7 Ideas for a Zero Waste Birthday Party

There are two types of people in the world. Those who really don't care about their birthday (my husband) and those who LOVE THEIR BIRTHDAY SO MUCH. (myself)

I LOVE my birthday. It's probably my favorite holiday with Thanksgiving being a solid second.  You're the center of attention and people give you cake! What could be better?

It wasn't any sort of milestone birthday, but we decided to do it up big! If you haven't realized from reading this blog, Justin and I are both nerds. My idol is Nancy Drew. She's kind of the best.

When I was in the third grade, my dad bought me a Nancy Drew computer game. (Message in a Haunted Mansion for the other nerds like me who are obsessed!) It took me at least five years to beat that game, but after I did I was hooked! I've played and beat - every. single. one. SO PROUD. (I promise there's a point to this)

It rained a lot when Justin and I were on our honeymoon. We were looking for fun things to do and stumbled onto an Escape Room. They're pretty popular, but this was the first time we were learning about them. We had SO much fun, it was just like a real life Nancy Drew game.

We escaped a pretty easy one in Portland, and then escaped one with only a 35% escape rate in New Hampshire. (Have I told you we're nerds?)

When we got back to San Francisco, we were looking for more escape rooms to play. We found the Houdini Room which only has a 19% escape room!

We knew this was it! This was going to be my big birthday weekend.

We booked a hotel room in SF, and invited out some of my best friends! My friend Danielle, came out early and we went to Credo (of course). My Dad knows me so well and got me a gift card for my birthday! 

We just hung out and got ready. I rented a romper from rent the runway, and I wore the crown Danielle surprised me with for my bachelorette party! We kicked the night off at A16 a gourmet pizza place which was AMAZING!!

I cannot rave about A16 enough. They were so nice and accommodating! It's definitely going on my top favorite spots in the Bay Area.

After that we walked to Palace of the Fine Arts where the Houdini Room is hosted. It was such a blast. Most importantly, we escaped!! I have to abide by their secrecy rules, but I can tell you it had a lot of very clever and very hard puzzles. It's definitely worth a visit!

Then after that we just went back to the hotel room, drank some wine and chatted. Birthdays are best when surround by friends and family. I'm so glad that I got to have such a fun night with those I care about most.

I am a little bummed that I forgot to take any photos. I always forget to take pictures during major life events, which is kind of a blessing and a curse. I'm glad that I'm so in the moment, but I always regret not at least having a couple of photos of the evening.

my tips for a zero waste birthday party for kids and adults alike!

1. lose the favors:

Do people still even do party favors? They're so unnecessary.  I've seen some for weddings, but I've never been very interested in them. They typically aren't something that I'd use.

2. focus on the experience:

When I think of having a fun birthday it's always centered around an event whether it's a group of friends playing laser tag, breaking out of an escape room, or just Justin and me wondering around a new city.

3. keep it intimate:

Focus on a smaller group. It's easier to go places together and if you're doing a party at home, you'll have a lot less dishes to clean!

4. unconventional gifts:

Always go for the experience gifts or have everyone chip in on the birthday experience together. Justin is the best at getting gifts. He always buys us tickets to something. I'm really looking forward to seeing Turandot at the SF Opera next month. My mom also got me a gift certificate to a local spa!

Other great experience gifts include gift cards to favorite local spots, a coffee date, or tickets to a sporting game. Consumables make great gifts too like candles, coffee beans, bottle of wine or flowers.

5. ditch disposables:

If you're having a party at home, use real dishes, real cups, and cloth napkins. You can read more about our big BBQ Bash wedding party in the backyard for inspiration. 

My biggest tip is to make sure your washing machine is empty when the party starts! Throw all of the cloth napkins into a load of laundry while you wash the dishes.

6: minimal decoration:

Keep your decorations minimal and compostable. The easiest way to do this is to decorate with nature! Flowers and leaves are so beautiful. I also love to spend extra care and attention on the edible decorations. It's an easy way to be fun and festive without being left with a lot of trash.

7: keep it clear:

Make sure you have clear instructions or signage so guests know where dirty dishes and compost belongs. Also, chat with your guests before hand so they know you're trying to have a waste free birthday party!

---

Have you had a zero waste birthday? What are your tips for a zero waste party?

DIY Makeup Brush Cleaner

My favorite honorary "R"s is repair! It may have not made it into the top 5 "Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot," but it's got to be soooo close. 

Repairing is a huge part of the zero waste lifestyle. It honestly shocks me that my instincts used to be, "If it's broken, toss it and buy another one!" 

It's so engrained in our disposable culture. A lot of manufacturers actually participate in creating this disposable culture. It's called planned obsolescence. 

The idea of planned obsolescence isn't new, in fact it dates beck to the 1920s when the market was being flooded with vehicles. Ford and GM were both trying to find ways to increase sales. 

They came up with the idea to create new models each year to encourage the consumer to "upgrade." The goal was to make older models feel outdated and undesirable. 

It didn't become a common turn of phrase until Bernard London wrote the pamphlet "Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence." It proposed legal obsolescence on items to stimulate the economy.

The idea really took off in the 1950s. Brooks Stevens used it in his speech to an advertising company. "[planned obsolescence is] Instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessary."

Apple has been accused of this on multiple occasions from making custom screws only they have the screwdrivers to unlock and intentionally slowing down your phone with the most recent iOS update riiiiiiiiiiiiiight before a new phone is released. A little too convenient, eh? 

There are five different types of planned obsolescence, but this post is about makeup brushes! Looks like I've got another post to write for you on this topic. 

The moral of my story is, repairing is huge. A lot of companies don't want you to repair their items. They want you to buy new ones. 

