Greeks Going Green

Green conscious students at 7 different colleges reported similar problems on each of their campuses. These echo-loving party goers were disturbed by the waste at frat/sorority parties, club events, formals, homework sessions, and even lunches hosted by academic departments.

This post will be the first in a series that focuses specifically on turning college parties green.


And there's really only place to start - the eponymous red cup. 

These 16 ounce cups have become a staple at college parties - particularly associated with drinking games and beloved for their opaque color (leaving the cup's content unidentifiable). In 2006, Solo sold almost $2.5 billion of these cups. With each pack of 50 costing $11.29, that's more than 200 million of these cups sold! 


This plastic isn't biodegradable. It sits in landfills, and eventually disintegrates, absorbs and releases toxic chemicals, and ends up in the food chain.


So what's the alternative? 

• If you or an organization you a member of frequently hosts parties, consider investing in reusable plastic cups. You can order these online with your frat/sorority/student club logo embossed on the cup's surface. These cups don't differ too drastically in style from the Solos so don't fret that your party is about to become a formal, fragile-glass occasion. 
• If it costs you about $300 for 250 cups, then you will have covered your costs in 5-6 parties! This means that by the end of one semester (or tops 1 year) you will have made a purchase that actually saves you money!
• Additionally, incorporate this into your organization's philanthropy initiatives. This will motivate your co-members to support the shift AND it will help make your party guests aware of the change. In other words, don't only switch cups - but also - be an advocate. Make sure people know what the change is all about and why you did it. Your organization can take the lead and who knows how many others will follow - what a great way to be a trend setter! 

DIY Centerpieces Galore

Centerpieces are a great opportunity to transform your space and to communicate your party theme/interest/mission.

Below are a couple of demos to help you out. Use these demos precisely or use them as inspiration. Even if these don't match your exact theme/interest/mission, you'll be able to glean ideas on how to think broadly so that your closet ends up on your party table. These demos don't require you to spend money or to purchase throwaway party store items. Instead, they ask you to draw on household materials you already own. Break into your closet, kitchen, book shelves and you'll be amazed by centerpiece function these goods can have. 

• This first display may be appropriate for a Birthday Party, Bat Mitzvah, Sweet 16, or Bridal Shower. All you needs are colorful, spunky shoes and a hat box. If you want to spice this up a bit more, stuff the shoes with flowers. 

• This next suggestion also involves digging in your closet and may be used at the aforementioned events and also at a going away party. Just stuff a cute purse with some flowers. You can place flowers in both sides of the bag or you can do what I did and go for a more asymmetric look. You can bring those heels back in if you want to add a bit more. (For a friend leaving for a semester abroad or moving to a new city, replace the cutsie handbag with a backpack). 

• This next idea can apply to all of the aforementioned ideas and may be especially useful for a party for the younger set. If you're making a party for an aspiring ballerina, this is a great way to put that hobby on the table and make it part of your event. 

                          

Let's deconstruct this a bit so that you know how to DIY.

Step #1: Place hat box in the center of table

Step #2: Place ballerina tutu around/over the box

Step #3: Place vase and flowers on top and in the center of the box.

Step #4: Place crown or other accessory (ribbon, belt, sash all work too) around the vase.


Step #5: If you want to add some more, I'd recommend that you accessorize at the base by placing a doll, ballet slipper, or perfume bottle there.  

• Next up, breaking out the animals (stuffed animals that is). This is great for baby showers and birthday parties. This gives you an opportunity to incorporate a child's favorite fuzzy friends into their celebration.

Out of the box! 

Jungle creatures in a wicker basket. This is great for a jungle or safari themed party. If you don't have a basket like this, you can use a shoe box, cover it with a neutral toned scarf, and put the animals in there. 

• Now for a different look... let's take a look at how you can use fresh flowers and fruit in your centerpieces. Recycle the lemons that flavored your water for this arrangement and make sure to compost them afterwards. This is great for pretty much any kind of spring/summer event. First I'll give you a glimpse of the final product and then we'll do the step-by-step.

Now for the steps: 

Step#1: Chop locally grown lemons and place them in water inside of a small pitcher.

