Our church is really big and when they have their summer picnic they ask everyone to bring their own dishes and silverware. It helps defray the costs, makes clean up easier and less goes to landfills.

I just bought some nice glass straws, made in the USA, from Hummingbird on Amazon. Very cool.

Have a tub with soapy water to place plastic utensils to be recycled for the next 4th of July party. Have a marker for people to put their names on cups so they don't have to get a new cup. Have trash cans in a row and labeled 'Trash'. 'Glass Only', "Alum Cans' and "Plastics". More and more people are willing to help keep our earth healthy especially if you make it easy for them.

You can use the little mason jars at target and put a small votive inside pretty lighting

Are there any fireworks, maybe the non - playful kind, that release chemicals which are beneficial to our soil and water?