How to have a Green Prom
Organizing a Green Prom can be a fun and challenging eco-friendly project for any high school class. With good planning, creativity and research a green prom can be a world-class twist on a timeless tradition.
Dressed to Kill
Prom attire is right up there next to bride's maid's dresses for being a colossal waste of money. A dress that can never be worn again is not very Green! Lucky for you, there are a host of options for how to get around this fancy faux pas.
Following the reduce, reuse and recycle plan, the easiest Green option for prom dresses is to reuse someone else's awesome dress. One choice is to sift through the racks of your local thrift shops and find an awesome piece to spice up for your own special occasion. You might go vintage or you might find an unusual piece or two and rework them into Prom perfection. Either way you're following the Green Prom principal. After prom is over, be sure to donate that special dress back to a thrift store to keep it in circulation.
If your local thrift stores aren't working for you, you might want to organize a Prom Dress Swap. Chances are there are plenty of girls around town with last year's Prom dresses still hanging in their closets. Organize a swap or donation drive and then plan a shopping day for you and your classmates. Nothing beats a free dress!
Another green choice for Prom dresses is purchasing an eco-friendly dress. These dresses are made out of sustainable fabrics and have been created in environmentally green production methods.
Hair & Make-Up
Hair and make-up can be one of the trickiest problems for a green prom. While it may be obvious these days that an aerosol spray bottle is a very, very bad idea, there are still a number of hidden environmental problems with every sort of hair care and make-up product from shampoo on up. For everyday use and special occasions, it is important to do your research. With a little effort you can find products and salons that use natural ingredients and eco-friendly methods.
Mass Transit While it might seem romantic to be alone in a car with your special someone, it isn't the greenest way to go. A more eco-friendly option is to take public transportation. It's running anyway, so it doesn't add a bit to anyone's carbon footprint to just hop a ride. If public transit is not an option in your location, the traditional Prom limo can also be a green option provided that it's packed with kids. Just consider that for every couple in the limo beyond you and yours that's one less car on the road. So, you can still have that awesome limo-ride- to-Prom experience and still call it Green!
For more fabulous ideas on planning a green prom check out http://www.projectgreenprom.com
