Eco-Chic (& Cheap) Entertaining

When it comes to entertaining,  you should know by now that you can be both stylish and sustainable.  The challenge lies in being eco-conscious and budget-conscious at the same time. With Earth Month just around the corner, we decided to throw one of our green parties to show our readers and friends just how easy it is to live and play well while being kind to the planet and your pocketbook.

On Wednesday, March 25th, Notes on a Party hosted the third installment of “A Night of Eco-Chic Entertaining,” at the hip New York venue Twelve 21 and invited the city’s most influential event planners, press and green advocates to learn more about how to party green.

Sponsored by the Sundance Channel, (who previewed three of their upcoming green shows including Eco Trip, Green Porno and The Lazy Environmentalist) publisher Stewart, Tabori & Chang, pingg and Driven Eco, the cocktail party celebrated our good friend and green entrepreneur, Josh Dorfman, and his new book, The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget.

Dorfman held court on the stage which was set up with eco-friendly furniture rentals by Lounge22 (such as a coffee table made from recycled newspapers and loveseats made with non-toxic materials) and signed copies of his book for VIP guests including Eco-fabulous founder, Zem Joachin, Treehugger’s Graham Hill, Food & Wine’s Gail Simmons and friends from Prada, Martha Stewart Living, the Whitney Museum, The Economist, Francesca Events, Quintessentially Events and Vogue magazine.

Levy Lighting, known for their cutting edge design, cast a green glow on the event using low consumption lighting.  Projected décor such as flowering vines highlighted the bare columns while battery operated glass globes of all sizes (lit with a rainbow of fun colors) decorated the stage.

Sustainable designer Danielle Venokur of dvGreen, inspired by the budget conscious message of Dorfman’s book, designed a table with everyday kitchen items by Preserve Products including cutting boards for place mats and lidded sandwich containers as centerpieces. She purchased a few locally grown plants and herbs and included reusable LED lights for a big visual impact with a small carbon footprint.

Philip Winser and Benjamin Towill from Silkstone Events prepared a lavish buffet of simple yet hearty (and organic) food including cumin roasted carrots, lemon thyme scones and classic Yorkshire Puddings with roast beef & horseradish.  They used meat and poultry from Ayrshire Farm, all of which was certified organic and humanely produced. Plates by VerTerra, made from pressed, fallen palm leaves (and 100% compostable) completed their rustic farm aesthetic.

Square One Organic Spirits created delicious signature cocktails with Stirrings Organic Classic Cocktail Mixers including The Horizon (cucumber and ginger), Basil Gimlet (basil and lemon) and Cherry Tart (ruby red grapefruit and sour cherry), which were served in glassware by Classic Party Rentals. And, another way to be eco-chic and cheap….avoid bottled water and use Brita pitchers for your bar!

At the opposite side of the room, Bonterra served two of their award-winning wines – Chardonnay and Cabernet - made in Mendocino country from organically grown grapes, while Peak Organic featured four original brews made from barley and hops grown without pesticides or chemicals.

Between all the mingling and networking, planners learned about pingg’s new designer series of invitations including original artwork by photographer Ben Watts and signed up to win an Eco-Chic bar sponsored by Stirrings.  Driven Eco, the environmentally friendly, chauffeured transportation service raffled off a free ride in one of their luxury cars.  For those who may have over-indulged in organic food and drink, Blueprint Cleanse was there to espouse the benefits of their uber-popular juice detox plans.

And the ongoing supporters of our Eco-Chic event series: Rolling Press once again printed our brochures on 100% recycled paper with low VOC vegetable inks; Base designed our invitation and marketing materials; Audiostiles compiled our musical playlist; pingg sent out our online invitations and Ron Holtz Photography captured the night’s festivities.

In lieu of giving out a gift bag, we gave copies of Dorfman’s book in exchange for donations of #5 plastics (yogurt cups, Brita filters and take-out containers) which our guests collected and brought to the event for Preserve to recycle into new products!

To purchase a copy of The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget, click here.

For a copy of our Eco-Chic Entertaining brochure, click here.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Ron Holtz Photography

The third event in a series, A Night of Eco-Chic Entertaining presented by Notesonaparty.com celebrates the best products and services in the green marketplace and special events industry.

For more coverage, see The Daily Green, Mother Nature Network and party blog, New York Insider TV.

Relevant Posts: The Green Scene, A Green Xchange

More Green Entertaining, click here.