How to Celebrate a Zero Waste St. Patrick's Day!

Hey earth muffins! Believe it or not, St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner… And then Easter is not far behind! I have never really done much to celebrate St. Patty’s Day; but, as it is a major holiday, I just couldn’t skip over writing another sustainable holiday post. Today, I wanted to share my list of how you can celebrate a zero waste St Patrick’s Day this year! Holidays tend to create more waste than a typical day, so it is important to be mindful of how sustainable your celebrations are. Let’s jump right in!

Wear green!

Wearing some sort of green is a tradition for St. Patrick’s Day. This is the one thing I try to do every year! Looking through my current closet, I actually don’t have any green to wear… Instead of going out and buying something to wear for just one day, borrow from a friend or family member. My boyfriend has a couple green sweatshirts, so I can just steal one of those! If none of your friends have green, then you can check to see if there are any cute items at the thrift store. Make sure you will wear it on a “normal” day too – buying a St. Patty’s themed shirt is silly because it sits in your closet for 364 days of the year.

Play some tricks.

Similar to the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus, my parents tricked my siblings and I into believing that the Leprechaun was real. He would cause chaos in our house each St. Patty’s by messing up our orderly toys and dyeing the milk green. While playing some tricks on your roomates is clearly zero waste, I would steer clear of the food dyes that come in plastic. I have been making my own seed/nut milks recently; pumpkin seed milk (from raw pumpkin seeds) is already a light shade of green. Maybe opt for this instead! ☘️

Do some zero waste cooking!

There are tons of amazing Irish meals you can cook for this holiday. Try to source all of your ingredients from bulk bins, glass containers, or loose items. 😊 If cooking a whole Irish meal seems like too much, try making one thing. I personally would recommend some delicous soda bread! For those who aren’t into cooking, support a local Irish pub or restaurant. Try to eat in if there aren’t COVID restrictions; takeout always creates more waste than necessary!

Learn to Irish jig or listen to some Irish music.

While learning the jig might sound stupid, it is always fun to try something new! 👯‍♂️ Plus, having a few random dance moves in your back pocket is always a good idea. I taught myself how to moonwalk in middle school, and there have been numerous times where I’ve shocked people because they didn’t believe I could actually do it. If dancing isn’t your thing, listen to some classic Irish music. Or, listen to Spotify’s top songs in Ireland – I love that you can listen to what is popular in other countries!

Skip those gold coin chocolates.

For one, they don’t even taste good haha. And they create a lot of extra waste. Instead of those candies, look for some other sweet treat in the bulk bins. If you can’t find any good options, you could always make your own chocolates or candy!

Attend a virtual St. Patrick’s Day parade!

Every holiday I am always amazed at the number of virtual events you can stream. I bet if you go on YouTube you will be able to stream a bunch of different celebrations from Ireland! If you can’t find any, there are sure to be ones from prior years that you can watch. 🍻 I personally will probably watch a St. Patrick themed movie, such as Luck of the Irish.

There you have it – some awesome ways to have a zero waste St Patrick’s Day! 🇮🇪 I hope your holiday is lucky and full of gold! 🍀