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You are here: Additional Info » Green Parties give the Planet a Break

Green Parties give the Planet a Break

Written by: Joanne Sasvari Vancouver Sun
Thursday, October 23, 2008

You might be in a mood to celebrate, but if you entertain like most of us do, the planet probably is not.

From wildlife-choking balloons to fuel-glugging bottled water, the choices we make when we throw a party have consequences that last a lot longer than the time it takes to blow out the candles on a cake.

Luckily, changing our ways can be fun, stylish and easy, according to Danny Seo, the "organic Martha Stewart." His book, Simply Green Parties, is loaded with ideas to transform your next bash into a party for the planet as well as for family and friends.

For even more suggestions, we talked to the folks at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, whose company-wide Green Partnership Program was pioneered by the chain's Canadian hotels in 1990. If a hotel chain that throws thousands of parties a year can go green, so can we all.

"We simply do this because it is the right thing to do. It is our responsibility to ensure that the environment we all enjoy today is here for future generations to enjoy tomorrow," says Jackie Budgell, environmental systems manager at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

Here are a selection of earth-friendly tips for your next event:

  1. Get the word out: Skip the fancy paper invites and send an e-vite instead. Or, if you really love the tradition of a beautiful keepsake invitation, opt for recycled paper cardstock.
  2. Pick a greener venue: If you're holding your event in a hotel or restaurant, pick one that offers eco-friendly options like recycling, composting and fuel-efficient lighting - and make that part of your contract. Go a step further if you can, and choose a venue that uses clean power such as wind-generated electricity or, as the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is in the process of doing, has installed a biodiesel processing unit to convert cooking oil into fuel.
  3. Be fuel-efficient: Either arrange for carpooling or choose a central location so guests can walk or take transit. Lower the thermostat and offer elegant pashminas to guests. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents or strings of LED lights, which use 95 per cent less energy than conventional lights and last 10 times as long
  4. Decorate with flair: Tinsel, confetti and balloons may be pretty, but what they do to the environment isn't. Not only do they create a non-biodegradable mess, but they can be lethal to wildlife. Instead, deck your halls with art, reusable ribbons or elegant swags of cloth. Or opt for the less-is-more approach, and skip the fancy decorations altogether.
  5. Set a greener table: Disposable plates, glasses and cutlery just clog up our over-stuffed landfills, so either buy yourself a supply of reusable party dishes or rent them from a party supply company. And, says Deneen Perrin, chair of the green committee at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, "Say goodbye to paper cocktail napkins. Buy nice cloth napkins - you can find small square ones and reuse them for future events."
  6. Make the environment your centrepiece: Rather than displaying store-bought cut flowers (which are often farmed intensively and shipped thousands of kilometres only to be thrown out a few days later), get creative. Use potted plants, real wax candles instead of polluting paraffin ones, bunches of fall leaves, charming found objects or, in winter, dramatic bare branches hung with decorations.
  7. Plan a kinder menu: Opt for deliciously organic, seasonal, sustainable and, above all, local foods, which save on fuel and support local farmers.
  8. Drink sensibly: It's not always easy to find organic wine, beer and spirits, but the choices are getting better all the time. Some good options include Square One vodka, Juniper Green London Dry Organic Gin and Bonterra Chardonnay. Another eco-friendly choice is Australia's Banrock Station, which donates a percentage of every bottle of wine sold in Canada to restoring our wetlands. Alternatively, opt for local products, which use less fuel to reach your table, and offer pitchers of filtered water rather than bottled water.
  9. Give generously: Fill your guests' goodie bags with consumable gifts like cookies or jam, rather than disposable kitsch. Even better, buy your jet-setting friends carbon offsets for the next time they travel or donate money to a tree-planting project in their name.
  10. Clean up afterwards: If you planned properly, you'll have very little garbage but lots of recyclables to take to the bottle depot. Also compost any vegetable matter, store reusable decorative items and, where possible, donate leftover food to local shelters or send it home with your guests.

For Canwest News Service