A Plant-Based Graduation Party!

Last week, my Bachelor of Global and International Studies degree from Carleton University was officially conferred! Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, our convocation ceremony has been postponed until further notice. To make up for a lack of celebrations, my family put together a small backyard, socially-distanced get-together this past weekend! (with only our small bubble of ten people, as per the current Ontario restrictions)

I was so excited to have my loved ones all together to celebrate! We had a lovely BBQ with Beyond Meat Burgers (which even the meat-eaters of the family loved), vegan cucumber and pasta salads (I’ll be posting recipes for these soon), and I made a vegan chocolate cake! I know it’s a little weird to make your own cake, but with COVID, we’re trying to avoid ordering food out as much as possible. I also love baking and cake decorating, so I had a blast doing it. I used the same vegan cake and vanilla frosting recipe that I used in this post, because it’s so simple and easy, and it’s such a hit! My family couldn’t believe it was vegan. For the rosette piping, I used this tutorial from Cake Style.

I’m a big fan of parties, but something I always struggle with is the amount of waste and excess that comes with parties, especially with decorations and single-use plastics. To avoid this, we decided to cut out the tacky party decor and balloons. Instead, we hung up compostable paper banners, including the floral ones (pictured above) from Zero Waste Bulk. I love them because they’re neutral and can be reused for all kinds of celebrations, and once you’re done with them, they can be planted! I got the Basil and Wildflower seeds and I’m so excited to plant them. I’m hoping to get a few uses out of my banners, because they definitely aren’t the cheapest party decor option. If options like this aren’t in your budget, a better idea (and even more sustainable) would be to make your own out of recycled paper or old fabrics!

Although the topper on the cake isn’t compostable (it was a surprise from my mom) if we take good care of it, we can wash and regift it or reuse it for future family member’s graduations.

We’re far from perfect, but always trying to learn and improve. Do you have any low-waste party tips? I’d love to hear about them!