Celebrate Earth Day with an Eco-Friendly Party

By Leah

It seems pretty counter-intuitive to throw a party in honor of Earth Day (we’ve all seen college lawns the morning after a party), but what better way to bring people’s attention to this important day and issue than by throwing a soiree? You can teach people a few things while having a good time!

And you can do it the Green way!

Fact: Parties generate a lot of waste(d people).
Fact: You can throw a party without the waste. (Though the wasted people might still be there.)
Bonus: You can do it on an end-of-the-year student budget (a.k.a very little moolah).

So let’s celebrate and bring some much needed awareness to Earth Day this year! Here are some tips for throwing an eco-friendly Earth Day Party so you can have fun without hurting Mother Earth.

Invites:

Make it a Facebook event!  Not printing out paper fliers will save trees.   Bonus of having a Facebook event?  You can organize carpooling/transportation to your event to cut down on wasted gas.  If people are planning on driving, see if they can pick up other people along the way. Also, encourage your friends to walk, bike or take the bus if they’re not close by. Just be sure that all those earth-friendly carpoolers choose a DD or find an alternate way home.

Food & Beverages:

Don’t use disposable dishes.  Not only are they a waste of money, but they also generate a lot of waste.  If you are worried about having enough glasses, you can either ask people to bring one with them, or go pick some up from a thrift store.  If you’re in the market for some new dishes totally earth-friendly dishes (you tree hugger, you), invest in some Preserve dishes.

If you want to serve food, make it yourself.  Pre-packaged things usually have a lot of wasteful packaging.  And buy local. It’s cheap and good for the environment!  Check your area to see if there are any farmer markets nearby.  And if you have lots of leftover food (because people were focused more on the drinks) send it home with friends in reusable containers.

If it’s B.Y.O.B, encourage your friends to buy local or organic alcohol!  If you’re wine drinkers, wine produced near you won’t break the bank, and it’s more environmentally friendly! If that’s not an option, buy in bulk. No cans, no small bottles. Kegs produce very little waste (and lots of fun) and larger bottles of alcohol (like the trusty “handle”) will cut down on many wasteful empties.

Activities:

If it’s a low-key event, screen an eco-awareness film. An Inconvenient Truth, The 11th Hour (hello, Leo DiCaprio!) or Who Killed the Electric Car are all good options. Have a computer available so your friends can calculate their carbon footprint.

If this is more of a “college” party, send your friends on a Get-Trashed treasure hunt. Whoever brings back the most trash from the street in a certain amount of time gets a prize (shots?). Those who come back with nothing…well, they have to take more shots. You can clean up your town and have a grand ole’ time.

Or why not make it a swap party?  It’s near the end of the year and if you’re moving, chances are you’ve got junk to get rid of.  Ideas include clothing swaps, or beauty product swaps.  Or, if you have nothing to wear, having a quick pre-party swap.

Clean-Up:

When you’re cleaning up go green.  Use eco-friendly products (I LOVE METHOD!) or the cleaning tips you learned from Mom using products you probably have on hand.

And, as always, don’t forget to RECYCLE!