Eco- friendly Hen Parties
18/05/2012 09:36:36 by
Vicky |
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Good morning folks! Well it's that time of year again when our thoughts invariably turn to the compulsory hen and stag do's with airports seemingly taken over by gaggles of pink cowboy hat attired girls and a lone stag trying to get through passport control in a mankini.
I myself am off on a sunny hen do next weekend {whoop diddy whoop whoop!} and both Fran and I shall be in attendance at our very good friend's last weekend of freedom in June, all top secret of course.
Now gone are the days of you and your besties taking over your local for an evening of giddiness, hen and stags take off as far a field as Las Vegas and Miami but what if you are more concerned by your carbon footprint than footprints in the sand?
Luckily there are some special weekends to be had closer to home, craft parties and glamping are the buzzwords of the hen do world at the moment and so we have asked an expert to give us some more details about what can be done for the eco-bride. Jessica Lambert is from Red Seven Leisure who are an organiser of hen weekends and she kindly gave us some of their top tips! Over to you Jessica....
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The hen party has shifted from involving a few hours spent with closest friends to a whole weekend away or even a mini holiday. This shift has inevitably caused a negative effect on our environment.
If you’re an eco-conscious person and you’re organising a hen party, there are plenty of choices you can make which will help limit your harmful carbon footprint, whilst still enabling you to have a great time.
Ultimately, the concept of the hen party originated as an occasion whereby the priority was to spend quality time with good friends, therefore from this perspective there are still plenty of hen party ideas which can meet this as well as be good to the environment.
Keep it simple, local and green. Plus, being eco-friendly on your hen party will save your pennies too which is always welcome!
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One of the major ways in which you can reduce your negative effect on the environment when organising a hen party is to choose a location which is as close to home as possible. By not heading overseas you’re avoid long haul flights which are one of the worst offenders for carbon emissions!
If you really want to go all out for a truly green hen party and most of your friends live nearby, then why not keep it at home and organise fun activities which you can get involved in from the comfort and green haven of your own house or town?
Alternatively, if you want to travel somewhere a little further from home, whilst still staying in the UK, then avoid long-distance car journeys and take the train instead. Trains are a much more energy efficient form of travelling, plus you eliminate the stress of driving and the journey instead becomes an opportunity to catch up with the girls.
When it comes to choosing accommodation it’s also worth doing a bit of research to find out if there are any eco-friendly hotels or houses you can rent in the area. These will have been specifically designed with environmentally friendly technology in place such as solar panels, restricted flow water systems and energy efficient lighting and heating.
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| Choose activities which will save you travelling a long distance to get to. Crafty workshop parties are an increasingly popular hen party idea as well as being eco-friendly. The classes provide a great opportunity for your friends to create something handmade and unique from jewellery pieces, feathered headbands and garters to hair accessories and general wedding decorations.
By choosing a craft workshop you avoid buying overly packaged accessories and decorations which are not good for the environment and will simply be thrown away.
For a really alternative hen party activity, go glamping. This luxurious version of camping will mean you get back in touch with nature and your outdoorsy side, and you can take your own food and drink. It doesn’t get much greener than that!
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| Inevitably alcohol is going to be on the cards at a hen party. However, you can choose drinks which are less damaging to the environment.
The wine industry uses a large quantity of chemicals in its production of wine, so go for organic wines which are produced locally and are chemical free. The wines taste just as good and are easily sourced once you’ve done a bit of research! If wine is not your choice of drink then you can get eco-friendly ciders, beers and spirits too.
When it comes to food, there’s a wealth of delicious produce right on our doorstep. Firstly, go for local produce which hasn’t had to travel too far to reach you, and further, buy organic produce as pesticides and synthetics are not used in the growing process.
If you are eating out then there are plenty of restaurants across the UK which source food and drink locally and ethically.
So there you have it, being green is of course going to require a bit more effort to pull off. However, even if you simply incorporate just a few of the tips above you’ll have made a difference.
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Some great ideas there, thanks Jessica!
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