5 Tips to Green your Canada Day BBQ

Posted on June 29, 2015

Canada Day is a great opportunity to have family and friends over for a BBQ to celebrate our great country. One of the things we love most about Canada is the natural beauty; so don’t forget to think green while you cheer our red flag! 

1. Use reusable cutlery: If possible, use cutlery, plates and serving dishes that you can wash and reuse again. Disposable plastic cutlery and paper plates take energy to produce & ship and end up in our landfills after just one use.
 
2. Get creative with the decor: Skip the balloons (did you know there's a helium shortage?!?) and cheap decorations and let nature help you add colour to your party! Move your flowerpots to the party location and let your garden be the star attraction. Some great lawn chairs and colourful outdoor cushions can be used all summer long and can add a festive flair to any backyard BBQ.
 
3. Buy local food/beer: Buying local means that there's less energy in transporting your food to your market. And at this time of year, there's plenty of farmer's markets and local produce available in your favourite grocery store. And the Village Brewery offers some great locally brewed beer options...
 
4. Enjoy the trip: Ask your guests to walk, bike or use transit to get to your fabulous green BBQ.  Provide a space for bikes (covered or secure storage like your garage) or provide links for the quickest transit lines that go by your house. Skip the Canada Day traffic jam AND reduce emissions! If driving is the only option, see if you can arrange for some of your guests to carpool.
 
5. Compost your organics: When you’re all done eating, you don’t have to throw out everything you couldn’t get down. If you separate your food scraps, you can compost your vegetables and fruit into your composter or all of your organics into your bokashi bucket. Your garden will thank you!
 
Have some tips of your own to share? We'd love to hear them! We hope our green barbeque tips help you enjoy this Canada Day and keep our country abundant and beautiful for generations to come.