Happy Earth Day

We are thrilled to share our second Gather Now post, which focuses on Earth Day. Sadly, most people often overlook this very important day, which happens to be on April 22. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, and while Americans have come very far, there is still so much more work to be done...and not just on Earth day - EVERY day. Check out these alarming statistics :

*In 2014, the US produced 32 billion pounds of plastic; only 9% was recycled *The energy saved by recycling one plastic bottle can power a computer for 25 minutes *The average american uses about 100 gallons of water per day (!!!!) and about 100,000 gallons per year *Every square mile of the oceans contains about 46,000 pieces of floating plastic *It takes about 1 million years for a glass bottle to break down in a landfill *The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle will operate a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours

We were super excited to plan a party while keeping our beautiful earth in mind, so check out what we did:

While very familiar with bamboo plates and have used them countless times in the past, we actually found out they are not compostable so they end up in a landfill after use and actually take 6 months to break down! In addition they are made from bamboo plants which are specifically cut down for the purpose of making plates. This was shocking news to us, so we were thrilled when we discovered VerTerra - dinnerware that is made from fallen leaves that are gathered, cleaned and pressed. Not only is this line gorgeous, but it blows away all other supposed "eco-friendly" choices out there. Instead of buying cut flowers which go to waste, we purchased tulip bulbs which we then re-planted after the photo shoot. Tulips are perennials so we will be enjoying these beauties for years to come! Recycled jars make the best vases! Simply soak off the label, wrap with twine and you have the perfect vessel for flowers. Here we got creative and used a bunch of fresh basil for a bright pop of color. To display these gorgeous Earth cake pops, we picked up some wheatgrass at the flower market and cut it to fit inside of a bark vase. Pretty awesome, right? Getting thirsty? We filled recycled ball jar vases with fresh lemonade, recycled paper straws and edible flowers! We couldn't resist some additional earth inspired treats from our friend Clarelicious. How adorable are these Earth sugar cookies? As a simple and easy take-home, we loved the idea of providing guests with a way to get involved...seed packets! To display we pinned each packet to map bunting, with a little note for each guest. What better way to clean up a party than with Greenworks cleaners. With little ones in the house, we can never be too careful with chemicals.

Happy Earth Day Everyone !! We hope you celebrate today and everyday!

All photos : Dave Robbins Photography