Lifestyle

PAINT THE NEW YEAR GREEN Offset your holiday parties

Green Quick Fixes
Andrea Fox
Published: December 26, 2008

It's that time of year for celebrating! If you are throwing a party, consider offsetting the energy and resources used.

Carbon offsetting is an approach to balancing carbon dioxide (CO2) — producing activities, from domestic living to holding national political conventions.

According to James Hansen and his team—researchers at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, "If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted," the planet's atmosphere needs to achieve 350 parts per million CO2. Ms. Earth is at around (cough, cough ... gasp) 382 to 387 ppm and rising.

At the residential level, a holiday party, like any event, increases CO2 and other greenhouse gas pollution because it causes more fossil fuels to be burned. And we all know parties use a lot of energy — fuel to pick up or deliver needed supplies, party personnel, and guests; energy to cook, heat, illuminate, enliven, and record; and power to clean-up and communicate the event.

So when merrymaking, take a chunk out of the CO2 load! The following Green Quick Fixes will help you reduce your party's, and your home's, carbon footprint. Even the smallest offset effort is a great gift to the planet.

Support green businesses, including local food producers, growers, and stores.

Procuring goods from local producers lowers the energy footprint of the goods because travel and delivery distance is less, and thereby fuel requirements are greatly reduced.

Check out BuyFresh.org for information on farms and local foods grown and produced north of Boston, in Essex County and the Merrimack Valley.

Food also has the power to empower youth and create social change. Learn more at TheFoodProject.org.

Consider community-supported agriculture for the year ahead. Find out which MetroBoston farms participate at www.farmfresh.org/food. http://www.farmfresh.org/food/csa.php?zip=01864.

Buy recycled party goods. Recycle your party trash as much as possible.

Purchasing post consumer materials expends less energy than creating new materials. Recycling reduces landfill sizes, and therefore, methane by-product (another potent greenhouse gas).

Check out Greenpartygoods.com, Task Accomplished's eco-party supplies at www.taskaccomplished.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=31, and "31 Ways to Host a Green Holiday Party" by Greenfeet.net at www.greenfeet.net/newsletter/31greenholidayhostideas.shtml.

Encourage guests to take public transportation, carpool, or walk to the party. They could also lower their home's heat when they are out celebrating!

Carpool tools are online at Spaceshare.com, Zimride.com, and Evite.com at www.evite.com/pages/carpool/how.jsp.

Plant a tree in the spring to commemorate the party. If you have 10 parties, a stand of 10 trees will help to reduce CO2 for years to come!

About.com explains how to choose a tree for offsetting CO2 at "http://environment.about.com/od/whatyoucando/a/best_trees.htm. Treehelp.com has tree-planting instructions at www.treehelp.com/howto/howto-plant-a-tree.asp.

Don't let that Christmas tree dry out—replant it! Perhaps neighbors that attended your party can help.

Mother Earth News has posted a how-to article at www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1981-11-01/Replant-Your-Christmas-Tree.aspx. In lieu of planting, be sure to recycle your tree with your town. Information is at Earth911.org.

Post-party, purchase renewable energy certificates, green tags, or energy credits. Or, in lieu of party favors, buy credits for each of your guests!

Numerous organizations that sell certificates offset CO2 by planting trees and supporting forestry efforts, funding renewable energy projects such as wind power and biomass, and contributing to energy efficiency projects designed to eliminate emissions, such as landfill methane capture.

Some believe that the activities are not accurate or a true offset, and there are agencies that are certifying and verifying companies that sell offset certificates to ensure that practices prove claims.

The best rule of thumb is to research the company's offset activities and be sure you are comfortable with the level of offset for the price you are paying. The non-profit Center for Resource Solutions has a green tag certification program. Learn more at www.green-e.org. Treehugger.com also posted a survey of carbon offset services at www.treehugger.com/files/2006/03/survey_of_carbo.php.

Also, check out the U.S. Department of Energy's Green Power Network Web site at http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/certificates.shtml?page=0, and Carbonfund.org for low-cost home and business offsets.

Make a New Year's resolution to procure green products and energy and lower your home or businesses' carbon contributions for all of 2009.

Green innovation is so advanced that it's now possible to consider green with any upgrade — appliances, equipment, materials, and fuel.

Check out ChooseRenewables.com for information on renewable products, like low-flow shower heads, gauges, and more. Terrapass.com has green gadgets as well. When purchasing appliances, be sure to look for the energy star label.

Salem Plumbing Supply and other stores are focusing on green domestic living products.

By procuring items locally you reduce energy consumption, and CO2 byproduct, from shipping. As much as possible, research online and use the phone book to find goods locally.

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Andrea Fox, a Beverly resident, has been writing about environmental sustainability and eco-topics for eight years. She is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and a watershed protection advocate in Salem Sound Watershed.