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The Green Party

Things certainly have changed: 'tis now the season to eat, drink, be merry - and green! So, if you're planning to have friends or family over, here are some easy ways to host a more earth-friendly celebration.

Eat. Start by shopping for local and organic as much as possible. Besides supporting the local economy, consider the amount of pollution associated with transporting food from nearby farms, bakeries, etc. versus getting it from across the country or around the world. And with organic, you'll be serving fare made with ingredients that have been grown without the use of chemicals and pesticides. Keep in mind that organic food extends beyond fresh meat, fruits and veggies. For example, try using Green & Black's Organic Chocolates (available at Shoppers Drug Mart) for your holiday baking.

Also keep in mind the fact that how you set your table or serve food is almost as important as what you serve. For starters, don't use paper napkins that will all end up in the garbage. Machine-washable cloth ones are more environmentally friendly, not to mention more likely to impress your guests.

When you're feeding a crowd, try to avoid disposable paper plates. Instead, pull out inexpensive melamine dishes (those ones that you used all summer for your BBQ parties) - there'll be no risk of breakage if there are wee ones about, and they're dishwasher safe. Or look for disposable bamboo plates: made from organically grown bamboo with no bleaches or dyes, these sturdy alternatives are biodegradable, decomposing within 6 months in the compost pile. Finally, for smaller gatherings, why not show off your best china? Most dishwashers have a delicate or crystal setting, and your table will look fabulous, too.

Drink. Wine, beer and other spirits are becoming greener. For example, many wine companies have switched from cork to screw-tops, which means less cork in landfills; some wine- and spirit-makers also bottling in environmentally friendly polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, while others are going the Tetra Pak route (think juice boxes for adults). PET bottles are one of the most practical recyclables, and, once recycled, can be used in the manufacture of polar fleece material and fibre for polyester products. Soft drinks and water are also packaged in PET bottles. Tetra Paks are much lighter than conventional glass and because they can be collapsed, take a lot less room in the recycling bin and mean a reduction in waste.

A growing assortment of quality organic wines and beers are now available. And companies such as Absolut Vodka, "one of the greenest spirit companies in the world" are leading the industry towards making changes to reduce emission of greenhouse gases, contribute to sustainable agriculture, optimize their use of natural resources and more.

If you're going to be serving coffee, Starbucks, Second Cup and Timothy's World Coffee all offer Fair-Trade certified and organic blends.

Be Merry! Add a few "green" details to your party:

• Use eco-chic soy- or beeswax-based candles for mood lighting.
• Decorate with fresh, not silk or artificial, flowers - you can even send guest home with some of the arrangements.
• Switch plastic straws with red licorice sticks for the kids to sip from.
• Have a drawer full of old wine bottle corks? Slice a slit in the tops, and use them as place card holders for your table.
• Recycle mismatched small hoop earrings by looping them around the stems of wineglasses so that everyone knows whose glass is whose.

You can even green your stereo, too! Universal Music's GreenSeries CDs come in recycled, minimal packaging, and feature such party-perfect favourites as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Diana Ross. Plus, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each CD is donated to The David Suzuki Foundation.

For party favours, get creative. You could have a stack of paperbacks that you've read waiting at the door when guests leave. Encourage them to take one home, as your recommended winter reading material. Or what about all those perfume and beauty product samples you seem to get every time you go shopping? Let guests help themselves to your extras.

And Skip the Hostess Gift! Ask your guests to make a donation instead. A food drive can help those in need at this time of year, and it's easy for your guests to drop a canned good or non-perishable in a box placed right at your front door.

Some organizations that you can suggest they contribute to include:

• Evergreen, a non-profit organization dedicated to created natural, outdoor spaces in our cities;
• Nature Conservancy of Canada, to help protect some of our most important natural treasures;
• Tree Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging Canadians to plant and care for trees in an effort to help reduce the harmful effects of carbon dioxide emissions; and
• World Wildlife Fund, which helps endangered animals and habitats.

Finally, don't just host a fabulous green party; be sure to tell your friends about at least some of your extra efforts. Tell them how easy - and important - it is for even your parties to be green. Now that's cause for celebration!

For our full listing of all our green products, check out our Holiday Gift Guide.

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