Want to throw a party your guests will never forget (in a good way) and Mother Nature will appreciate, too? Try these pro tips from papertarians, people who live a paper-based lifestyle, choosing paper products when possible and recycling them to benefit the environment.
From the basics of using paper plates, cups and napkins to personalized touches like handwritten invitations sent via mail (a nice change from bills) to themed table tents and paper-based games such as trivia contests, these paper-centric ideas can help you host a bash that’s both exciting and eco-savvy.
Not only can you use them at your child’s birthday party, which means you won’t have to worry about renting and setting up a bouncy castle, but you can also apply them to adult gatherings, from showers to holiday parties and housewarmings.
Your guests are sure to have a good time, and you’ll sleep easier knowing that you were environmentally responsible. After all, paper is the perfect sustainable material, made from renewable resources rather than fossil fuels.
Ready to get started? Here’s a handy checklist of suggestions to take you from pre-party planning to post-party cleanup.
Invitations
It’s not a party without guests, and everyone knows that an emailed invitation can get buried in an active inbox or snagged by spam filters. To help your party stand out, buy paper invitations and fill in the details by hand, perhaps adding a personalized message for each guest. Feeling creative? Buy stock paper and draw or paint your own designs. Your friends will appreciate the effort, and the more sentimental recipients may even store the invitations in their scrapbooks or memorabilia collections.
Setting the Scene
Every party needs decorations that create a festive atmosphere, but who wants them taking up space in the attic for years to come? Or worse, experiencing virtual immortality in a landfill? Paper products provide a handy, environmentally friendly alternative that can be recycled once the fun is over. For personal touches, try:
Customized name tags.
You won’t need them if it’s a family gathering, of course, but for a child’s birthday party or a wedding shower, name tags offer a simple way to keep track of who’s who. Make them interesting by writing guests’ names in calligraphy, then letting them add personalized touches such as stickers, glitter, or fun facts like their zodiac signs or college majors.
Posterboard table tents.
You can use them to create themes (e.g., types of trees, favorite music or movie genres), giving guests who haven’t met each other yet an easy conversation starter.
Paper place cards.
These may have fallen out of favor since the formal parties of the Gilded Age, but they’re useful when you want to introduce people to each other.
Paper centerpieces.
Try filling up vases with paper flowers or experimenting with origami. You’ll have one-of-a-kind decorations that some guests may want to take home. The rest can be recycled.
Serving It Up
With tableware (and more), you can choose between off-the-shelf products, do-it-yourself innovations and customized sophistication. Many online companies offer personalized paper plates, napkins and cups. You can also buy paper party gear from big-box retailers and personalize it yourself, adding names, dates or drawings with food-safe felt-tip markers. For a child’s party, let the kids decorate their own plates and cups. They’ll entertain themselves and create something they love. To avoid waste, consider using the cardboard boxes from your online shopping to make dispensers for popcorn, candy and other snacks.
Paper Fun and Games
Need some party entertainment? If you don’t want to hire a clown (for the children) or a live band (for adults), why not try some paper-based games or crafts?
Pictionary.
Let tablemates form teams and compete against each other in this game that tests people’s artistic abilities and communication skills.
Trivia contests.
For themed parties (think Christmas or New Year’s Eve), print out trivia questions and award prizes to guests with the highest scores. You can also adapt this tactic for other parties, such as bridal showers, with questions testing how well everyone knows the guest of honor. (Of course, you’ll have to come up with the questions yourself.)
Big board games.
Want something brainier? Supersize indoor games with big pieces of cardboard, then head outside for lawn chess or checkers!
Origami.
Supply the colored paper and let guests choose from a menu of simple designs. If you know an origami expert, ask him or her to give guests a how-to on something more complex.
Paper airplanes.
For kids (and even adults), supply paper and instructions to make airplanes, then see whose flies the farthest. Offer prizes to the winners.
Paper party hats.
Want to add some retro fun to a kids’ party? Give them construction paper and let them make party hats. You can provide instructions for everything from traditional cone-shaped hats to more complex top hats or crowns. Older children may want to cut and shape their crowns, while younger ones can simply color between the lines.
Cleanup
Cleaning up is easier when you plan for it from the start. Use big cardboard boxes to create recycling and garbage bins and place them at convenient points—near doorways or dessert or drinks tables, for instance. That way, guests can empty cups and pizza boxes before tossing them into the recycling bins — if your local recycling center accepts them. (Check first since guidelines vary across the country.) Additionally, once the party is over, it will be quicker and simpler for you to gather up any remaining debris, sort it appropriately and get it ready for pickup. If you’re tossing the bins themselves afterward, remember: Empty, flatten and then recycle! Now you’re ready for a break. Thanks to your smart papertarian practices, you’ve thrown a party you can be proud of, and you don’t have to stay up all night dealing with the messy aftermath.
