Mixed Greens

Planning a party? Here are some simple steps to making it a fun, green affair:

1. Get help. Don’t try to plan, throw and recover from a big bash all by yourself. Feeling the burden of doing practically everything could make you more likely to choose the easy, convenient and cheap eco-unfriendly way. Our system isn’t entirely green (yet), so you’ll have to take some additional measures to make your party green – get some support so it won’t feel like such a hassle.

2. Decorations. Try to avoid cheapo throwaways like paper streamers and the like. Instead, use flowers and plants (either your own, or perhaps purchased from an organic farmers’ market vendor), pictures, lights, cloth, soy or beeswax candles, etc. – items that are reusable, not disposable.

3. Invites. I love a cute card as much as the next person, but with everyone and their cousin online these days, virtual invites are much more nature-lovin. I’m really loving pingg.com, with their beautiful designs and RSVP tracking features.  (If it’s a more formal affair that necessitates a mailing, check out Green Paper Studio or Earthly Affair for invitations made from recycled paper and other eco-friendly options.)

4. Online organizing. Speaking of saving some trees – eschew the spiral notebooks and sticky notes for some Internet-based party prep. In addition to pingg, you can also check out BackPackit’s tools for organizing events (including to-do lists, file uploads and writeboards).

5. Food. Of course, you’ll want to fill all your guests’ bellies with fresh, organic foods (with loads of vegetarian dishes). For casual get togethers, suggest a potluck. It’s fun to mingle recipes, and it’s more likely that reusable dishes, pots and pans will be used. You could even make the green angle part of the theme, asking everyone to bring their favorite cups and plates.

Fancier events may call for some catering – raw food, vegetarian Indian cuisine, or organic meals, for example. Watch out for a deluge of disposable utensils and plateware though. If you absolutely cannot use more permanent plateware, explore biodegradable and compostible options.

6. Drinks. Treat your guests to organic beers and wine. And choose containers that you know your locality recycles, such as glass bottles or aluminum cans instead of plastic bottles. Don’t forget water – and please, no plastic water bottles! Think about offering your own filtered tap water.

7. Entertainment. (This might be stretching it, but it’s worth mentioning.) Consider cutting down on that coal-generated electricity from your stereo, and take advantage of musician friends who love to play acoustic versions of their greatest hits. And while we’re getting back to our roots (you know – way back in the day when people talked and sang and danced and played instruments…?) – turn off the TV, the radio, the cellphones, etc., and play some games (I love me some old-fashioned charades!).

8. Transportation. Help your guests out – suggest carpooling (and link up guests who live close to each other) and offer public transit options that are nearby. Or, encourage them to neutralize their carbon emissions by calculating and offsetting them at DriveNeutral. Of course, neighbors can always walk or bike over!

9. Cleanup. Ooh…the fun part. Use eco-friendly cleaning products such as Seventh Generation with cloths and dust rags (rather than paper towels). To conserve water, instead of using the dishwasher, opt for handwashing the dishes with a good friend who you can gossip with about the party. Compost the organic waste, and recycle and reuse what you can. Hopefully, you’ll wind up with a near zero-waste event!