Even though we love picnics, there is one thing we must admit about them: throwing a stunning picnic can have a major impact on the environment. Everything required to organize a picnic -- from food to décor and transportation -- can take a major toll on the environment.
When you decide to plan a picnic this year, make a promise to yourself that you would do your best to reduce its impact on the environment. The question is, how you can fulfill that promise?
By organizing an eco-friendly picnic! Eco-friendly picnics have all the elements of a great picnic, yet they aren’t harmful to the environment. If you have no idea about how you can plan an eco-friendly picnic, you are at the right place. We are going to show you how you can organize the perfect eco-friendly picnic that honors the environment.
1. Choose a Local Location
Instead of organizing a family picnic at a location that is far away from your home, pick a venue from around your location. Search online to find picnic spots in your area. You’ll be surprised to see all the awesome picnic venues near your home. The reason we suggest a local spot for picnic is because you’ll be required to travel less and it will reduce air pollution caused by your vehicle.
2. Say No to Packages
When planning a family picnic, taking packaged food seems like the best option. However, these packages generate a lot of waste. Furthermore, since packages are made out of plastics, they have a harmful impact on the environment. Instead of using packages, take all the food in closed containers.
3. Keep the Menu Eco-Friendly
The meals you select for the menu should contain products that are less harmful to the environment. For instance, you can go with organic foods. Avoid food with chemicals at all costs as they are harmful for the environment.
4. Pick the Picnic Utilities from Your Own Home
Everything you need for a picnic is right there in your home. You just have to look carefully to find it. The perfect bag is lying there in your kitchen drawer. The perfect picnic basket is hiding somewhere in the store room. The perfect blanket is in your closet. The mugs, stainless utensils, cloth napkins and tumblers are all there. What more do you need for a picnic?
When you choose home supplies for an eco-friendly picnic, you are able to cut back on carbon emissions, spending and waste.
5. Don’t Take Disposable Items
A great way to ensure that your picnic doesn’t pollute the environment is to avoid taking any disposables. Avoid paper plates and cups, and plastic forks and spoons, which are thrown away after use. There items generate a lot of waste and are harmful to the environment. And instead of paper tissues and towels, use cloth napkins.
6. Use Natural Sunscreen and Repellants
You’ll need to protect your skin from the bright sun if you are planning to hold a picnic in the outdoors. However, instead of using usual sunscreens, choose natural sunscreen products that don’t contain any chemicals harmful for the environment.
Insects and bugs of all sorts can irritate you out in the open and get into your food. Some are even harmful. So, you’ll have to keep these creatures at bay by using a repellant. Again, use natural repellents that are free from harmful chemicals.
7. Don’t Over pack
When going out on a picnic in the outdoors, some people tend to over pack and they try to take everything they think is important for the picnic. They don’t even use half the things they take with them. You can avoid over packing by planning early for the picnic. Make a list of everything you may need for the picnic and go through it a couple of times to pick the items you’ll actually use and disregard the rest.
8. Avoid Glass
Glass is not just heavy and bulky; it almost never lasts through the picnic. Therefore, never take glass items with you on a picnic. It is better to go with stainless steel containers, dishes and drinking glasses. If glass items break during the company picnic, they can seriously hurt someone and ruin your perfect picnic.
9. Choose Eco-Friendly Activities
Frisbee is a good bet for a fun activity. You can also consider hiking or going for a swim (if there’s a lake nearby) to enjoy eco-friendly activities. If you have invited your relatives to the picnic, you can also consider organizing a scavenger hunt.
10. No balloons
Balloons are fun, but if they are released in the air, they can take a long time to decompose. Moreover, animals can get tangled in the strings of the balloons or mistake them for food. Therefore, don’t think about decorating your venue with balloons or releasing them into the air.
11. Try to Use Human Power
Try getting to your picnic spot via human power. We mean to say that you should walk to your picnic location, ride a bike or even paddle a boat to get there. This way you won’t be using any fuel that has harmful impact on the environment. You can only get to the picnic location via human power if you follow point no#1 and pick a local spot for your picnic.
12. Use Natural Gas to Cook
If you want to grill your food at your picnic location, use natural gas grill instead of charcoal grills. Sodium nitrate and coal dust is released into the air by charcoal grills which have harmful effects on the environment. On the other hand, natural gas grills release less smoke and are less toxic to the environment.
13. Skip Canned Drinks
Instead of filling your picnic basket with canned drinks and bottled water, carry juices and water in reusable containers. Drink in reusable glasses instead of paper glasses that end up in the bins.
14. Try to Use Hands
Try to use your hands to eat food. This way you won’t have to carry bulky utensils with you to the picnic spot. Organic foods like salads doesn’t require cutlery. But, if you planned to eat cooked food, you’ll have to take utensils.
15. Don’t Let Your Pets and Kids Affect the Habitat
Pets and kids can interfere with nesting birds, native plants and other creatures in the picnic surroundings. Keep an eye on your pets and kids to make sure they play in dedicated space and stay away from nesting birds and plant species.
16. Leave Your Picnic Spot Better than You Found It
Snack wrappers, orange peels and peach pits don’t belong on the grass! Clean up all the mess you make at your picnic spot. Don’t leave any junk at your area that can upset the ecosystem. Litter gets into the water and causes harm to wild life. Usually certified picnic spots have trash cans. If those aren’t there at your picnic area, take all the junk with you and properly dispose it off later.
You see it isn’t too hard to organize an eco-friendly picnic. It is true that you have to sacrifice a few activities and reduce the food menu to only a few items to successfully pull off an eco-friendly picnic, but the picnic will still be fun. You’ll feel good to move out of the mainstream and think about the environment for the change. It can be your way of repaying to the environment for all the aesthetic benefits you get from it. So, what do you say? Is your picnic going to be an eco-friendly one? We know your answer is an astounding yes.
When you need to plan an eco-friendly picnic for your family or want to organize it for your office colleagues, you can take assistance from professional picnic planners. When it comes to professional picnic planners, there is no one else to trust but the Bay Area Picnic Planners. At Bay Area Picnic Planners, we are skilled at organizing all types of picnics. We would love to lend you a hand in organizing an eco-friendly picnic to honor the environment. We can pick a local venue for your picnic, arrange all the reusable items and prepare organic food to be served at your picnic. We can also get our grill masters to cook food on natural grass grills. Furthermore, we have inflatable games that are great for fun activities and don’t affect the environment in any way.
If you want more information regarding what we can offer you, call us today at 1-408-298-3001.
Image Credits
by BrunoWeltmann - yayimages.com
by noppz - yayimages.com
