A beautifully decorated room helps put everyone in a party mood, but the cost, both financial and Earthwise, can be way out of proportion to the effort.
Our book, Celebrate Green! offers dozens of cost effective, classy, creative ideas for gussying up the premises. But if your book hasn't arrived and you've got a big event coming up, here are the top three things we'd like to ask you to think about.
1. Avoid purchasing decorations.
Re-purpose articles you already own.
Borrow from friends.
Search the internet for clever. cost-free ideas.
Craft simple decorations from paper, fabric or natural materials from your yard.
Instead of purchasing a new table cloth in a color matching your theme,
see if you have any fabric, sheets. or even towels (depending on the
type of party) that could serve the purpose. Or make placemats from recycled paper, newspaper, pillow cases or even clothing.
Think simplicity.
2. If you do buy, choose local, handcrafted or fair trade
Many decorations, especially inexpensive ones, are made by people who are not paid a fair wage or treated as you would want to be.
Consider the impact of an item that has traveled thousands of miles to get to you, only to be thrown away after one use.
Be sure to choose organic flowers or those you've grown yourself without chemicals.
3. Avoid purchasing one-time use items.
True, many decorations, those made of certain types of paper, for instance, can be recycled. But recycling itself can be costly to the Earth.
Thinking about re-use before you buy will inevitably save you money and time.
Want to learn more about how to create dECOr to die for? Buy our book today!
A beautifully decorated room helps put everyone in a party mood, but the cost, both financial and Earthwise, can be way out of proportion to the effort.