How to Go Green: New Year's : TreeHugger

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Photo credit: Getty Images/Domino

We generally run into two schools of thought on New Year's Eve: it's either an excuse for a raucous night at the bar and massive quantities of bubbly, or it's a night for amateurs that's better spent watching the ball drop with a few close friends. No matter which category you fall into, it's easy to make your Eve a little greener with organic champagne, recycled glassware, DIY noisemakers, and non-disposable decorations. And if, regardless of whether you went out or stayed in, you had a little more to drink than you meant to-well, we can help with that, too.

Check out the guide for How to Go Green: New Year's over on Planet Green to get tips on going green on the big night, and making green resolutions that'll last all year. Hit the jump for a quick taste of what's available on the guide, and click below to read the whole guide.

Getty Images/VEER Steve Drake

Beat the crowds

There's a certain excitement to being out in a group on New Year's Eve, but if you stay home and host your own ring-in-the-new shindig, you'll save transportation emissions -- and, of course, money. You'll also be able to better control the environmental impact of your night, from sending out email invitations to preventing the food and paper waste that comes from bars and restaurants. (Oh, and you can let your friends crash so no one has to drive.) Even the Times Square ball is a little greener since switching to LED bulbs in 2006 -- isn't it time you were, too?

Toast with organic bubbly

Champagne has long been the drink of special occasions, whether anniversaries, wedding receptions, or job promotions. Raise your glass to '08 with champagne and sparkling wine made from organic grapes and without synthetic additions-then make sure to recycle (or reuse!) your bottles and send your corks off for reuse in Design Within Reach's chair design contest or for recycling through Korks 4 Kids.

Cure the hangover

No matter how much fun you had the night before, spending all of January 1 feeling like death on toast is no way to start the new year. Start the detox with a blend of organic herbs and seasonings, like those in Lotus Root Cooler or Ginseng Licorice Tea. Drink plenty of water -- but not from disposable bottles -- and fight headaches with thyme or peppermint tea. Tea alone won't help your body recover from last night; fill up on organic, free-range eggs, too, since they contain plenty of cysteine, which breaks down toxins in the liver. Other hangover helpers include bananas (for their potassium) and fruit juices (for their energy-boosting natural sugars and vitamins). Don't depend on coffee, burnt toast, or more alcohol -- none of these will help your body replenish its stores. Fried food, while delicious, is better as a hangover preventative -- it slows down the rate of alcohol absorption.

This is just the start of a greener New Year's; we have a whole list of ways to make green resolutions, plus a handy guide to buying (green) pink champagne, over on Planet Green. Click on over to How to Go Green: New Year's to get started, and have a safe and happy New Year.