Ever since moving into my apartment, I’ve hosted more than my fair share of gatherings. From full on parties to close-knit get-togethers, I truly relish entertaining those near and dear to me. In my eyes, hosting is a love language. You’re literally inviting someone into your home, your innermost sanctuary. And if you’re like me, that often includes a home cooked meal or dessert. Second best is from the farmers market or local bakery! Here’s my tips for hosting mindful, sustainable gatherings that are sure to make lasting memories.
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5 Tips For Hosting The Best Sustainable Gatherings
1. Work the room
First off, I’d like to establish I don’t have a ton of space. But I’ve been known to work with what I have! My kitchen table can comfortably fit 4 people. So, when I’m having a party, I like to extend that by adding another table at the end and covering it with a linen tablecloth. And borrowing folding chairs from our folks never hurts.
It’s all about utilizing the space you have, borrowing, and using what you have. You don’t need anything fancy to host. Just imagination and a vision.
That being said, you will always need a good setup as a foundation. That may look different, depending on the kind of event you’re hosting. Is it a BBQ? You’ll need an outdoor seating/table arrangement. Dinner party? Your dining room is the star of the show. Halloween party? You may want to make room for some dancing!
Here’s how my setup usually looks:
- Dining table. I always have this setup with linens, plates, and cutlery. More on that later. Some decor here never hurts either.
- Countertops. I like to utilize this space for displaying finger foods, drinks and/or buffet-style meals. It’s also a great spot to have a hot chocolate station, mulled cider station, smore-station, etc.
- Living room. My apartment is an open concept so the kitchen, dining room, and living room all bleed in together. But this works fine! I like to keep this area tidy for guests to relax after a big meal. Or, if it’s a party with dancing, I’ll make sure my coffee table is tucked away in the laundry room so there’s room for dancing!
2. Choose a theme/mood
If you’re going for a bigger party, it’s nice to have a theme in mind. For example, during my Halloween parties, I love a pumpkin-theme. I have servingware I break out every year that compliments all the mini pumpkins I get at the pumpkin patch.
Big or small events alike, I often tie the current season into my gatherings. For example, in the spring and summer, I’ll use linens that are lighter in color like soft pinks, greens, and creams. But in fall, I’ll opt for richer colors like emerald green, rusty orange, and turmeric yellow.
You’ll want this theme to play out in your invites too, assuming you’re sending any out. I love designing mine on Canva, but also love the idea of physically making them. If you’re good with water colors, or drawing, this could be a lot of fun for you (and no, you don’t have to paint every invite – just make a scan of it on your printer!). Seed paper is another lovely idea. Smaller gathering? Word of mouth/group chat/digital invites work just as well!
Here are some party themes to inspire you:
- Garden party. Everything fresh produce themed. Linen table runners full of market abundance like cartons of berries, heirloom tomatoes, etc. Throw in a few rustic, locally sourced flowers in upcycled jars and you are golden.
- Tea party. Thrifted, vintage tea cups, saucers and plates. Thrifted tea pots with various loose leaf teas steeping inside. Cucumber sandwiches, warm scones, fruit tarts. Hanging flowers from ceiling to be extra.
- Butter-themed party. Butter colored linens (aka tablecloth and/or napkins), homemade butter favors, butter-themed meals like herb-buttered carrots, buttery biscuits, and butter pasta. And yes, you can make this a vegan-butter party too.
- Coastal. Think seashells, nautical red/white/blue vibes, fresh seafood.
- Fall harvest. Think pumpkins, gourds, and fall squash for decor. Gem-like linen colors. Dishes that utilize fresh fall produce.
- Winter wonderland. Hang paper snowflakes from ceiling. White and ice blue linens. Hot cocoa station where guests can serve themselves and add their own toppings.
For kids parties:
- Butterfly. You can make cute paper butterflies to leave on tables, attach to the walls, or hang from the ceiling. Butterfly shaped peanut butter and jelly is a nice food option. Butterfly pea flower iced tea with edible flowers on top.
Activity ideas: Release actual butterflies. Or, have the kids draw their own butterflies. - Buried treasure. Paint a wooden chest to make it look like a pirate’s booty (extra points if there are coins inside). Add a decal of a skull and cross bones onto a thrifted black blanket to hang up on the wall or use as a tablecloth. Don’t forget citrus to prevent scurvy!
Activity ideas: Have the kids make and decorate their own wooden treasure chests. - Dinosaurs. Thrift some dinosaur toys for display on countertops/tablescape. If they’re old enough to appreciate it, maybe even include some actual small fossils as favors or decor. Dinosaur shaped sandwiches and fun signs for finger foods (dino-bones for pretzel sticks, dino-eggs for melon balls, etc.)
Activity idea: Play a Jurassic park movie and break out the popcorn. - Princess. Go with pinks and purple linens here. Thrift some princess costumes for the kids to play dress-up with. Decor can be flowers, bows, etc. Decorate an unfinished wooden castle from Michaels to display – biodegradable/compostable glitter options here matter.
