Zero Waste Picnic

I’m so grateful to have friends that are passionate about lots of different things. Two of my friends, Anna and Kate, are passionate about healthy, Organic food and we decided to join forces and have a Zero Waste picnic.

The planning was easy because we chose to make our picnic potluck style. We each made a dish and since I was hosting the picnic at my house, I provided the blanket, silverware, cups, and plates. However, if you wanted to host this at a park or beach or wherever, you could have each person bring their own plate/cup/napkin/fork to make carrying everything easier.

Anna and Kate brought their dishes in mason jars and larger, lidded glass containers instead of in plastic or other disposables. This made cleanup and carrying the food extremely easy and prevented spillage! Also, since our meal was vegan, Organic, and mostly raw, our ingredients were easily found package-free!

I made mashed purple potatoes with roasted onions, Kate made spaghetti squash with figs and vegan cheese topping, and Anna made roasted eggplant with tomato sauce and brussel sprouts. For dessert we had fresh figs and dried dates. To drink I served meyer lemon vodka with sparkling water infused with basil and mint from my terrace garden.

The cleanup could not have been easier since 1) we ate all of the food and 2) there were only a few jars and plates to clean, and the girls took their containers home, so I only had to clean 3 cups, 3 forks, a couple of serving spoons, and 3 plates. This event was so simple that it could be scaled up for more people without much effort at all and is the perfect way to host your friends because everyone gets to make something that they love and share it with one another.