Resolve To Make This New Year Sustainable!

Photo courtesy of Advocacy

Lots of us have taken steps to reduce our impact on the earth, and if not, we know just the New Year’s resolution for you! It’s time to celebrate a new beginning, and is you’re throwing a party, why not start acting early by making it a green one! Find alternative for paper. Before the party, ditch paper invitations and send out evites, while encouraging friends to carpool or use public transportation. Using glasses instead of plastic cups for drinks cuts down on trash while saving money and resources. If you don’t own enough glassware for all of your guests, see if you can borrow some from neighbors or friends. You could also check out biodegradable utensils and flatware from sites such as Freecycle and WorldCentric. Use homemade decorations. Make your own confetti out of scrap paper, newspaper, and holiday gift wrap, or use empty wine or champagne bottles as candlestick holders or vases. Check out the DIY crafts we’ve posted on this blog, or a simple online search will provide you with hundred of creative ideas! Choose tasty, healthy foods with smaller carbon footprint. For appetizers, try your hand at making homemade salsa or hummus or veggie or goat cheese dip. Focus on fresh, organic fruits and vegetables from local sources. Offer organic wines and champagnes. Just like produce, organic wines and champagnes bear the USDA organic seal, and are made from grapes that are not grown with pesticides or preserved with sulfites. The Daily Green has a list of organic sparklers and champagnes on their site here, and a new organic boxed wine here. Don’t forget to recycle empty bottles when you’re done! After throwing your environmentally responsible New Year’s party, give yourself a pat on the back – we’re sure your friends also will! Now that you’ve started on the right foot, resolve to keep it up for years to come!