It's the most wonderful time of the year, and no matter how you celebrate the season, it really is possible to do so in an eco-friendly way. We hope our tips give you some inspiration to make the greenest choices at your holiday table!

The Menu

locally sourced food is eco-friendly and in-season. That said, it's fall (not a ton of options in-season), and organic and local options can be really expensive. There are still ways to make your menu earth-friendly. Here are some ideas:

make the meal meat-light or meatless: this will reduce the carbon footprint of the meal you serve.

• Purchase food with recyclable packaging: less waste before, during and after.
• Instead of throwing away food waste, compost it: composting food ensures that food waste turns back into soil.

The Eating Tools

At the end of a party, the trash can be stuffed with plastic plates, cups, and cutlery. Avoid, avoid, avoid! We don't really need to mention it, but that bit of efficiency plastic provides at your shindig equals thousands of years of plastic. Is it really worth it? Here are our tips for reducing the waste

• Ditch single-use plates and use glass and ceramic: have a huge crowd coming and can't wash it all? Reduce plastic by using biodegradable bamboo utensils and compostable paper plates.
• Think strategically: consider serving appetizers that don't need cutlery or plates but can be handled via cloth napkin.

The Place Setting

Make your table beautiful and eco-friendly with gorgeous cloth napkins. They'll add decoration and save the earth. Check out these beauts.

Our cloth napkins come in a variety of gorgeous patterns and stand up to the task of being used and abused. They'll dress up your table, but can stand the stains, and are purposely designed to hide them. Additionally, these pretty organic cotton lovelies are wrinkle-resistant and don't need to be ironed.

Tips for avoiding wrinkles: shake out napkins before you wash them, fold as soon as the dryer cycle is done, and flatten them as you fold.

The Clean-up

It's probably the least favorite part of a party, but approaching clean-up with the earth in mind is simple:

• Compost food waste: when clearing plates and after leftovers have gone funky, send them to compost instead of a landfill.
• Dispatch leftovers to friends: everyone is happy to leave with their hands full, to make it easier, ask people to bring food containers with them so they are prepared.
• Scrub-a-dub with biodegradable sponges!
• Ditch paper and clean up with reusable paper towels!

Be the Best Guest!

Are you lucky enough to be a guest and not the head holiday honcho? Congrats. But don't show up unprepared, organic cloth napkins make a thoughtful and eco-friendly host/hostess gift.

Hopefully, this helps you navigate through the holidays in the most earth-friendly way. If you have any questions or have even better tips, please let us know!