St. Patrick’s Day hasn’t really been celebrated as a “green” holiday, associated with helping the environment, but there are a few things you can do to “green” it up this year.
One cool way is to ensure your celebratory drinks are green and bought from local and or organic sources. First, look for a local brewery, and based on your geography, choose east coast or west coast brews. Tons of smaller breweries have adopted green brewing customs and just like locally produced food, local breweries have a smaller carbon footprint because of the shorter distance it travels from the brewery to your mouth.
Once you’ve located the ideal brewery based on your tastes and location, see if they offer organic or even vegan brews. The organic hops and grains will be toxin free, which is better for the planet and your body and the vegan beers will be free of trace animal parts, like fish-bladder bits, commonly used to clarify beers without filtration.
Another thing to pay attention to is packaging. Is it made from recycled materials? And if you want to take it one green step further, visit a local brewery and buy beer in reusable pint glasses. But if you must use non-glass cups, the International Papercup Company sells awesome ecotainers that are made from wood-fiber paper and coated in a corn-based polylactic acid resin instead of a petrochemical plastic. This allows the cups to be compostable and biodegradable. Either way, be sure you reduce your waste, reuse what you can, and recycle the rest!
- Planet Green has a great selection of beer companies that will help you get started with greening your beer. All of those companies listed are working to lighten their carbon footprint.
- If you’re planning a day out for revelry with friends or family, take as few cars as possible. Better yet, walk so you won’t have to contend with choosing a designated driver and you’ll burn some calories at the same time too.
- If your city hosts a St. Patrick’s Day parade, find out if green birdseed can be tossed instead of paper confetti. This will cut down on the amount of litter in the streets that could end up in water supplies and natural habitats. It also cuts down on the energy needed for sanitation clean up.
- Add some variety to your St. Patrick’s Day meal! Go green with your food coloring but I’m not just talking about adding some coloring. Try one of The Daily Green has traditional Irish dishes made with organic and locally sourced ingredients!
Have a safe and happy St. Patties Day. Let me know how the parties and beer drinking goes in our comment section.
I leave you with a famous Irish quote “May you never forget what is worth remembering or remember what is best forgotten”.
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