GreenYour.com

Throw a creative green-minded birthday party, wedding, or holiday event by setting stage in an eco-sensitive venue and planning sustainable activities that are both entertaining and educational. Who said being green had to be boring?

How to arrange green events

One size fits all activities

• Close to home: Whatever your venue or activity choice, try to make it close to home for some, if not all of your guests, including you. This’ll reduce the greenhouse gas emissions sent up on the way to and from your bash.
• Go outdoors: Instead of staying cooped up indoors, reserve some quality time with Mother Nature. Plan a day at a science center, botanical garden, National Park, nature reserve, or local, organic farm.
• Generosity in action: Do something good for the earth and your community by choosing to give your time. Incorporate volunteer activities into an anniversary celebration or family reunion or plan a birthday party theme around hands-on help for the most pressing environmental concerns in your area.
• Fire it up!: Throw a simple backyard BBQ replete with sustainable food choices and reusable or biodegradeable dishware. If you’re feeling adventurous and aren't entertaining a crowd of ravenous carnivores, give vegetarian options a go.

Kid-friendly ideas

• Hunting for green gold: Stage a scavenger hunt in a local park or nature center (get permission first, of course).
• Grow, grow, grow!: Get kids learning about gardening by helping them plant native or heirloom seeds. Or get them playing in the dirt by putting together a worm bin.
• Backyard camp-out: Plan a truly local camping party by setting up an eco-friendly tent and other green camping gear in your own yard. Roast veggie hot dogs over a low-impact fire.
• Secondhand treasures: Teach kids the value of reuse by taking them on a shopping spree at a local thrift store for party costumes or dress-up clothes.
• Patty cake, patty cake: Need dessert for the party? Have pint-sized party-goers get involved in baking an eco-friendly cake to be eaten at the end of the event.
• Get crafty: Have your child’s friends participate in some crafty activities like tie-dying organic cotton or used t-shirts using eco-friendly dyes or making your own palm oil, soy, or beeswax candles.
• Eco amusements: Although the kids may prefer a visit with Mickey and Minnie and you may have to travel, look into the possibility of visiting an eco theme park. The non-gambling Springs Preserve in Las Vegas and the UK's Eden Project are two parks with distinct green themes. If looking for something more traditional, both Universal Studios Hollywood and Disney theme parks observe various sustainable business operations.

Adults only

• Green drinks: Take your friends on an outing to a local, organic libation specialist for a tasting. Whether you’re a beer drinker or a would-be sommelier, you should be able to find a venue that’ll attract your palate. Biodynamic viticulture methods might be particularly intriguing. If you’re lacking local options, why not try concocting your own as part of your party’s activities?
• Spa party (Guys, feel free to tune out): Throw an eco-friendly spa party complete with natural face masks, body scrubs, and mani and pedi products.
• Relive Woodstock (or not): Rock out at a green concert or music festival. Leave the kids with Grandma, gather your friends or a special date, and travel (preferably by carpool or public transit) to an event where live music that benefits the environment is the star attraction. Although they may not be as massive as Live Earth, plenty of events like Bonnaroo, the Clearwater Festival, the Think Green World Music Festival, and the Echo Project are brimming with top-notch tunes and eco-appeal.

Choosing green event activities and venues helps you go green because…

• Choosing activities that don’t require consumption of new resources conserves wild spaces and protects forests and waterways.
• Getting outdoors encourages environmental awareness and a keen interest in sustainable living.

The trappings of extravagant parties, while costly, are also causing environmental damage. Millions of birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and special events occur each month, often contributing to the consumption of natural resources (think gifts) and waste problems (from packaging, wrapping paper, etc.) Each American resident generates approximately 4.5 pounds (a little over 2 kilos) of garbage every day.[1] US residents generate more solid waste than the residents of any other country. Canadians generate the next largest amount of waste, about 3.75 pounds (1.7 kilos) each per day, whereas Germany and Sweden produce less than 2 pounds per day (less than 1 kilo) per person, the least of all of the industrialized nations.[2]

Beyond party-related waste issues, a large majority of Americans choose to host their events indoors, confirming the trend that people are spending less and less time in the natural world. This global movement away from the outdoors is directly related to human perception of the natural world, which ultimately affects human decisions and environmental outcomes. Frequenting outdoor venues like botanical gardens and wildlife refuges not only provides financial support for the nature-preserving projects, it also creates jobs and stimulates economic activity.

Exposing children to activities in nature before the age of 11 is also strongly correlated to both stronger environmental attitudes and behaviors in adulthood, according to a recent Cornell University study.[3] Spending time outdoors has even been shown to reduce ADHD symptoms, increase academic performance, and improve health.

External links

• Ecopalozza
• LA Times - Eco-Theme Parks & Nature Reserves
• Proceedings of the National Academy of Science - Ominous trends in nature recreation
• Green Hour: A program encouraging parents to give their children a “Green Hour” every day.