investing in is legitimate. Here are a few of the top carbon offsetting companies below and this article has a great summary of the pros and cons of carbon offsetting.

Rethink gifts

Think about gifts that serve a purpose. Does the person you’re shopping for really need another Christmas card and scented candle? Or would they perhaps be more appreciative of a donation in their name? Here are some of our suggestions for ‘new age’ gifts. And if you buy something in physical form, think about how you’re going to wrap it, and get creative. We love the idea of using reusable wrapping paper, old fabric scraps, newspapers and reusing old cards by cutting out the side with writing and writing on the back of the clean side. There are a ton of ways to get creative that will not only help your wallet this holiday season but also help reduce the waste you create.

Shop smart

If you have a few things you need to buy this season, think before you buy. Think about its impact in your closet or the person you’re shopping for. Don’t buy on impulse. Imagine the piece in their home and think about the longevity of it. We often have to think about closet cleanses and spring cleans, so think about the absolute necessity of the purchase before you buy. Buying something isn’t bad per se, but shopping on an impulse may be!

Do your research before you buy.

  • On our site, we have curated a bunch of sustainable and ethical products from companies we believe in who are transparent about their business practices. Look to invest in companies who are open and honest about their production processes. For us, it’s better to invest in a company who acknowledges they’re not perfect but they’re trying to be better and who lists their goals for the near to far future.

  • Good On You rates companies based on their environmental impact. Check them out!!

Think used! Buying secondhand is one of the best things you can do. It alleviates the waste that ends up in the landfills and gives another life to clothes that are often in perfect condition. Here are some of our favorite used sites. Alternatively, you could shop at your local secondhand store. If you’re NYC based, Tokio 7 is a favorite of ours located in East Village.

Be smart about your sizes. A lot of the environmental harm from shopping online comes from returns and reorders. Make sure you measure your sizes, check out reviews to ensure you’re getting the perfect fit so you can avoid sending things back and forth.

Easy swaps

From plastic baggies for food storage to saran wrap and disposable razors, there’s an alternative for that. Here are our favorite swaps that help alleviate the plastic use in your home, and quite frankly for me personally, all of these swaps work better than the former alternative!

Visit the farmer’s market

I try and shop organic as much as is possible, but sometimes I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that even the ‘healthy’ stuff is wrapped in plastic, some which seems entirely unnecessary. One benefit of shopping at your local farmer’s market is it’s a lot easier to reduce the amount of plastic you’re purchasing. You can bring your own bags, put things straight from the crates into your reusables without having to think about wrapping anything in plastic. A lot of the time, the markets will have paper on site too if you absolutely need to wrap something up.

In addition, most of the stuff you’ll find at the market is local and in season. This helps alleviate the carbon used when food has to travel from far away. And if you think logically about it, it really doesn’t make sense to consume things that aren’t growing seasonally in your region. For thousands of years before us, hunters, gatherers and even our ancestors solely survived on what was in season at the moment. Let’s get back to basics.

If you need some more insight on why to shop local, check out this article. They sum it up quite easily.

Hosting lots? Keep your home sparkling with home made cleaners

Hosting over the holidays can require a lot of cleaning. And while it may feel necessary to break out the bleach spray that smells and feels like you’re killing all the bacteria in sight, you may want to think twice about using them as they can actually be harmful to your health. Here are a few of our favorite recipes below for your own air fresheners, bathroom and everyday cleaners using just a few household ingredients. Easy and effective! For more options, check out this article by Good On You.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this. I hope you collected some ideas to change up your approach to the holiday season. Believe me, I know a lot of this is easier said than done, but if we can take one small step at a time, have discussions about climate change and what we can all do to be better, we’ll inspire our friends followers and families to follow our lead. A lot of the imperative change we need is from the high ups, our government, our state officials, our president. So while it’s just as (if not more) important to get political, these are the small steps you can take this holiday season to positively change your sometimes unhealthy habits.

Renting Is The New Black

The holiday social season is upon us!  Your calendars are likely filling up with good times with good friends! As I looked over my plans for the next few weeks, I started to think about what I'd wear.  At the same time, I received an email from Rent The Runway, offering a special deal on their unlimited monthly membership.  For $159/month (with $80 off for November & December) you get unlimited access to outfits, from cocktail dresses to motorcycle jackets, all delivered and dry-cleaned for free.  

You can order up to 4 outfits at a time and keep them as long as you want.  When you want something new, just return them and order more.  Most have the option to buy if you really fall in love. My daughter and co-founder, Brittany Bergmeister, is a big fan of Rent The Runway and has modelled for them in the past.  She loves the sustainability of renting and re-using clothes that you might only wear a couple of times.  I decided to give it a try! I ordered on Saturday and am expecting delivery just in time for Thanksgiving.  I'll let you know how it goes! Happy Holidays!

-Maria Bromley, Mom Of Model