Graduations, weddings, baptisms, weekly potlucks, Lenten fish fries, and other parish events can generate a lot of paper and plastic waste.  Reusable or biodegradable utensils and plates can greatly alleviate this, and make every parish festivity a sustainable one.  Sustainable disposables do exist.  There are many innovative companies currently making disposables from 100% renewable resources such as plant-based plastics, sugarcane, and wheat.  Purchasing reusable tableware instead plastic-based items can also substantially cut the cost of these events and lessen the environmental impact in the long run.

Did you know? A case analysis featured in The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, estimates it only takes 10 uses for a resuable mug to overcome a polystyrene (a type of plastic used to make styrofoam) one.