Great ideas for greening your prom from Ally Maize, eco teen and founder of the Green Youth Movement, who reminds her peers that the big day is not just about the glitz and the glam - it's about going green!

Green Youth Movement's Top 5 Tips for a Green Prom:

1.  Create a Car Pool: Drive to the dance with your favorite friends in tow - sans the gas-guzzling bus or limo. When we say car pool, we mean it!

2.  Dress for Eco-Success: Why not have your dress serve a greater purpose? Check out dresses that use organic fabrics like bamboo and hemp, so the material is biodegradable. Once you're done with your digs, donate it to a less-fortunate teen via DonateMyDress.org.

3.  "Green" your 'do: Ditch the energy-exhausting electric curlers and curling iron. Rag curls create soft, graceful curls that will last all night. Just remember: you'll want to do this the night before since you're counting on Mother Nature to set the curl.

4.  Go Paperless: Instead of the prom invites, go the tree-saving approach by using a service like evite.com.

5.  Make Prom Matter: If you do any or all of the above, you'll save a bundle, so why not consider giving a portion of your prom proceeds to a charity or non-profit organization?

More prom tips from Suzanne Bertani at Green Planet Parties

1. Rent Decorations! There are several large Prom decorating companies out there- they have wonderful theme items! We chose to go with a movie theme this year ( Wizard of Oz) and we were able to rent a very large backdrop from a scenery company rather than purchase large cardboard theme decorations. Consider the availability of rental items BEFORE you choose your theme!

2. Borrow- We contacted local sources ( community theatre and churches) and were able to borrow some decorations that can be returned and used again.

3. Donate- We are building some items for our decorating committee- because there is no space to store them after the prom, rather than throw them away we have made arrangements to donate them to a local church for future use. We also sent out e-mails to our parents asking them to bring any reusable supplies to our work day – left over paint, wood, ect. Better to recycle than to buy new!

4. Refreshments- rather than serving punch in plastic or paper cups , in our case to 800 kids ( that is a LOT of wasted plastic/paper) we are serving cold water in recycle-able water bottles. We ordered the bottles custom labeled with our prom theme and date on them- the kids can keep them as a souvenir of their Prom Night , or if they dispose of them, we will take them to the recycle center.

5. Lighting- it takes a lot of electricity to  give the candlelight glow to a room- so we chose to use the solar powered lamps that are made for your yard- we are placing them on our rented plants all around the room to give a soft glow without using electricity.

6. All of our Invitations and Tickets were printed on recycled paper- it is available in any color you ask for at most printers.

7. Our Firstl rule of thumb or prom planning was "Borrow before you Buy!" Each year there is a dumpster placed outside of the prom area for clean up- our hope is that this year it will remain empty!

8. Our Second Rule of Thumb was ‘Reuse what you purchase" . Some things just have to be purchased, but try to find a good home for them after the event. If nothing else see if the rental company that you used to rent from would like to have them after- maybe you could get a discount on the items you DO rent in exchange for the donation !