Throughout the year, our grove hosts a number of events. There are usually many new faces alongside the old ones. These events always include a lot of fellowship and a goodly amount of food. Fellowship is the foundation of our grove, and feasting — sharing a meal with others — is a key part. It also illustrates a major tenet in ADF druidry: Hospitality. Opening our rituals, our campfires, and often our own homes to others, for me, is one of the great joys in following this path.
With the influx of new participants into our after-event celebrations – the potluck feast and/or the campfire – comes trash. No, not people who don’t know how to behave in polite company. Real trash, garbage. Some increase in trash is to be expected. More people means simply more stuff. However, this doesn’t have to mean more waste.
Providing containers for recyclables and encouraging attendees to use recyclable items is a big step in the right direction. In our grove, we try to take a step further. When event announcements are sent out, we include reminders and guidelines about what to bring. A dish to share, your own beverages, firewood for the sacred fire and campfire, camp chairs, and feast gear. Most who have been around a while understand feast gear to be your own plates, cups, and utensils. Bringing one’s own feast gear benefits the host group by solving the dilemma of having more people show up than anticipated and having to scramble to make sure there are enough plates and forks, etc, to go around. It can also significantly reduce the amount of trash and waste when the feast gear is nondisposable and reusable or at least recyclable.
Disposable plates and plastic utensils are very convenient, and convenience has its place, However, they take up a lot space in landfills and contribute to the overall environmental waste problem, and we encourage that extra effort it takes to reduce that sort of waste.