The Super Bowl just ended and if you’re like most people that meant you had to take out an extra bag of trash (if not more).  The shear thought of cleaning up used plates, empty chip bags, and greasy counters is enough to scare anyone away from hosting a party, and this is especially true if you aim to keep your gathering green.  Don’t worry, troubled partier, your pals at Sustain the Green are here to help.

Let’s start at the beginning.  You want to throw a shindig but each invite requires a piece of paper as well as an envelope, and you know those will go right in the trash after the recipient has (hopefully) confirmed their attendance.  Save yourself and the environment the trouble and invite your guests electronically.  Evites, email, and even facebook are all great ways to organize your event and stay in contact with guests without the added trash of tangible invites.  For evites, we recommend the folks over at pingg.com. They have a huge array of unique evites ranging from birthdays, thank you cards, and parties.

Next, grab your canvas bag, hop on that bike of yours, and pedal yourself down to your local farmers market.  Buy some fresh fruits and vegetables and make a locally supplied and healthy veggie tray.  Purchasing your produce locally supports the farmers in your community and reduces the large amounts of energy needed to ship foods cross-country, as well as diminish the waste that comes from packaging.  Plus you can avoid the ridiculous lines you often find at your run-of-the-mill, monopolistic super store (I’m looking at YOU Von’s).

Like the aforementioned veggie tray, finger foods reduce the need to supply your guests with plates of any kind.  All that’s left when the party’s over are some empty dishes that can easily be hand washed (you weren’t thinking of running that dishwasher, where you?).  You will need to supply some napkins of course, but these can act as both plate and post-consumption cleaning agent.  Stay green and provide your company with recycled napkins.  Seventh Generation can provide you with all the recycled paper products you’ll need and you aren’t limited to just napkins.  Take a gander and their 100% recycled paper towels, facial tissues, and bathroom tissues.

No party is complete without some music, and if you’ve gone this far you might as well sustain the green and throw some eco-friendly songs into your party mix.  Here are a couple suggestions to get you started.

“Earth Song,” Michael Jackson

  • Clearly a song with a message (and a wicked key change at 3:47).

“Do the Evolution,” Pearl Jam

  • Vedder sings, “This land is mine, this land is free/I’ll do what I want but irresponsibly/It’s evolution, baby.”  Good point Eddie.

“Don’t Go Near the Water,” Beach Boys

  • These surfer dudes take a stance against the pollution and degradation of the oceans.

“Paradise City,” Guns N’ Roses

  • There certainly isn’t any paradise without green grass.  Also, pretty girls do help.

Have any green party tips or eco-friendly songs?  Share in the comments!