If only retail mogul Philip Green's party planner had such ecological foresight. Instead, his 55th birthday celebrations involved transporting 100 guests to the Maldives, in private jets. Each guest therefore becomes responsible for spewing out 1.9 tonnes of carbon rather negating the fact that the event was held in an eco spa. The choice of the Maldives, however has more resonance; with sea levels rising at 0.9m a year, environmentalists fear the 1,200 islands will be first to feel the climate change heat. All of this hot on the kitten heels of Liz Hurley's by now famous nuptials, reckoned by environmental consultancy Best Foot Forward to have created around 200 tonnes of CO2.
Unlike Liz's big fat carbon wedding, you'll be keeping it local. Even the Great Gatsby had the good grace to throw bashes in his own home, and nobody arrived via Learjet (one flight across the US is equivalent to driving a Hummer for a year). Local should apply to booze, too - a major requirement of most functions - Sustainweb (www.sustainweb.org) calculates that a sustainably UK-brewed bottle of beer clocks up just 600 miles. By contrast, a bottle from one of the main four brewers who control the UK market accumulates 24,000 miles in production and transport. Adnams is British ecologically brewed beer while St Peters brewery uses UK organic hops. And don't let the bubbles go to your head over champagne: nitrogenous fertilisers liberally sprayed on grapes in the Champagne-Ardennes region are responsible for serious environmental pollution. If you'd prefer to go the organic route, try: www.justchampagne.co.uk.
Philip Green's birthday cake appeared from photos to be about 5ft in diameter and featured a huge picture of his own face. If you'd prefer something less personally branded, Montezuma's (www.montezumas.co.uk) are powerful advocates of having your fairly traded chocolate cake and eating it.
Is there a backlash against party bags? I was recently contacted by a concerned mother starting a campaign against them and their diposable, placcy contents. They should at least be eco paper (www.partybox.co.uk) and www.petitartisan.com provides natural materials and toys for any kids. You can also get compostable cups and plates (www.sillyjokes.co.uk).
And in these times of ecological strife, even balloons count. Deflated and marooned around the English countryside, their remnants kill marine wildlife. Eco paper balloons, by contrast, are made of traditional Japanese papers, and coated with polyvinyl alcohol which is soluble in water. They come in dove and flower shapes (starting price £1.80, info@tsumura.co.uk). If you're planning to go big on lights, you could run them on a biofuel generator (www.pyramidelectrical.net) or use solar lamps outdoors inset into sustainable wooden decking (www.sunshinesolar.co.uk).
Whatever you do, just say no to Learjets, heat umbrellas, toxic champagne or latex balloons - all of which have a habit of spoiling the eco party.
Source: The Observer
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