Summer is finally here, and that means picnics, parks,
celebrations, and long days in the sun are on order. So how do you do
it green? LiveGreenTwinCities provides your essential guide to greening
your summer gatherings.
Make fun, not waste
Picnics and outdoor parties can produce lots of trash. But there are plenty of ways you can reduce your paper waste. One easy way: Go with reusable plates and cups that can be rewashed. Or, for larger gatherings, bring along
compostable plates and utensils made from cane sugar or corn.
Remember--plastic products will say they're "biodegradable." But everything eventually degrades. "Compostable" means it breaks down nearly as quickly as paper a
nd does not produce any toxic materials in doing so. (Plastics, on the other hand, can produce methane gas that's as much as 70 times more polluting than CO2 emissions.)
You can also get utensils that are 100 percent petroleum-free and made from a potato-starch-based polymer. These will not compost as quickly as paper, but they will break down in a matter of months, as opposed to plastics which can take decades.
Local co-ops, such as the Wedge and Seward Co-op, carry compostable plates and utensils, as well as napkins by
Seventh Generation, which are made from 100-percent recycled paper.
Twin Cities Green in Uptown also carries a variety of compostable bowls, plates, cups, napkins, and more.
Green up the grill
If you want to grill out and can't use natural gas or propane, make sure to use charcoal or wood that's sustainable and not soaked in petroleum. Conventional charcoal releases harmful chemicals into the air--and your food. And the charcoal brands doused in lighter fluid are the most egregious.
Cowboy Charcoal is an all-natural coal-free charcoal that contains no chemicals or fillers. It's available at Lowe's, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware stores nationwide.
Malis Charcoal, which runs about $7.50 for a 10 lb. bag, is available at most Twin Cities co-op stores, including the Seward Co-op. It's made from 100 percent charred hardwood and contains no petroleum products, binder, or gluten.
Another option is
aFire Coconut Charcoal, made with 100 percent coconut shells, available through the company's web site.
Build a greener fire There's nothing better than that campfire smell. After an evening of food and fun, the cool, star-filled nights are perfect for viewing through the dancing fingers or orange, gold, and red. But did you know that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, smoke from fireplaces, wood stoves, and campfires can account for up to 80 percent of the total pollution in residential areas?
That's due in part to the fact that traditional fire-log manufacturers have been using petroleum-based binders. What's more, burning wood releases toxic chemicals, pollutant particle matter, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. Yet you can reduce those toxins by burning only very clean (always untreated), dry wood. The more oxy
gen the fire has, the fewer particulates and toxins released.
And a few other easy-to-follow rules: Always respect that habitat when gathering your wood; picking up small, breakable (and very dry) branches from a wide area is best. Never burn particleboard, stained, treated, or wet wood, as they produce incredibly toxic chemicals. And never burn trash. Chemicals and plastics can be extremely toxic when burned.
If you're going to purchase firewood, make sure it's safe and natural. Your best bet is firewood made of plant-based natural wax and recycled-wood sawdust.
TerraCycle logs, made from 100 percent wax cardboard waste, produce 78 percent less CO2 than natural wood. And
Java Logs, made from 100 percent used coffee grounds, produce 70 to 80 percent less CO2 than wood.
Go local and organic Foods that are locally produced use less energy--and produce fewer pollutants and CO2 emissions--than foods produced at industrial farms. It's estimated that foods created at industrial chicken, beef, and dairy farms produce 650 times the amount of C02 emissions than food produced at organic Minnesota farms.
For to-go foods, check out
Birchwood Cafe and
Common Roots Cafe, both of which offer delicious, organic, and sustainable foods in compostable containers.
But for a truly green picnic, go with local produce and grass-fed meats, and be sure to plan ahead so no food is wasted.
Seasonal, organic, and local options include asparagus, spinach, kale, raspberries, strawberries, and more, which you can get from the farmers market, co-op, or area grocery stores. Places like Cub, Byerly's, and Lund's have a growing organic section, which includes local grass-fed beef and free-range chicken.
And as always, remember to sort your recyclables after the picnic. If you have a compost bin, make sure all of the compostable materials--including the Java Logs, TerraCycle logs, petro-free charcoal, and food scraps go in there. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to have a zero-waste picnic!