Another year has flown by and now you’re planning on throwing a great office Christmas Party but you want to be green and as kind to the earth as you possibly can. Well, you are in luck! We have some great ideas and tips on how to throw an eco friendly office party without taking the fun out of the event. Being green and sustainable at corporate functions actually helps to bring employees together and create great relationships and can also be a great gate way to start exploring new ideas for the team.

Invitations

First of all, e-mail your invitations out! We already get a bulk load of junk mail stuffed into our letter boxes, they're full to capacity! So one less paper mail would help alleviate the frustration of having to throw precious paper in the bin. The secret to a jolly office party is to make sure you invite everyone. Keep on reading! There is a plus side to being fully inclusive!

On a similar theme, why not send email Christmas cards to clients, friends, associates and other office staff – there are plenty of sites offering great cards these days, or create your own. You’ll be truly saving the world!

Food

You want it to be fun and not just an event that you guilt employees into attending, so avoid ordering fast food in all those terrible non-biodegradable containers. Instead why not go “potluck” or “international” and get everyone to bring a small plate of finger food from home. This way you can invite everyone from the office, more people will equate to more food and just think of the savings for the budget! By turning the event into potluck, you will also avert countless paper bags and one-use plastic containers from going into waste. Ask everyone to bring their contribution in reusable containers. And, because Australia is a melting pot of some many different cultures, you will be exposed to different types of food from all the various regions of the globe and have a truly glorious feast – fit for kings!

Utensils and Napkins

You do not normally need a plate and utensils for finger foods. However, that is not always the case, especially if you are longing to savour that casserole that someone else kindly brought along. Be sure to use non-disposable plates from the office kitchen if there are any. If you absolutely want to use disposable utensils, to avoid doing the dishes, then be sure to purchase biodegradable disposable utensils made of bamboo! If you don’t have any china plates, why not visit Vinnies (or another charity shop) and pick a few second-hand ones to keep for the office – the charities will be very grateful for the custom in the lead up to Christmas!

Nobody likes greasy and dirty hands, but putting paper napkins needlessly to waste is even worse. This may seem slightly unorthodox, but request your co-workers or employees to bring their own cloth napkins and tell them the reason behind it. Most people would appreciate that you are trying to save the environment and would most likely oblige. If feeling quite bashful of the idea, purchase some cloth napkins yourself and simply wash and reuse them for the next office function.

Label your rubbish bins

If you start out with an environmentally friendly office party in mind, you might as well go all out. Be sure to label your rubbish bins for recyclable material. You’ll be surprised of how people do read and take note of the labels and actually act on it.

Forget the Kris Kringle

Think about it – when was the last time you actually got anything remotely useful from the office Kris Kringle? Sure exchanging gifts can be fun but the reality is most gifts are tossed in the rubbish. So why not stop the wasteful giving and focus on something productive and beneficial, such as everyone in the office donate to a charity or food bank?

This is your chance to have your employees or co-workers look forward to work after the holidays rather than dread coming back. The potluck aspect of the office party is key to bringing everyone closer together as well as being gentle on our delicate ecosystem.

If you need help with your green Office Christmas Party, then maybe the businesses in the Food & Drink, Recycling & Waste or Non-Profit Organisation sections of the Green Times Business Directory can help you.

Have you got any great eco friendly Christmas Party Tips? Let us know – leave a comment below, we’ll send a little eco pressie for the best one (so make sure you enter the correct email address - it won't be displayed).

Written by Sultan Al-Mutawa
Additional research: Suze Chalmers

Image credit: Luigi Diamanti via FreeDigitalPhotos