Step #2: Press the lemons against the pitcher's walls and place the flowers in the center. Various color schemes are great for this. For this demo we went with bright pink flowers to contrast the yellow lemons. Purple, blue, green, orange all also work great. 

• Continuing with the warm weather feel of the last demo, now I'll show you one for a beach themed or BBQ party. Use your beach/pool side accessories (towel, sunglasses, beach read, and sunhat) to create a display. As usual, prep time is just a few minutes and the impact is great.

                                     

• This is another floral springy arrangement for a wide variety of events. Let's start with your materials:

#1: A floral scarf, a hat box, fruit, and the flower arrangement.






#2: Cover the box with a scarf. 




#3: Drape some of the scarf alongside the box.






#4: Place the flower arrangement on top of the box.



#5: Place fruit alongside your flowers and voilà! 








For the final 3 suggestions, I'll show looks that have quite a different feel. This next one makes use of your cooking ingredients - potatoes, garlics, and shallots. You can obviously substitute these vegetables with other fruits, vegetables, or other colorful kitchen ingredients. All you need is a simple vase to put them in. 

• Confetti! If you have a paper shredder or hole puncher, you can take your old paper and turn it into a splash of color. This can stand on its own or go around another centerpiece. You definitely don't want to waste paper by shredding it for this purpose. But if you have old magazines, birthday cards, or construction paper that you're going to dispose of anyways, this is a good intermediate step before it hits the trash. The more colorful the paper, the better. When the event is over, make sure to place this confetti in a recycling bin. (So that you're able to do so, place the confetti in spots where it wont get splattered by the food on the table.)

                                                         

• Last but not least is a sophisticated display for a cocktail party. This may be used for a 21st birthday party, rehearsal dinner, holiday party, dinner party, and more. 

Your materials: one scarf, 1 vase, 1 drink mixer,  2 drinking glasses (preferably different ones), 2 small bowls.

Step #1: Turn the vase and the 2 bowls upside down as shown above.

Step #2: Drape the scarf over the glassware.

Step #3: Cover the glass completely and then leave the leftover scarf as you see fit.
If there's a lot leftover, you may want to fold it under.

Step #4: Place the shaker on top of the vase (since the vase is the tallest of your glass items). 

Step #5: Place the glasses on top of each bowl.

Step #6: Make sure that your glasses are securely in place. If you're scared the table will shake and the glasses will fall, then tape the bottoms of the glasses to the scarf (making sure not to damage the scarf). If you think any of the materials are too fragile for taping, then make this a welcome display. In other words, don't leave it where your guests will be moving around and getting their food. Instead place it on its own table just for guests to see on their way in. 

Step#7: TADA! This is it! 

Step #8: As a final touch, you can add a string of pearls. This makes the display more feminine and bridges the cocktails with a more fashion oriented vibe (great for bachelorette parties). 

The bottom line is - before you head to Party City, brainstorm based on what you've got at home. You can use your household items to create a sophisticated, simple, easy-to-build centerpiece. If your party's honoree plays the violin or loves to paint, then use the props relevant to those hobbies (violin, violin box, sheet music, CDs, paintbrushes, paint cans, mixing jars, easels, etc.) If you want more suggestions for a particular event, please feel free to comment with or email in the event description. 

Happy centerpiece creating! 

Tote Bags

In conjunction with the last fashion oriented post, I'm going to give you some tips on tote bags to shop with. 


Why bother? Why not just use the plastic bags provided by your local grocery store?


The Stats:

• Somewhere between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are used each year.   
• Americans go through more than 100 billion plastic shopping bags per year. That's somewhere between a fifth and a tenth of all the plastic bags used internationally (and is completely disproportional considering the US population).
• Most of these bags are used once and thrown away. Only 1 to 3 percent of plastic bags are recycled. 

Why is this a problem?

