If you’re looking for an eco-friendly way to have an outdoor meal this summer, we’ve got tons of tips on how to gather outdoors with friends, while still staying more than six feet apart.

BBQ Bash

If you’re in the market for a sustainable, one-time use instant grill that sets up in 5 minutes, look no further than the Casus-Grill. You don’t even need a lighter, fluid or any equipment to use this grill for up to an hour of cooking. It’s made itself of sustainable materials, charcoal, lava stone, bamboo, and cardboard. Everything is biodegradable except the lava stones, so it emits less carbon dioxide than any other grill out there. 

You can use these grills at the beach, park, fishing trip, hiking or right in your backyard without  popping back in and out to your house. Plus it’s a fun thing to demonstrate to your  guests too. In Edmonton you can buy them at The Butchery, but they also ship across Canada as well. 

Jar-cuterie

Charcuterie boards were often a staple at parties pre-pandemic, but they  don’t really work right now—you don’t want so many hands touching the same board. For a more contemporary take, say goodbye to charcuterie  and hello to jar-cuterie. Assemble your favourite meats, cheeses, crackers and  pickled vegetables right into an individual jar that anyone attending your physically  distanced outdoor gathering can have all for themselves. Then keep the jar afterwards to wash an reuse!

You may be wondering how this works, so here’s how we set it up. We put beer chipotle mustard on the bottom as a dip, added a layer of Gouda or Chaga cheddar cheese, then a mix of meats. You can group some items together with a toothpick and top with a spicy garlic pickle.  And if you’re transporting these to a beach, keep these jars covered with beeswax  sustainable food wrap. Or use a lid if you can.

Setting the Outdoor Table

Let’s prep our plates and cutlery for our grilled meal. Something to consider for your safe and eco-friendly gathering is to encourage everyone to bring their own cutlery. Maybe grab some from your kitchen or order some reusable cutlery designed to be carried on the go, like these sets from Winnipeg business IReuse2. These luxury, stylish and hygienic stainless steel utensil ship across Canada. 

Drinks

This might just be the most important part of any good gathering. When you’re thinking of party drinks, look in your area to see which local restaurants  are offering pre-made, pre-batched cocktails. This has become increasingly common and popular since the pandemic began. El Beso, a Mexican Restaurant in Edmonton sells pre-batched cocktails and beergarita kits. They all come in glass bottles—which is of course much better for the  environment. Try to find compostable or biodegradable cups or ask guests to bring their own cups  for your eco friendly party! There’s also a company called Greenmunch that specializes in sustainable party wares, and they do ship across Canada.  

Jar Dessert

Another jar, but this time for something sweet! You can use your jars to make a simple strawberry shortcake with just 3 ingredients: store bought angel foodcake, strawberries and whipped cream! For the more culinarily-inclined among you, check out this recipe for coconut custard. Honestly though, you can stuff anything you want in here fore dessert.

Sustainable Beach Blanket

If you’re out by the water, there’s no reason not to incorporate sustainability into your beach attire. Tofino Towel Co, a B.C.-based company, focuses on sustainable design. Their products are made with fair-trade artisans using natural materials, made to be eco-friendly and multi purpose. This towel can work as a beach towel, a picnic blanket or an indoor blanket, meaning you can do more but own less!

Enjoy your gathering and stay safe!