5 Ways to Go Green on St. Patrick's Day

​Original post: March 8, 2013

1. Drink Green 
   On a normal day, about 5.5 million pints of Guinness are consumed around the world. On St. Patrick’s Day, that number jumps to 13 million. (source) Drink as much Guinness as you like, but please remember to recycle those bottles and cans afterward.
   
   Or support a more eco-friendly beer company such as Colorado’s New Belgium Brewery (Fat Tire beer), the first wind-powered brewery in the nation. Also sustainable, Sierra Nevada Brewery gets much of their energy needs from solar panels and hydrogen fuel cells, powers their trucks on 100% vegetable oil waste, and, in 2011, diverted 99.7% of the brewery’s solid waste from the landfill through recycling, composting and reuse.
2. Eat Green
   And I don’t mean unnaturally green-colored foods like milkshakes and pastries. That artificial food coloring (FD&C Green No.3 and Fast Green FCF) is derived from petroleum and has been associated with hyperactivity in children, allergic reactions and cancer. You can celebrate St. Patty’s Day with real green foods (a fun themed dinner: cabbage, asparagus, kiwi, grapes, avocado and pistachios!), or try a homemade dye. Better yet, eat green by shopping for local or organic foods.
3. Dress Green
   Invest in one special shirt or outfit that you bring out every St. Patrick’s Day. Or scour secondhand stores for green garments (I always see barely used “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” T-shirts at Savers). If you must buy something new, support one of the top buyers of organic cotton from this list that includes Pottery Barn, Nike and Wal-Mart.
4. Decorate Green
   If you’ve bought St. Patty’s Day decorations, save and reuse them every year. Otherwise, decorate with natural items: plants from nature, green bottles and vases, green fabrics. Check out this blog for some creative crafting ideas using items around the house.
5. Party Green
   Although I live in driving distance of two of the nation’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day parades—Boston and New York—I’ve never been to either. Nor do I plan to. I couldn’t stand the crowds (close to 5 million people between the two cities) or the massive amount of trash generated during these events. If you attend your local town’s parade, do your part by not littering. Go one step further and bring a bag along to pick up any trash you find along the route. Neighborhood residents will love you for it.

If you liked this post, you’ll love my book, The Guilt-Free Guide to Greening Your Holidays. It has 95 pages of tips and inspiration for making all your holidays eco-friendly. Click here to learn more!

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