• The production of plastic bags uses up natural resources, wastes energy, and creates pollution. After they're used, the bags wind up in the garbage where they endanger animals, exacerbate landfill waste, and release chemicals that seep from the plastic into the soil. All of this can be harmful to human health.  
• From a political perspective - consider that petroleum and natural gas are both non-renewable resources that are often expended in the production of plastic bags. Using them increases our dependence on foreign suppliers.
• From a biodiversity perspective - looking for and procuring these resources often involves drilling around fragile ecosystems. 
• Manufacture and transport of plastic bags uses resources and produces emissions that contribute to global warming. 
• Approximately 8 billion pounds of plastic bags and sacks are deposited in the US waste stream every year which uses up landfill space and contributes to air pollution (if they are burned).
• Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. But it's hard for that to even happen because landfills are so packed that the trash doesn't have enough water, light, or oxygen to undergo decomposition. 
• Small toxic bits of bags contaminate soil and water which enters the food chain when animals digest it. Water filtration is expensive. This cost can be reduced by eliminating plastic from water sources to begin with. 
• Every piece of plastic made in the last 50 years that entered the ocean is still there somewhere. 
• The chemicals used to make plastic bags are banned in certain European countries because they're dangerous to humans. 
• Living corals can be destroyed when a plastic bag comes their way. 
• Marine animals mistake these bags for food, try to eat them, and die as a result of choking or chemical consumption. 

Source:

• Sierra Club: The Problem with Plastic Bags

So what's the solution? 

• 1. Take the plastic bags you already have and reuse or recycle them. You can use them as trash bags in your home and/or you can bring them back to the store with you and use them as grocery bags. 
• 2. In the future, take reusable bags with you! 

On that second note, let's look at three tote bag options:

1) FEED Bags - These are Lauren Bush Lauren's brainchild. Not only are these bags durable and strong, but your purchase of one will help provide one child with school meals for a year through the UN World Food Programme. FEED also prides itself on using echo-friendly materials and fair-trade production. To learn more about FEED, click here.

2) Waste-Less Bags Variety Pack - These bags are colorful, cheerful, and well-priced. They also can be squished into your backpack, pocketbook, or car so that you always have one handy in case there's a spur of the moment grocery shopping trip. To purchase them from Amazon, click here.

3) Carry a tote that represents a cause/organization that you care about. For instance, carry your college's tote (can likely be purchased online or in your school's bookshop). Alternatively, carry a bag that tells others what kind of social justice or charitable work you're doing. For example, see the bag below that tells others about a health care worker's fight to help end AIDS.

Happy Shopping! 

What to Wear

Your outfit will vary depending on the event but some tips to keep in mind: 

• Work with what you've got. You'd be amazed by what you can do when you mix, match, turn things inside out, and think out of the box.

• Dig through the closets. Not just yours - peruse the closets of your nearest and dearest. 

• Shop vintage, or swap/rent/borrow. Some great resources include: 
• ebay.com (you know what this is)
• i-ella.com (buy, borrow, or swap)
• renttherunway.com (designer dress rental)
• http://showroomfinder.com/ (a guide to local vintage shopping - great for those of you that prefer in-store to online shopping)

• Shop stores and brands that are environmentally conscious. For listings of these stores check this site out.  

• Throw a clothing swap party. You and your friends bring items that are in great condition but that you've just gotten a bit sick of wearing. Trade items 1 for 1. To make things run smoothly, provide an empty clothing rack and lots of hangers. Have each friend place a label on the hanger with their item so that people know who they are doing the swap with. Not only will this be a fun event in it of itself, but you'll also have recycled and be ready to go with an outfit for your next event. 

•  Now... for the die hards among you...
• Convert your trash into your finest attire! You don't have to be a fashion designer to do this. Barnard College's EcoReps took garbage and went Project Runway with it. Library cards, bubble wrap, newspapers, and plastic bags became part of this collection in a matter of days. The students didn't use patterns and some of them had very limited design experience. Get inspired by their creations. 

Check out how newspaper and old library reference cards can be reused

                        

Plastic bags, maps, bubble wrap, packing paper...
with structure, style, and a whole new look.

Post-Party Clean Up: A 1920s Themed Dinner Party

Many hosts love the prep and the party, but dread the cleanup. Here are some tips on how to keep it fun, painless, and green. 

