What could be more patriotic than caring for the planet this Independence Day? Whether you’re hosting a picnic at home for friends and family or simply marveling over your town’s fireworks display, here are some simple ways to add green to your red, white, and blue celebration.

Food choices

Throwing a picnic or having a BBQ on the Fourth? Choose locally grown, organic produce. Also, consider offering a vegetarian option, such as veggie burgers. Want to know how the foods you are buying measure up? Visit the Center for Informed Food Choices’ Web site at http://www.appetiteforprofit.com.

If your picnic involves grilling, consider using sustainably produced charcoal. Some varieties are made from industrial scrap wood, while others are produced using clean energy turbine heat. Look for eco-friendly brands like Wicked Good Charcoal and Kingsford Charwood.

Disposables

Disposable plastics can remain in the environment for hundreds of years. Your party can be just as much fun and more environmentally friendly when you serve food on regular reusable plates. Add a touch of patriotic color with red, white, or blue cloth napkins. Skip the plastic forks and opt for metal utensils instead. Ask a couple of teens to help you wash dishes after everyone has finished eating if you are worried about the mess. Most people are glad to help, especially when they know their small gestures are helping the environment.

Clearly label recycling bins and place them in an obvious spot so guests will use them. Avoid plastic and glass bottles; instead, have an abundance of filtered tap water and ice on hand.

Something to Celebrate

It was two weeks after the Fourth of July, but my friend Geoff was wearing a hat with two American flags waving in the breeze. “Today’s my July 4th,” Geoff explained. After attending seminary, marrying, having a child, and working in the United States for more than a decade, Geoff, a native of Australia, had been sworn in that morning as an American citizen. About seventy-five friends had gathered in his inner-city backyard to celebrate.

Geoff and his beautiful wife, Sherry, are urban pioneers, living and working among the poor and sharing the creation-care gospel wherever they go. Their latest project is an urban garden, part of a racial reconciliation effort by the local Episcopalian church, which centuries ago excluded African Americans from being buried in the adjoining cemetery. Now the garden plot is being shared by a diverse group of neighbors working together in the garden as God intended, while providing fresh, organic vegetables to a local after-school program.

For the citizenship celebration, Sherry and Geoff borrowed plates from their church to lessen the amount of trash, but more people from the neighborhood showed up than expected. Matthew and I scraped food waste into the compost and washed dishes, so we didn’t have to resort to Styrofoam plates. With a little forethought by the hosts, and some great kitchen conversations while we washed and dried dishes, we were able to keep the environmental impact of the party to a minimum while celebrating Geoff's citizenship with an all-American barbecue.

Fireworks

Fireworks are bad for the planet. They fill the air with gunpowder, heavy metals, and accelerants. They are often unsafe as well as costly. A home fireworks display can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000 for fifteen minutes.

This year, cut out fireworks and sparklers from your budget and enjoy a nearby display at a park. At home, make other colorful decorations like ribbon streamers, from recycled newspapers.

Ready to take action? Consider talking to your local fireworks authorities about using Sekon biodegradable fireworks next year. This is the gunpowder-free, compressed-air technology that Disney now uses in its fireworks displays.

Nancy Sleeth serves as Blessed Earth's Program Director and resides with her husband, Matthew, in Wilmore, KY.