Halloween parties? Thanksgiving celebrations? Christmas and Hanukkah? Yep, with summer BBQs, wedding season, and pool parties winding down, it’s time to gear up for another round of festivities. Here are a few tips to make sure your next gathering is a green one:
Dish it Up without Disposables: Catherine Zandonella, author of Green Guide Families: The Complete Reference for Eco-Friendly Parents (National Geographic Books), suggests using the plates and utensils sitting in your cupboards instead of buying disposable paper and plastics. If the idea of dishes being chipped or shattered makes you nervous, then consider dedicating an inexpensive set to use exclusively for parties. “You can reuse these for years, saving money as well as being able to cross one more errand off your list prior to party time,” she said.
Green Your Invitations: Electronic invitations may be tempting in our fast-paced world, and they can offer the perfect green solution for your bash (browse evite.com and cocodot.com). But there are those of us who fear the tradition of sending invitations through snail mail is becoming a lost art. What to do if you want to use paper and still be green? InvitationBox.com has a large green collection that uses recycled paper that is FSC and SFI certified. Plus, the invitations are manufactured using renewable wind-generated electricity. Or express your own creativity by dressing up a gal (or guy) with matching holiday accessories through DesignHerGals.com. The site allows you to print the invitations right at your desk using your own environmentally-friendly paper.
Be Conscious About Cocktails: Your deviled eggs will come from free-range chickens. Your winter veggies will showcase local farms. And you even plan to make your holiday cookies with organic whole wheat flour. Great. Now what about drinks? You may have to hunt a little harder, but you can find organic wines, like those from Frey Vineyards, and spirits, like Square One vodka and 4 Copas tequila. The site Eco-Bar.net, for a fee, will drum up a custom eco-cocktail for your celebration, or you can flip through recipes in Paul Abercrombie’s book Organic, Shaken and Stirred (Harvard Common Press).
Go Giftless: Do you really need to give—or receive—another gourmet food basket? How about a charitable donation instead? Heifer International provides animal to families in need. Or give a gift membership to World Wildlife Fund, which supports conservation. If you’re planning a party for children, don’t miss Echoage.com. The website allows your kid to choose a charitable cause that guests can donate to in lieu of a present. “Make it fun by tying the donation to the theme of the party,” Zandonella said.
CLEANING UP
Party’s over. Time to clean up. To help remove any accidental stains, try WineOFF and CoffeeOFF. Made with non-toxic and biodegradable ingredients, it’s formula of enzymes and friendly bacteria is designed to eat away the spill.