• Keep the music going: Just because the party is over, no need to turn off the music. 
• Trash: The fewer disposable goods you use, the more you'll be relieved at the end of the night that you have so little trash to take out.
• Recycle bottles: If you're not going to use them again as vases, pitchers, etc. - make sure they go to a recycling bin.
• Leftover food: Before your guests leave, give them any food leftovers you might not want yourself. Alternatively, donate any food leftovers to local charities. Even if it's a small amount, local churches and shelters often accept donations of food that wasn't served.
• Compost: While you should give away or donate unserved food, there will also surely be food scraps left over from your guest's plates. Take these organic materials and make them add value to your garden (or your local park). For more info on how to compost, check this out. And for all you city dwellers, don't assume this isn't an option. Many cities provide public composts for people who cannot have them in their private home or garden. 
• Washing dishes: Only load your dishwasher when it's full. When washing dishes by hand, wet them, turn water off, soap them, and then rinse. There's no reason to leave the faucet running throughout the process. This will help conserve water and will actually make your washing quicker and more efficient.
• Cleaning products: This is a great resource for cleaning tips and products. 

Congrats! You've hosted an earth friendly, glam, rocking party!

Party Set-Up: A 1920s Themed Dinner Party

While this party will be relatively low-maintenance, there are a couple of things that you need to do before the event can get started:

• Drink and food prep
• Table set-up
• Pick your outfit

In tandem with the Prohibition theme, serve some old-fashioned Speakeasy cocktails. Two great options are the Tequila Sunrise and the Appletini. Both require few ingredients and are easy to mix.

• Tequila Sunrise
• 1 Part Orange Juice
• 2 Parts Tequila
• Splash of Grenadine
• Mix the orange juice and tequila together, add ice, and then splash in the grenadine, allowing it to trickle through.
• Appletini
• 2 oz Vodka
• 1/2 oz of Apple Juice or Cider  
• Ice cubes
• Combine all of these in a shaker. Shake and strain. You can use apple slices as garnish.

For more options, check this out 

What to eat? There's a really broad range of possibility here. One suggestion - mini/bite sized morsels. The consumption of Italian food was on the rise in the 20s so to begin - you can make some bite sized pizza.(If you don't want to start from scratch, Trade Joe's sells pizza dough). Next up, Caesar and Waldorf salad. And finally - finger sandwiches including peanut butter and jelly, turkey, chicken salad, tomato, egg salad, and/or cream cheese. While I'll usually enumerate the ingredients and instructions for you, there are so many appropriate food options for this event and more than anything else - I'd just recommend that you go with what you're comfortable making and like to eat. For more ideas, check this out. 




Table Set-Up

• Buffet and Bar: Seat your guests around a table and set up a buffet and bar for them to retrieve their food and drink. This will leave space on your table for the decorative centerpieces and will also give people a chance to move around and mingle. This is also great because it will prevent food from being wasted. If you're guest doesn't like mini-pizza, they wont take it. If you plate it for them, you run the risk of putting food on their plate that they don't want to eat, which will just land it in the trash. 

• Centerpieces:
• Antiques: If you have any antiques, this is a great chance to take them out and put them to use. I happen to have an antique typewriter that helped date the party back a few decades (even if it wasn't quite from the same 1920s).
• Pearls: They're a nice touch reminiscent of the flappers. If you have a faux pair, leave them on the table spilling out of a teacup or strewn across your antique item. Other fashion items like fedoras, pill box hats, and boas have the same vibe.                       
• Empty bottles: A great opportunity for reuse - remove the labels of your empty alcohol bottles, fill them with water, and stick flowers inside. Your bottles don't have to match one another - differences in height and shape make this arrangement eclectic and interesting.

• Explanation Cards: You've put effort into making your event green and 20s themed. Now make sure to TELL your guests. This goes back to the idea that parties are a great venue for you to share your values with your friends and family. So don't just display this, be explicit about it. Make cards out of recycled materials that you'll display next to the various green pieces of your party. They can be few and subtle, but their presence will be noticed and matter. For instance, take yesterday's newspaper, use a red marker, and write in script "Just because we're in the 20s' doesn't mean we can forget about 21st century environmental consciousness." Another one can read, "Food grown locally and transported home in reusable bags." And another, "Note the absence of throwaway decorations and dishes. Stay classy, skip the trash."

