This post is also available in: 
English 
Français 
Deutsch
A pretty blanket, a few mouth-watering appetizers, some radiant sunshine – enough to make you feel like you’re on holiday, and yet you have only travelled to the park next door. After months spent locked down at home, we have only one wish and it grows with the approaching summer days: picnicking outside.
Unfortunately, picnics produce more waste than the usual dinner at home. Plastic cups, plastic plates, plastic cutlery: out of habit we tend to use disposable tableware and thereby produce lots of rubbish. Here are a few tips on easily making your picnic more environmentally sustainable – as well as trendier – this summer.
1. Use reusable cutlery and straws
You have two options: Bring your own cutlery from home or get a cutlery kit that fits nicely into your bag.
This way you are also prepared for spontaneous feasts. And you will notice that the food does taste better eaten from actual cutlery than from a plastic fork.
2. Switch to cloth napkins
Cute, soft and easy to wash, cloth napkins have it all! Not only will they reduce your waste, but they’ll also add a classy note to your picnics. You’ll love it!
3. Ban individually packaged drinks from your picnic blanket
When it comes to drinks, we usually think of buying soft drinks in plastic bottles or cans first.
Yet, you can prepare a lemonade in no time at all. Squeeze two lemons, add a litre of sparkling water and some syrup, and voilà! Besides, homemade drinks contain less sugar and are much healthier. Bring your lemonade with you in a glass bottle and pour it out of a carafe. Your guests will be impressed!
4. Prepare your food at home
Ready-made meals are usually excessively wrapped in plastic. But small nibbles are prepared quicker than you’d think: caprese salad, quiche, brownies. If you don’t have the time or inclination, go to a restaurant or supermarket where you can fill your meal into the containers you bring along.
5. Have an eco-friendly diet
Not all foods have the same impact on the environment. Therefore, try to shop eco-friendly: seasonal fruits and vegetables, vegetarian dishes and organic products. Shhh! Wines are no exception. Nowadays you can find organic wine everywhere – better for the environment!
Implementing all the tips from one day to the next may lead to discouragement, so try it step by step. Be patient with yourself and see it as a process. Introduce one step at a time to your picnic routine and by the end of summer they will all have become habits. Here’s to you, the kings and queens of the eco-friendly picnic!
Pictures : MarineCC
Want more exclusive news & articles ? Register here to our weekly newsletter.