While not everything is easy to repair, mend, or fix a lot of things are. Sometimes it means making better purchases. Other times it means learning a new skill! 

I remember when I first heard that you should be cleaning your makeup brushes. 

I took a hard look at the brush I used on a daily basis and saw quite a bit of built up product. Old me would have tossed that brush, thinking it was just time for a new one. 

But, I learned it just needed a good cleaning! Now it's as good as new. I clean my brushes often to keep them in tip top shape, and hopefully they'll serve me for many years to come. 

You can buy brush cleaner, but it's SO easy to make. Plus, it's totally zero waste. 

DIY, Zero Waste, Makeup Brush Cleaner: 

• 2 Tablespoons of Soap like Dr. Bronners
• 1 Tablespoon of a Sweet Almond Oil 

You can use another oil like olive oil. Sweet almond is what I had on hand. I bought it in bulk from Rainbow Grocery. 

Step 1. Pour the almond oil and soap onto a plate. The oil helps condition the bristles keeping them nice and soft. Using only soap could be a little harsh and dry them out over time.

Step 2. Swirl your brush around in the mixture until it's clean. Use your hand to agitate and remove any of the residue. 

Step 3. Rinse the brush off in COLD water. I rinse my brush off into a cup of water because you want to keep the brush facing down. You want to prevent the bristles from standing up so water doesn't drip down the shaft. 

Step 4. Hang the brushes to dry bristles down 24-48 Hours

If you have really product heavy brush, you may need to repeat this and add a little extra soap. 

Clean your brushes every 4-6 months depending on use. In between cleanings, I spray my brushes with this disinfecting solution. I store it in a small 2oz spray bottle. I don't over do it, because I don't want to dry out my bristles! 

Have you cleaned your makeup brushes recently? Did you DIY? 

Infused Strawberry Top Water

Today I'm brining you a post that combines my two FAVORITE things. Ditching single-use plastic and avoiding food waste. As you may recall from 8 Innovative Ideas for Using Food Scraps, I talked about a tasty way to use up your strawberry tops. 

I'm sharing my favorite infused water recipe with you plus a little story about Dopper, my favorite water bottle. Oh, and I'm giving two away too! I've been getting so many emails from y'all after showing it off in my Zero Waste Kitchen Tour. 

---

This post was sponsored by Dopper. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please see my full disclosure for more information. 

This post was sponsored by Dopper.  All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please see my full disclosure for more information. 

---

I was really excited when Dopper reached out offering to host a giveaway because Justin and I use these bottles daily. 

why I love my Dopper: 

two cups in one: 

I love the option to have two cups. I just took my Dopper on my trip to Arkansas. It was great because I got iced tea in the bottom and kept water in my goblet. It was the perfect drinking situation.

It also comes in handy because I go everywhere with Nala. Now, I always have a cup for her to drink out of without contaminating my own water supply.

I also run into lots of wine opportunities living near Napa. Having an instant reusable wine goblet is perfect. Almost every event I go to has a wine stand serving glasses in those small plastic cups. 

It'd probably pretty difficult to convince them to pour wine into my stainless steel water bottle. Convincing them to pour wine into an adorable little goblet!? Not an issue at all. 

two mouths:

The Dopper bottle has the option for a small mouth and a large mouth. Most bottles have either a small mouth or a large mouth, never both. If I want ice in my bottle, I can use the large opening. When I want to drink water and not spill it all down my front, (has happened with large mouth bottles on more than one occasion) I can do that too. 

easy to clean:

The way it comes apart makes it super easy to clean. I don't have a dishwasher, but they are dishwasher safe up to 149F/65C. I know that's important for some you folks. 

To ensure a clean Dopper, always remember to properly wash and dry your Dopper bottle after use, and leave it without the cap on in your cupboard. For more information on cleaning your Dopper bottle please check out these tips.

fighting to end single-use plastic:

5% of all sales go to the Dopper Foundation which supports clean drinking water, improved sanitation and hygiene through the charitable organization Simavi in Nepal. It also invests in change-makers and solutions for plastic pollution that go beyond the bottle. You can read more about the Dopper Foundation and how you can help here.

They're a certified B Corp and Certified Cradle to Cradle. When I choose to buy things new, I want to support companies that are getting it right. 

---

It would be a rare day for you to find me without my Dopper bottle by my side. I love drinking plain tap water. In fact, I like my water room temp. *audible gasp* I'm probably in the minority, but growing up performing and singing, drinking cold water could seize your vocal chords. 

I always drank room temp water and I just got used to it. But, it's good to change things up every now and then! I like to make infused water because it's tasty, a great way to use food scraps, and it's a fun option for parties.

Strawberry tops are often relegated to the compost bin, but they still have life in them. They're great for digestion and make your water taste sweet and summery. 

infused strawberry top water: 

• 64 oz of water
• 20-30 strawberry tops
• 5-6 sprigs of mint
• 2 a lemons juiced
• 1 lemon sliced

Put the strawberry tops, sprigs of mint, the lemon juice and lemon slices in a 1/2 gallon vessel. Pour warm water over the ingredients and into the vessel. Let it cool in the fridge. 

After it's cooled, pour it into you Dopper bottle and get ready to be the envy of all your friends. The Dopper bottle holds 27 ounces, so you'll have plenty leftover or plenty to share. 

Speaking of sharing, how would you like to win a Dopper bottle for you and a friend of your choice? 

Speaking of sharing, how would you like to win a Stainless Dopper bottle for you and a friend of your choice?

Share your favorite infused water recipe below! I'm thinking of making a yummy citrus recipe for winter. What do you think? What's your favorite way to infuse water? 

---