• Place Settings:
• Use dishes (NOT disposable paper-ware). This will reduce the amount of garbage you produce and will make the event more elegant. Don't have enough dishes for the number of guests you're having? Borrow from a friend. It's totally fine if you mix and match from different sets. If anything, that will add to the assorted decor and enhance your event. 
• You're probably thinking that cocktails should be served in the appropriate tall, martini, wine, or champagne classes, but I'm actually going to suggest something different. Remember, during Prohibition, it was illegal to sell alcohol. Therefore - store your cocktails in a teapot and serve them to your guests in opaque tea cups.(Not only does this add to the allure of the theme, but it also encourages the use of a utensil you're likely to already own - rather than encourage you to invest in some junky, disposable martini glasses). 

What is a host to wear?


Some basic ideas - flapper dresses, evening dresses, boas, long pearls, suits, black/white ties on black shirts, fedoras, gangster hats and jackets. Where oh where can you get this from?

Image from: Colourbox.com

 If you've got vintage (or a friend has something you can borrow), go for it! It's authentic, fun, and you wont spent money, time, or natural resources obtaining it. (No gas on your car ride to the store, no energy to produce the fabric, etc). Click here for some suggestions for the look you might go for. 

• If you want to shop, consider buying/borrowing. This is fashion forward recycling! Great resources include:
• i-ella.com (buy, borrow, or swap)
• ebay.com (you know what this is)
• renttherunway.com (designer dress rental)
• http://showroomfinder.com/ (A guide to local vintage shopping - great for those of you that prefer in-store to online shopping)

Some other details to consider:

• Assigned seating. This depends on how many people you're having, what your goals are, etc. If you decide to go the assigned route, make your assignments on yesterday's newspaper. Take one piece, cut it down so that it's the size of a regular piece of computer paper. Then fold it over 3 times as if you were going to to stuff it in an envelope. Instead, make it into a 3-D triangle so that it's propped up and easy to read. Write your guests name on it using a red marker and put it next to their plate. 
• Music: If you can provide live music or if you have a record player, those are great touches. If not, some downloaded tunes are great too. For suggestions on what to play, see here.  
• Coats:Think in advance about where you want your guests to leave their coats. If they're going in your closet- make sure you have enough space and hangers. Alternatively - just find a couch they can be tossed on. My point being - plan this ahead so that they aren't strewn around the dinner table.

Think through last minute details that might be particular to your event and guest list, be in touch if you have questions, and before you know it... EverGreen Hosts, you're ready to party! 

Pre-Party Shopping: A 1920s Themed Dinner Party

SHOPPING ADVENTURES - TOTE BAGS, TRADER JOE'S (PERKS AND DRAWBACKS)


Let the games begin... with supplies shopping that is! 

Once your invitations have been sent and you've decided on the key party details, it's time to make your shopping list (ideally made electronically or on recycled scrap paper). For the 20s party, I enlisted the help of 3 fabulous friends and we headed to Trader Joe's. Don't forget to pack a tote bag!

Why Trader Joe's?

-Great selection, great prices, great location (for our particular event)

-A number of their products are locally grown

-They encourage and incentivize reuse and recycling! Note the graphics and message on their shopping bags and...  for shoppers like ourselves who brought our own tote bags, we received raffle tickets for Trader Joe's gift certificates. This is a monetary incentive to bring your own shopping bags! 

-This isn't to say they've got it all right. Less plastic packaging, more recycling, and more locally grown food would be great changes. To learn more, check this out 

In the meantime, let's take a look at our Trader Joe's adventure. 

Locally grown food goes into a reusable tote bag - awesome! 

Talya picking up a tomato for the salad. While we wanted to only buy food grown locally, we actually had trouble determining where the tomato was from. Clearer labels and packages are crucial.

While tote bags should be your go to, these are about as fabulous as shopping bags can come. They are paper, recyclable, and even give you some advice on where they might end up.

The question printed on this bag is the eternal question EverGreen Hosts ponder... but really - I love this graphic and the wall hanging suggestion! (A collage made of the bags from your fave stores really could be a good addition to your room - especially if you're in the process of decorating a college dorm - tape/hang these bags to your walls - they'll brighten it up, be reused, and you can use them again when you're on the go and need something to throw your stuff in.)