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OK. I'll admit it. I'm a bit of a social butterfly. I love making friends, keeping friends, and I especially love entertaining my friends. I'm one to have a party every 6-8 weeks. The morning after a party is always a complete disaster. It seems like no matter what I do, there will always be unimaginable waste after my parties. But lately I have been thinking about how I can make my parties more eco-friendly. I can't quite have a party with a clean conscience anymore if I'm destroying the earth with my party.
I've thought of some tips for cleaning up parties:
Reuse
Just because plastic, paper, and Styrofoam tableware is designed for immediate disposal...that doesn't mean that you have to dispose of these items immediately! Why not wash these items after the party and keep them around for the next party? You'll save money next time and help out the planet.
Don't Overdo The Food
I used to have far too much food prepared for each one of my parties. On the morning after, I would be disappointed to find that not all of it got eaten and some of it had gone bad after being left out. My approach now is to just make a small bit of food at a time. As people come and go and the demand for food increases, take a break to make some more!
Make Recycling Obvious
Sometimes your guests will throw away their bottles and other recyclable items...not because they want to hurt the planet, but because they don't know where your recycling is and they don't want to bother the host or hostess. Make your recycling bins clear and out in the open so that everyone knows where to toss their trash.
Parties don't have to be an eco-friendly disaster!
Are you a green hipster looking for all things green and cool? Then you'll love actor and eco-activist Adrian Grenier and his team of environmental experts, who live it up with sustainable style on Planet Green TV's Alter Eco.
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