Tips to Throw A Green Party

scleaver — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

It’s no surprise that this year’s Democratic Convention will be a politically correct affair, but what that really means is that the new patriotic colors are red, white, blue, AND green. In an effort to make this the most sustainable, green convention “in the history of the planet,” as Denver’s Democratic mayor John Hickenlooper told the Wall Street Journal, organizers are scrambling to stockpile unionized USA labor-made, organic cotton fanny packs and baseball caps and stock the pantry with local food.

November will be here before you know it, so here’s how to party like the Democrats at your own green political bash:

1. Email invites: Though the Republicans aren’t getting in on most of the green hype, they are saving trees by sending out convention invites via email instead of paper.

2. Color code your food: The Democractic convention will have a rainbow on every plate, according to the Journal, “each meal should include ‘at least three of the following colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple, and white.’ (Garnishes don’t count.)”

3. Be flexible: To keep their food as local as possible, Denver’s vendors are trying to rework recipes to incorporate local wines and ingredients.

4. Reconsider flatware: While Dems are using compostable tableware, often shipped from Asia, some organizers are wondering if it would be better to use local china plates and wash them? It’s your party, you decide.

5. Establish a “trash brigade.” To accomplish the goal of reusing, recycling, or composting 85 percent of all convention waste, Andrea Robinson, director of greening for the convention, has 900 volunteers who will man the trash stations to make sure that trash ends up in reuse, recycle, or compost bins.

6. Go virtual: Fred L. Smith, Jr. president of the libertarian think tank Competitive Enterprise Institute “suggested the Democrats could really shrink their footprint by staging a virtual-reality convention: ‘Just have everyone stay at home with their laptops, sitting in their pajamas, interacting through their avatars.’”

Photo from Oriental Trading where you can get green (colored) balloons.