Activity ideas: Have the kids craft their own flower crowns.
3. Gather your supplies
Now that you know what your theme or overall mood for the gathering will be, it’s time to get your supplies! Here are a few ideas for doing exactly that, without generating too much waste.
- I love Bedthreads tableware! I use them for all my tablecloths and napkins. They’re fully compostable at the end of their life too because it’s made from 100% linen, derived from the flax plant. I typically wait for Bedthreads to have a sale before purchasing because they are pricy. But you can also try to thrift linens if it’s not within your budget.
- Thrifting. Everything and anything, but especially lace, candle holders, tea cups, etc. Anything that’s going to give my gatherings that extra pop, based on the theme or the season.
- I absolutely love decorating with natural elements, like fresh cut flowers from the farmers market, foraged finds like seashells, or pumpkins/gourds. Aka, anything you can compost at the end of its life.
- Never underestimate the power of lighting! I love incorporating some beeswax votive candles, along with beeswax tapered candles. Doing a mix adds some fun variety to tablescapes and sets a mood.
- Menu cards and placeholders are super cute if it’s a dinner party. It adds a special something to the event. I made a menu on Canva for my Mother’s Day brunch and it was such a hit. If you’re artistic and have nice handwriting, you can always just make your own on some cardstock paper.
- Whenever possible, make your own decor! For birthdays, I have a sign I made myself from upcycled cardboard, paint, and twine. I hang it up with wall putty and use fake flowers upcycled from my wedding to hide the putty. For Mother’s Day I recently hung up a picture banner I printed myself of my lovely mom and mother-in-law which they adored.
- Reuse what you have. I’ve kept so many bows, ribbons, fake flowers, etc. over the years. They make great decorative installments during my parties!
4. Reusables and compostables
If I’m having a smaller gathering, I always opt for real plates, cutlery and glassware. For bigger parties, I choose compostables to save myself a headache because I don’t have a dishwasher.
I love Bambu cutlery and plates because they’re both super durable and pretty. These are also great for kids parties when you just don’t want to risk anything. You can use the code GREENIFYME for 10% off your order!
I also recommend making sure you have a clearly labeled compost station. I typically line a basket with a bag and announce it at the beginning of the party. It’s handy for the compostable dishes, but also for any food scraps at the end of the night.
Real plates, mugs, cups, cutlery, placemats, and table runners can all be found secondhand. I love the idea of mismatched plates for something rustic, like a garden or tea party. You can have your own stash just for parties, or reuse the same plates you always do for smaller gatherings.
5. Serve up the grub
I will almost always go out of my way to cook something for a gathering. Be it a whole homemade meal from scratch, or just a batch of cookies.
For dinner parties, I try to source whatever I can from my local farmers market. It’s easy to get everything there plastic-free using my reusable produce bags. And it’s all pesticide-free. Just make sure you’re composting any scraps while meal planning!
Pizza is also a great option for bigger parties where cooking isn’t an option. The box is made from cardboard and in most places can be recycled or composted.
I love having an interactive station of some kind too. For my Halloween party, that’s usually a mulled cider station where guests can pour their own mug. Or a hot cocoa station for a holiday party. And never say no to a huge infused water jug (my fav is strawberry lemon for spring/summer)!
For desserts, I will always try to make something. In a pinch, I will utilize my local farmers market because there’s a stand that sells freshly baked goods using local ingredients. It’s second best! I always get apple cider donuts from them for my Halloween parties.
Here are some of my go-to baking recipes that are total hits at gatherings:
- Chocolate cake (great for birthdays!)
- Blueberry muffins (my mother-in-law’s fav)
- Strawberry loaf cake (my personal fav + a big hit)
- Apple cinnamon muffins (LOVE making these for my Halloween parties)
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Banana bread
Bonus: Hosting Your Community
Gatherings don’t end at just close-knit get togethers and parties. Ecofriendly community-based gatherings are also a great idea!
Getting involved on a local level is so important because that’s where you’ll see the biggest change take place. Connecting with like-minded people helps make things happen!
Here are some ideas you may enjoy:
- Host a zero waste workshop! I’ve done several of these at my local library and loved it every time.
- Have a community potluck. Encourage everyone to bring a dish. Chat and get to know your neighbors. Ask them what are some ways we can improve our community? More community gardens? A shared tool library? Use it as a method to drive action towards a more circular economy.
- Host a clothing swap. I’ve always wanted to do this, or at least attend one. Great way to reduce textile waste and have fun!
- Maker-meet-up. Be it painting, drawing, pottery, flower arranging, gardening, etc. Gather the makers in your community in one space and get crafting! So much good comes from analog hobbies.
- Postcards to our reps night. Upcycle some cardboard/paper and turn them into postcards for your local representatives. Decorate them, but make sure the issue you want to highlight is clear (like reducing plastic waste, NO AI databases, etc.)
So, how do you host sustainable gatherings? Let me know your go-to tips in the comments!
For more hosting ideas, check out my zero waste birthday party tips.
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