Dec 22, 2008 7:12 pm US/Eastern
Tips For 'Greening' Your Holiday Party This Year
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Tis the season for wining and dining, and this year, people in the know are planning holiday gatherings that are not only fun for friends, but also healthy for the environment.
CBS 2's Elise Finch found out how to go green when it comes to holiday bashes.
The latest trend in holiday parties calls for lots of comfort and very little waste. Electronic invitations are a great way to start.
"I think there's so much waste with sending out invitations that you know are just going to be in the trash a week," says Allyssa Maurice, a Manhattan resident who isn't a fan of the old-fashioned way to put together a party.
Using an online service like Evite to set up the party has more benefits than simply saving time.
"It also saves money. You don't have to buy stamps or the cards," says Queens resident Trish O'Leary.
Katie Hunsberger, an event planner for marketing company Organic Works, says once the invitations are out she likes to prep her party space by cleaning with organic products and decorating with natural materials.
"You can always use cut flowers which are gorgeous and natural," she says. "But if you go for a potted plant like these potted rosemary trees, they smell great and you can decorate them on your table and plant them outside when you're done."
Celebrity event planner Marcy Blum says those kinds of environmentally-friendly touches are very popular. For in-home parties she also recommends something she calls a 'tablescape'.
"Basically edible landscapes on the table," she says. "We use things like pomegranates or grapes or olives, or sometimes even chocolates, and I think I loved the way that looked anyway; and then it evolved and I thought, 'Wait a minute this makes sense,' because it actually gets consumed."
Beautiful stemware, natural linens and candles made of beeswax and soy complete the table. You can also add Christmas tree ornaments or strings of energy efficient LED lights.
When it comes to dishes, Blum says to "use what you have."
If you don't have much, try disposable plates made from fallen palm leaves. They've been steamed and pressed without dyes or other chemicals. You can even put them in the microwave.
When the party is over, send your guests home with leftovers to avoid waste. Recycle what you can and put the garbage in biodegradable trash bags.
Here are some more tips from the folks at Organic Works:
• START WITH A CLEAN SLATE – Preparing your home for a holiday party starts with a good cleaning, and using greener cleaners is an easy way to get started.
• PAPERLESS INVITATIONS – Send an electronic invitation via email or text message. Programs like evite.com, ping.com and mypunchbowl.com offer great options or you can make your own on the computer.
o not only a great way to save money on the cost of invitations, you'll save paper and reduce chemicals used to make the invitations and many services like evite.com track your RSVP list for you, making it easier to get a final headcount.
• DECORATE WITH LEDS – Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are more durable, last up to 100,000 hours and conserve more energy than traditional bulbs. Consider this -- One bulb in a traditional strand of holiday lights uses six watts. An entire strand of LED lights uses only four watts. There are even solar powered LED light strings which you put outside during the day to get energy and provide festive lights at night.
o You'll save on energy costs and on replacements strands and bulbs
• USE NON-ELECTRIC DECORATIONS Use holiday decorations like wreaths, garlands, fresh flowers. These festive decorations add holiday flair and do not use any electricity, and plants will help improve your home's indoor air quality
o You'll save money on energy or batteries as well as the cost of buying expensive décor and you'll reduce wasted by decorating with things that can be composted when the holidays are over.
And here are some helpful hints from Marcy Blum:
HOW TO MAKE A HOLIDAY "TABLESCAPE"
Blum's "edible landscapes" on the table make a beautiful and festive centerpiece that will be consumed by the end of the night. "We use a lot of herbs, we use things like pomegranates, or grapes or olives or sometimes even chocolates." The table she decorated for us also included walnuts, almonds and raisins scattered liberally in and around the base of the dish that held the open pomegranate. Blum finished it off with a few non-edible decorations. "We're using a lot more potted plants rather than cut flowers things that have a life before and after the party. We're using organic and natural linens, cottons … less dyes for the table top. We're certainly using either LED lights which last hopefully for a very, very long time or soy bean or bees wax based candles."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
2009 Celebrity Deaths
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments