GREEN PARTYING: How to Entertain Without Destroying The Earth

BY BARCODE 2x

Here are a few ideas for how you can throw some great parties with a reduced environmental impact.

• Reduce power consumption. When you have guests over, you are going to be cooking, eating, not to mention, all the lights in your house will be up full blast.

1. Turn off the lights. Create a mood with less light. Or better yet, throw a party in mid-afternoon and use natural light. Spring is coming, you can stay entirely outdoors if you want.
2. Use coolers instead of the fridge. Your refrigerator works overtime when you have it stocked full of beer and jello. Try using ice in big coolers or storage tubs. While it's still cold out, use the great outdoors as one big refrigerator/freezer. You could let your jello shots set overnight in the cold.
3. Turn off the tv.

• Reduce Water Use

1. Your toilet is going to get flushed a lot. Ask your guests to conserve water by flushing only when they need to. Put up a sign: Eco Toilet: If it's brown, flush it down. If it's yellow, let it mellow!
2. Catch the water as you're draining it out of your cooler and use it to water your plants or your compost heap.

• Create a Waste System

1. Get three trash cans and label them: One for trash, one for recycling, and one for compost. Have fun with the labels, i.e. "White Trash Only" or "Compost and Unwanted Guests Only".
2. Show people your compost heap, be proud of it.

• Talk About It

1. Take the opportunity to discuss the environment, and what you're doing to reduce and recycle. People will come away from the party and want to make similar changes at their place.
2. Don't hit people over the head with it. Be gentle, don't preach to anyone. They will get the idea.
3. Do away with buzzwords like 'carbon footprint' and 'greenhouse gases.' Bring it down to Earth a bit. Recognize the immediate impact of your actions. Talk about how much money you save throwing a party this way. Talk about how much your plants love the compost you are all creating. Show off your plants and your garden.

• Celebrate

1. Enjoy locally grown or produced foods and beverages. Buy local beer. And pour the excess beer out in the compost. Worms love beer!
2. Reap the harvest. See some good tomatoes growing in your neighbor's yard? Encourage them to bring some. Make a salsa.
3. Throw a party in a local park or outdoor location that is convenient for people to walk or bike to. If they get drunk, they won't have to drive home. Although, there is really nothing worse than a drunk cyclist.
4. Celebrate the Solstices. As the new seasons arrive, bring people together to recognize the beauty of it all.