Ways to Green Your New Year's Eve

1. Stay home and celebrate
Seriously, I've always suspected that NYE is the night for people who don't go out any other night of year.

As green planet suggests:

if you stay home and host your own ring-in-the-new shindig, you'll save transportation emissions—and, of course, money. You'll also be able to better control the environmental impact of your night, from sending out email invitations to preventing the food and paper waste that comes from bars and restaurants.

Gift away your unwanteds

Having a party at home is also a great opportunity to offload any unwanted 'stuff' to your guests (whether to keep/swap/exchange). Well read books, unwanted christmas presents and too small clothes will all be gratefully received by friends who have spent to much over the festive season.

Give the fireworks a miss

If you have pets avoid fire crackers and fireworks. They can obviously get quite frightened and distressed and go missing. They are pretty but I'd rather our respective councils and governments  spend the money on something else to be honest.

Minimise the disposables

Glass or plastic reusable cups and a bucket of soapy water and tea towel is preferable to picking plastic cups out of the rose bushes all new year's day. The same goes for plates and cutlery of course. This approach will mean you have more space in your recycle bins which you'll probably need at this time of year. We have loads of anodised cups which we offer to guests, saving the need for plastic cups.

Recycle

Display the bins. Have the  recycle bin and trash bins nearby within easy reach for guests. This saves clean up time and makes sure stuff gets recycled.

Eat local and get guests to contribute

Offer your guests local food where practical. This year we're making a barbecue with veggies from the garden. Most people have leftovers after christmas. This is the time to invite your guests to bring them along. Besides, anything tastes good the day when all the shops are closed.

Bulk can be better

Consider buying a keg of beer and returnable wine bottles. Both can be purchased in bulk and save you lots of money.

Of course, buying local, organic drinks is the best way to go.

Reconsider that beer fridge

For a lot of people, a beer fridge comes in handy over the festive season for storing cold drinks. It’s not a problem if you don’t mind wasting loads of electricity and emitting unnecessary greenhouse gases just so you can have a cold beer. Second fridges are usually old and inefficient and then placed in a spot where they will consume even more energy.

It is far better to use some ice buckets, the added benefit being that the melted ice can go on the garden the next day.

If you are going out

Take public transport. There's no point driving and cabs will be crazy hard to get.

Party local

If you can, enjoy a local pub or restaurant in walking or biking distance from your home.

Lose the frou frou

Do you really need to have those neon atrocities, disposable hats, party poppers and other environmental disasters that will end up in the bin? Seriously.