Whether you’re dating someone, married, or just want to go out with friends, here are some eco-friendly date ideas for all interests. Here are 15 more ideas I could come up with so leave your ideas below so we can continue this series. Don’t forget to check out part 1 here!

Date nights don’t have to be wasteful and many of these can be low cost or even free. Yay for zero waste on a budget!

Now, what makes a date eco-friendly? Many of my suggestions are going to revolve around experiences, a.k.a. doing something rather than buying something. Most of the waste we create comes from buying items, so avoid that by sharing experiences and memories together. Not all of these are experience-based, but that is the easiest way to reduce waste, in my opinion.

Get some drinks with a twist

Sure, heading to the bar can be fun if that’s your jam, but change it up! Head to a winery, brewery, or distillery and see if they do tours. This can be a great chance to learn something new, see how the process is done, and likely taste a bunch of different drinks. We did a brewery sour of the Sierra Nevada plant in January 2023 and it was so fun! It was cheap, educational, and entertaining, and we got so much beer for just $8.

Alternatively, try an alcohol-free drink date such as going to a tea shop or even a morning date to a coffee shop.

Do something artsy

Spend time together admiring the art of other humans or the art of nature! Head to an art gallery, art museum, or take a stroll around a botanical garden.

Try a new hobby together

Maybe you’re looking for a new hobby or maybe you’re just looking to try something new one time. It can be fun to learn alongside one another and maybe even have a memento to take home at the end of it. Some ideas are pottery, carpentry, surfing, sailing, swing dancing, photography, cooking, and so much more. Perhaps it’ll become your new passion!

This is especially great if you know you can’t stick to just one hobby. Try a new one every month! Or, maybe you try it and find out that it’s not your thing. The best part of trying a new hobby as a class is that you don’t have to buy all of the equipment that goes to waste instead of buying it all new to use at home.

Make a scavenger hunt

A fun activity to do for one another is to make a scavenger hunt. This could look like hiding several small gifts around your house with clues to find or perhaps it’s a city-wide search that leads to different date activities. Maybe one clue leads you to the park for a low waste meal and the next clue leads you to the beach for a relaxing walk. Another clue might lead you to the pottery studio to partake in a class and the last might lead you to a fancy dinner at a new vegan restaurant. I like that this can be very low or high cost depending on your needs and can even involve other eco-date ideas. Get creative! For things like this, I personally use Pinterest to gather more ideas and inspiration.

Go to a new park

If you’re like me and Dan and you love to just walk around. Check out a new park for your regular walking-dates! You could even try something new such as bird watching, roller-blading, taking turns playing your favorite music, listening to a shared audiobook, or bringing a craft with you. This is very low waste and a great way to see something new and get to know your city better. Sometimes we even check out the same park, just a different area. It still feels new to us!

Farmer’s market

Head to the farmers market for a low waste date! It’s the perfect excuse to try new foods, support small businesses and farmers (which is important for the planet), listen to live music, try new foods, and walk around. Sometimes farmer’s markets even sell local flowers which make a great romantic and low waste gift to accompany the date.

You could even pair this with an idea from part 1: making a meal at home! Perhaps you both pick 4 ingredients and do a Chopped-style cook-off at home and see who can make the best dish from the mystery ingredients. This sounds like fun to me!

Something sporty

Maybe you’re competitive and looking for something a bit more high-speed; do something sporty for date night! That could be bowling, Top Golf, go-carting, a trampoline park, or an indoor sports park like Round 1. This can be some fun competition, a great way to get a little workout in, try a new activity, and work up an appetite for an eco-friendly dinner afterward.

Get creative here! Try something new or surprise one another with their favorite activity.

Head to the library

Bringing it back to quiet and calm dates, let’s head to the library for a cozy date. Alternatively, you can head to your local bookstore if you want to own the items, but borrowing is a great way to live low waste! Some ideas are to borrow the same book and do a buddy-read reading marathon, borrow a movie to watch and discuss, or borrow some games for a low waste and free game night. Pair these activities with low waste snacks, music, loose-leaf tea, and homemade dessert for the perfect, cozy, and low waste date.

Simply check for local events near you to try something new

Dan and I love to explore our local area and usually that means looking for local events such as festivals, music artists coming to town, trying out a local trivia night, and things of that nature. Your city board will usually have an events website. If not your city, try libraries, event centers, fairgrounds, and other hosting venues to see what they’re advertising. Some local events I’ve seen in our area recently were the monster truck rally, the annual gem show, the annual Christmas market, a swing-dancing social, and more! What a great way to support local businesses and experience something new together.

Bathroom pic from the Wild and Scenic Film Festival event

Take a treasure walk!

Maybe this is just my crow-brain speaking but I love hunting for little treasures, yes, even trash. I’m game for a trash clean-up as a date. We can walk, talk, and maybe find some cool treausures. But, if you want it to be a bit more romantic, head to the beach or park and find nature’s treasures for one another (check local foraging rules, first). This is honestly similar to what penguins do: pebbling. They search for the perfect rock to give one another. So, do what the penguins do and find a foraged gift for your mate.

Take a bike around town

This is a favorite date activity of ours, especially when checking out a new city. Bike around and be a tourist on two wheels: check out a museum, local boutiques, a new restaurant, a cafe, a bookstore, natural wonders like waterfalls, and more. You could also simply just bike around wherever you feel called to go with no destination in mind. Take turns leading each other and see what you might discover. I find that this is a great way to see parts of a city, even your hometown, that you may not have seen before via car. You never know what you might see!

Go camping at home

If you have a yard, set up your tent, have a small fire for smores, and go start gazing when the sun goes down. You don’t have to go far to go camping and enjoy the outdoors. But, maybe you don’t have a yard, go camping indoors! Nothing beats a good pillow fort and movie marathon. See who can build the best, coziest fort; winner picks the movies or snacks! Pair this with a rented DVD, bulk store snacks, and homemade drinks for a lovely eco and cozy evening.

Host a themed dinner party but guests thrift their costumes

Yes, you can even host a dinner party for yourselves, but this is more of a group “date” idea. Pick a theme and guests have to thrift an outfit that matches. Some ideas are: dress as the host, dress as your favorite “Steve,” fantasy night, the theme of your favorite movie or show (The Office, Harry Potter, etc), and more! Get creative, I see trends like this all the time on TikTok for inspiration. You could even have themed foods and drinks and see who can bring the coolest dish for you all to share.

Thrift an outfit for one another before heading to dinner

Bringing it back to couples, plan a nice dinner out. But, there’s a catch: head to the thrift store first and find each other an outfit. You can go fancy, silly, or casual. Thrift whatever works for you and your partner. To keep it the most eco, thrift items you will truly wear after this one day so that you don’t have to re-donate or resell them.

Pair this with a local restaurant that uses local or vegan foods to make it super eco-friendly!

Go free little library hunting

Lastly for today, a favorite activity of mine, personally, is to go on a quest for Free Little Libraries. These library boxes are all over! Head to their website for a map (maybe you can pair this with the scavenger hunt idea from earlier) or just walk or bike around until you find some. Donate your old books and take books you’re interested in.

Keep the date going by heading home or heading to a local tea shop to start your new-to-you books and discuss them as you go.

I hope that these ideas inspire you to have some eco-friendly date ideas that you can partake in with friends or significant others. These are not just exclusive to those who are dating or married! Have fun with all of those who are important to you in an eco way!

Don’t forget to check out Part 1 for more ideas and leave your zero waste date tips down below.

As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)

Emma

Sustainable Date-Night Ideas (for Significant Others or Friends)