Throwing a Green Party

There's no web round-up today since I didn't find any articles on the web this week that I needed to share. Maybe because I've been busy getting ready to host a baby shower this weekend! Parties mean people and food, but they don't have to mean an environmental disaster. Here's the steps I've taken to make the party a little greener.

Baby showers mean games, and games mean prizes! Instead of wrapping the prizes in wrapping paper, I used some gift bags that were already at my house. Two of them are for wedding gifts and two are for Valentine's, but I didn't think that mattered. :)


It's been hot around here for the last week, so I needed to make sure I had lots of drinks available for people. On the table you can see a punch fountain (it lights up and the punch cascades from the top down). This fountain belongs to my friend and I borrowed it for the party...definitely not everyone on the block needs to own their own punch fountain!


Also on the table there's a variety of plates and glasses. Parties mean food, and food needs plates! There's three basic options for plates/glasses at a party. First you can go with disposable plates. They're easy to clean up, all you need is a garbage bag, but they're definitely the worst in terms of eco-friendliness. Next you can go with biodegradable plates. They're still single use, but you can get some that are made out of corn for example. Higher up on the eco-friendly chain, but expensive - and like I said, still single use. Last option is to have re-usable plates and glasses, which is the option I went with. We're using our normal plates and glasses, and I'll throw them in the dishwasher when the party's over. Remember, the dishwasher is green! This is a little more work for the hostess, but the most eco-friendly. I didn't have enough matching plates and glasses for everyone, but I thought that the important thing was that everyone had a plate, not that everyone had the same plate!