5 tips to make Independence Day happy, safe, sustainable

We hope you (at least those of you in the United States) have a fun, relaxing Independence Day this weekend. We at Cloverly will be celebrating too.

Pandemic safety concerns will obviously loom large. And we always care about sustainability. So here are 5 double-duty tips for both safe and sustainable holiday celebrations:

Teleparty!

Getting "together" via video is safer than gathering in person—and more sustainable because travel inevitably creates a carbon footprint. Make it fun by sharing your go-to party dish recipe ahead of time and having everyone prepare all the dishes. Then do a virtual taste testing. You just might learn a new favorite way to make potato salad or grill ribs (or veggies). Have everyone pick a favorite wine, beer, or other beverage, and taste those, too.

Get out (of doors)

For actual in-person gatherings, outdoors is much safer for preventing virus transmission. Moving to the backyard also makes social distancing easier. Remember to set up separate containers for trash and recyclables. You might add a third container for compostables; composting reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to sending waste to a landfill.

Dispose of disposables

Reusable rather than disposable plates, serving dishes, eating utensils are more sustainable. Your dishwasher will kill viruses. You can eliminate the eating utensils entirely by serving finger food. Give everyone a differently colored set of glasses, cups, and plates (or differently colored ribbons on stems of wineglasses) so it's easy to keep them separate.

Go with cloth over paper

Use cloth napkins—again, a different color for everyone. For spills, use cloth towels rather than paper. Not only will you be acting more sustainably, but you also won't have to track down all that paper trash—or watch it blow into the neighbor's yard. Toss the napkins and towels into the washing machine (handling them with disposable gloves), use the warmest appropriate setting, and dry them completely.

Give thanks, even if it's not Thanksgiving

Enjoy your friends and family, your food and drink, and your freedom. Focus on the good things in your life. Gratitude makes everything more sustainable. Please know that we at Cloverly are very, very grateful for all of you who have contributed to our success. Thank you.

About Cloverly

Cloverly provides an easy way for ecommerce consumers to purchase carbon offsets and achieve carbon-neutral shipping for their orders, at no cost to the store owner. For details, visit cloverly.com/how-it-works. Shopify store owners can get our Shopify shipping app by clicking here. If you have a Magento store, click here.