party

Food & Travel in Romania

inchirierimasini — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:41:25 -0400

Dear friends, after 2 weeks in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, i feel really refreshed. Following the friend of a buddy of mine i visited the country and i was a great experience. For all those who have questions, i'm here to provide any advice about the country

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.

Green Cleaning Tips:21st Century Tupperware Parties

scleaver — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Need an excuse to get together after your local food potluck? Host a Green Cleaning Party.

As the Chicago Tribune reported on May 21, green living is now fully mainstreamed, and there’s no better evidence of that than the eco-friendly Tupperware-style parties. But, unlike the sales pitches that might have kept you from RSVP-ing to a Tupperware party or two, these parties aren’t about selling products, but sharing information. At a Green Cleaning Party attendees learn about the chemicals in their household cleaning products, toxins that have been associated with asthma, developmental, and reproductive health problems and learn how to make healthy cleaning alternatives from their pantry.

Since March, more than 100 communities have hosted green cleaning parties through Women's Voices for the Earth a national environmental group. The party-goers are mostly women, as women still do the vast majority of housework and make many purchasing decisions. “We realized that a lot of women never really thought about the chemicals that are in those cleaning products,” director of Women’s Voice for the Earth, Alexandra Gorman Scranton told Tribune Newspapers. “A lot of people are saying [home-made mixtures] are the cleaners my grandmother used. They worked then and it turns out they work now.”

To learn more: Healthy and Green Living has tips on how to make window cleaners, furniture polish, mold killers and more using baking soda, vinegar, and tea tree oil. Here’s a basic cleaning spray using vinegar, water, and lemon juice from Associated Content. The bonus: you save money when you make your own Comet.

Photo from Healthy and Green Living.

Recycled Record Snack Tray

RiverWired.com — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:55:10 -0400

It’s Good: New York artist Jeff Davis has created these delightful little serving platters out of actual 12-inch vinyl records that have been remolded and laminated to protect against damage and moisture. Bust these bad boys out at your next shindig for a hip, unique flair and a nostalgic trip back to a time before the iPod became king.

It’s Green: These handmade trays were once actual, fully-functional LPs that have been handily recycled and reincarnated as trendy party dishware, giving the records a brand new lease on life. Why throw away that Best of Engelbert Humperdinck record that’s been sitting in your closet when you convert it into a stylish popcorn bowl?

It’s Here: UmcommonGoods.com

It’s: $25.00

Want to find out more about recycling?

Recycling Tips: Did You Know You Cannot Recycle Messy Pizza Boxes?

The Benefits of Recycling: Let’s Talk Trash

Recycling the Looking Glass: When Garbage and Art Collide

Top 10 Recycling Resources

The Benefits of Recycling Cardboard

The Art of Garbage

Reduce, Reuse… FREECYCLE

Recycle Those Electronics!

Back to Basics—RRR

Picking Up Garbage TVs and Recycling as Art

Students Recycle and Reduce Garbage: Take It Or Leave It

Knight Rider Recycled—Reborn With Green Twist!

Recycling Your Garbage: Where Does it All Go?

The Height Of Backyard Dining

scleaver — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Whether you’re hitting the grill with kebob skewer and meat in hand, or a planning a more refined wine and cheese picnic this weekend, consider taking the party to a rooftop. An added bonus: eating on the roof, you’re that much closer to the fireworks.

In a city like New York, where outdoor space is hard to come by, some lucky residents have found a way to eat al fresco on their roofs. The New York Times chronicled the rooftop eating experience this week. “Partygoers on roofs enjoying glasses of cabernet and grilled burgers, cheerful voices drifting into the air above soot-covered air ducts, water towers, and crumbling brick chimneys.” Sounds like an idea Fourth of July party to me.

There are hazards to dining so high up, of course, it’s a pain to get cases of wine or loads of burger patties to the roof, gusts of wind can send napkins flying, rain or thunderstorms might make an ugly appearance. But, if you are so lucky as to head to your roof for a bar-b-que or otherwise this Fourth, here are some tips from the New Yorkers who’ve perfected the art:

1. If you can have wine and food delivered, or enlist the help of friends to get things from ground floor to roof.

2. Use propane in the grill instead of charcoal, because, as Randy Davison points out “you don’t want to have hot charcoal raining down on your neighbors.” Better yet, make sure it’s legal to have a grill up on the roof at all.

3. If you’re cooking in the kitchen and transporting it up the stairs, do preparation, like carving meat, first to reduce the risk of losing the entire dinner if you trip.

Photo of a yummy Fourth of July food from Disney.