Hosting A Green Gala
Written by Erin Patterson - Friday, 26 September 2008
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 Each day 43,000 tons of food is tossed out in the US. We also pitch enough paper and plastic “silver”ware to circle the equator 300 times each year! It’s a sickening statistic. The good news is that your next shindig does not have to be this detrimental! Here are some tips and ideas to help you get-together be green.
Invitations. Evites are by far the greenest option for summoning your friends to your soiree. But, they are not always the most personal or formal. If an Evite isn’t suitable, scan a handmade or store-bought invitation containing all the party details. Email it to your guests as an attachment (JPEG or BMP format) with a personal message. You should follow the invitation up with a phone call. For very formal occasions when email is not appropos, choose invitations made of recycled paper.
Food. The key to your party menu is to think locally. By choosing fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and meats grown locally, you eliminate the tremendous energy used to ship products from other areas of the world. Try your local farmers market or community-supported agriculture for food that is fresher, better tasting, and often less pricey than the same products in your supermarket.
Beyond local foods, you can seek out organic, sustainable, or biodynamic foods. Organic foods are regulated by the USDA to meet certain standards of local and sustainable agriculture and are free of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Biodynamic farming is sustainable, free of artificial fertilizers and pesticides, and farms are self-contained, thus recycling and reusing everything on the farm.
Here are a few menu ideas. For a backyard BBQ, serve grass-fed burgers and steaks. For a wine and cheese party, serve local artisan cheese and locally produced wine. Doing a brunch? Make omelettes with organic or locally produced eggs, seasonal veggies, locally produced breads, bagels, and rolls. Serve fresh fruit from your local farmers market. Finger foods are also a great option because they require fewer serving ware generating less waste than a sit down meal.
Not doing the cooking yourself and calling in a caterer instead? Be sure to provide them with your serving dishes (and borrow from friends if need be) to avoid all the waste generated by disposable serving trays, platters, and silverware.
If you aren’t using your own tableware, set up recycling stations for all plastic plates, “plasticware”, and cups. Label receptacles to take the guess work out of recycling for your guests. Even better, choose “eco-disposable” tableware, like Recycline, Cereplast, or Whole Foods 365 brand.
Drinks. Beverages can be green, too. Use seasonal fruit to garnish cocktails. You can also juice fresh fruit for drink mixers, for example juice limes for a batch of cool, delicious mojitos. Fruit, like balled seedless watermelon or cantaloupe, also looks great floating around a punchbowl.
When choosing wine and beer, again, choose locally produced varieties. Just think about the energy it takes to transport a Heineken to Hollywood! Buying locally also helps support your local economy.
For non-alcoholic sippers, buy soda in aluminum cans, instead of plastic bottles. Ninety-five percent less energy is expended to recycle an aluminum can than to make a new one! For your coffee lovers, brew shade-grown, fair trade, and/or organic coffee. Organic herbal teas are a great option. And for serving ice water, fill reused old wine bottles or pitchers with tap water and ice, not bottled water.
DĂ©cor. Locally grown flowers, fresh fruit, and plants make superb decorations. You can transform them into colorful centerpieces and dĂ©cor of endless possibilities. If you use small potted trees or herbs, they can be planted elsewhere post-party or given to your guests as gifts. You could even collect large leaves from the yard to make a table runner or place cards. Just jot your guests’ names on the leaves with a Sharpie.
Clean Up. Be sure to use green cleansers. Method makes a great line of cleansers, soaps, and wipes. When packing away food (and cooking, too) use aluminum foil instead of plastic wrap or plastic bags. The foil can be recycled after use.
Keep all of these things in mind when you are in party planning mode. It’s easy to be green and show your guests a great time!
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