Have a green picnic. Here's how!

Whether you’re looking to fill a few hours on a summer afternoon or planning an all day outdoor adventure, a green picnic is a healthy and environmentally friendly meal choice. The ideal green picnic combines healthy food choices and ingredients, a fun location and a selection of earth friendly picnic products. These elements create an exciting excursion for a group or an intimate gathering for a few close friends.

It’s all about the bag

Repurpose a reusable grocery store tote bag as a picnic bag or try an old fashion picnic basket. Just steer away from those nasty plastic bags.

The grub

Farmers grow organic food to be healthier to eat than other foods, which also makes it better for the earth and the environment. But if your pocket can’t handle the extra cost of organic living, check out our list of foods you should always buy organic.

Also buy food that’s grown locally to save on gas and support local farmers, and don’t forget to include whole foods. Whole fruits, vegetables and other similar foods do not require additional packaging in order to stay fresh.

The tools

Disposable paper plates, plastic cups and cutlery are convenient, but they create a lot of waste. But the idea of carting china, metal cutlery and glassware for a crowd isn’t very appealing either. These days, you have options.

Use recycled or recyclable picnic products. Consider biodegradable dishes and utensils made from natural and renewable products, such as the byproduct of sugar refining, fermented potato starch and a corn-based plastic. Best of all, after use, they can be thrown in your composter and end up as garden fertilizer by the end of the summer.

Reusable cloth napkins are the most environmentally friendly option (and if they are made of organic natural fibers, even better), but a good second bet is paper napkins made of 100% recyclable paper.

Where you lay the blanket

The best green sites are easy to get to by walking, hiking or taking public transportation. But if you must drive, carpool.

And when the day is done

Take your waste with you. The garbage from your picnic is not a natural part of the picnic site. And don’t forget the recyclables.

A few last tips

Be sure to pack the sunscreen and bug repellant. The best green options will have all natural ingredients.

Do not disturb the wildlife at your picnic site, or gather flowers and plants.

Instead of purchasing individual bottles of water (which are made from non-renewable petroleum, shipped over long distances and wind up sitting in landfill sites for the next million years or so), buy a collapsible water bag that you can fill up at home, keep it cold in a cooler, then fold it up and carry home empty.

It can take up to 1,000 years for a plastic sandwich bag to biodegrade in a landfill. Instead of using flimsy bags that don’t do much to protect your sandwich from being crushed anyway, think reusable tins and canisters.

You can also just wrap sandwiches in non-stick aluminum foil. The foil helps protect food and keeps it colder, longer, and it's recyclable! Just toss the clean aluminum foil into your curbside recycling bin, or crumple it up into a ball and use it to clean your backyard grill.

Bring an empty tote bag to bring back all the empty cans and bottles for recycling; crush them down to maximize space.

Avoid the use of Styrofoam whenever possible, as it endangers wildlife and is not biodegradable.

Sources:

Cool People Care

eHow

Globally Green Living

Green Living Online

Canada.com

CBS News