With holiday party season in full swing, a host of sources offer tips on greening office celebrations from ideas on pared down, eco-friendly festivities in house to the ultraminimalist option of bagging it all together.


In-house office celebrations in cube city or the company cafeteria are more in vogue this year as tight budgets and tough economic times have made big, off-site blow-outs a thing of the past.

Holidays come to Cube City.

Grist, EPA and Danny Seo of "Simply Green" book series fame are among the sources providing ideas.

Here are some of the common themes:

Go Paperless — Banish paper whenever possible by relying on emailed party invitations and holiday greetings, says Grist.

Locally source snacks.

The site also helpfully suggests making sure that copy machines are fully loaded with recyclable paper in the event that the office party stimulates phantom copiers to action.


Feast on Local Food  — Rely on low-cost and locally sourced finger-food for festivities.

Reduce Waste —  Dish up on re-useable plates and cutlery, whether durable goods or what we used to call real plates and flatware.

If you go the disposable route, shop around for Earth-friendly tableware. Options include plates and utensils made from recycled paper, corn or sugar cane.

Cut down on cups by drinking beverages straight out of the containers they come in and recycle all empties, says colleague Jonathan Bardelline.

Dim the Lights — Turn off or unplug decorative lights when there's no one around to see them urges the EPA, which also offers energy-saving seasonal tips for celebrating holidays at home.

Minimize waste, drink directly from beverage containers.

Deck the Halls  — Rubbish as wreath fodder? Seo suggests several ways to craft office decorations from office discardables for those who find themselves at their desks with a little time on their hands. Stringing packing peanuts into garlands and fashioning a nonedible gingerbread house from used cardboard are among his ideas.

HR consultants say go easy on exclusively red and green decorations...

Include Everybody — It's a key to developing sustainable relationships, say HR professionals. Involve a diverse group in party planning and incorporate diverse holiday themes.

Better yet, says ProGroup diversity consultants, avoid the "December Dilemma" and emphasize the season rather than holidays in winter festivities.

...or better yet, emphasize symbols of the season.

Let's Call the Whole Thing Off — Several big name firms have cancelled their holiday parties, though mostly in efforts to save green rather than be green.

When initiated by employees such moves can be morale builders rather than downers, especially if the tradeoff for forgoing a company celebration is a corporate contribution to charity or more employee time off.