Hosting an Eco-friendly Holiday Party

Go green this holiday season and throw an eco-friendly party for family and friends. Try one or all of these eco-friendly party ideas. Provide eco-friendly supplies, eco-friendly favors, and eco-friendly decorations to make the party a hit without hurting the environment!

Get inspired by these eco-friendly holiday party ideas:

Decorations:

• Bring the party to life with eco-friendly decorations for the holidays. Brighten the atmosphere with real potted plants and flowers. Gather a variety of small vases and put one or two flowers in each. Give the flowers to guests when they leave as a party favor.
• Opt for a holiday linen tablecloth instead of a disposable plastic one for the table. Reuse the tablecloth for parties, holidays and dinners.
• Use natural lighting whenever possible. Take advantage of the outdoors or hold the party during the day and open up the window shades. Decorate with candles for evening parties.

Food/Drinks:

• Serve eco-friendly organic food and drinks at your party and buy food from local farmers’ markets. Avoid the supermarket, support local farmers, and help the local economy. Incorporate the organic products into your party food and bar menu and serve as many of the items as you can. Everything should be fresh and flavorful.

Supplies:

• Use eco-friendly supplies like reusable glasses instead of plastic cups. Make wine or drink charms and label margarita glasses, beer mugs, or wine glasses with the name of each guest.
• Use real plates and silverware instead of paper/plastic plates and utensils that end up in landfills.

Invitations:

• Replace paper invitations with online eco-friendly invites. Design your own sophisticated online invitations on Punchbowl. Be sure to include important information such as the name of the event, host or hostess, date, time and location.

Recycle:

• Set up recycling areas throughout your party. Arrange recycling bins for cans, bottles and paper products. Take any leftover food and place in a compost bin instead of the garbage.

Favors:

• Send your guests home with memorable eco-friendly party favors. Place a small terra cotta pot with an assortment of seeds at each table setting.

Take advantage of these eco-friendly ideas and set a good example for guests at eco-friendly parties. Add an educational twist and take 5 minutes to share eco-friendly tips as part of a short activity. Have a brainstorming session, ask guests for their input, and award prizes for great eco-friendly ideas.