How to throw a wild and ethical party

This weekend my flat is having a party. It undoubtedly will be awesome, our parties always are... In preparation for the party, I've been thinking about some ways to make sure the party is a total success and also to ensure the guests leave not only with memories to last life time, but also with some food for thought. Which I will convey in a list of helpful tips:

1. Food and drink

Obviously you need food and drink, don't cheap out on it! Spruce it up by having only healthy options. Carrots, celery, and peppers make a fantastic alternative to chips. And for a bit of dip, try a salsa or hummus to reduce that fat intake.

All drink should come in recyclable bottles. Creating lots of garbage is not cool, so make sure you have an empty recycling bin all ready to use to collect bottles and cans. And buying fresh food doesn't require as make packaging as chips etc, so double bonus on the trash reduction if you go fresh.

Remember to take care of guests who are starting to drink in excess. Spew on the garden is not good for plants and trees and killing vegetation is not helping reduce carbon dioxide levels.

2. Activities

Depending on the type of party you are having, you might want to think about what kind of activities you have at your party. The party we are having this weekend is a sophisticated wine and cheese night, so we are mostly planning on having wankerish conversation. If you are having trouble thinking of ideas of what to do during your party, try hard! If you don't, guests will have to resort to the obvious which is usually destructive. Breaking property, and lighting fires is not ethical at all! So be prepared, maybe line up some karaoke or a dance off. Keep the trouble makers busy and in the morning you'll be happy you don't have to repair the neighbours letterbox.

3. Conversation Topics

A great way of giving the guests something to think about upon leaving is having rich conversation. Don't get too competitive in discussion, no one likes the guy at the party who has to win every argument, and turns all discussion into a yelling match. Example, a few weeks ago at a very quiet party with a few friends, three people decided to have a conversation on radical politics and ended up just yelling at each other. This was extremely disappointing, not only because none of them actually cared about coming to a conclusion that would benefit them, but instead was determined to win the argument at all costs, which meant yelling abuse to one another. This also meant the rest of the party couldn't talk, because their volume was way above speaking levels. Bad Times.

Instead try to aim for good conversation, like where people learn interesting facts about issues they might not know of. A good way to make sure this happens is to actually learn to agree with some points other people are making, and actually listen to what they have to say. If you are struggling for conversation topics, just look up prior to your party a few issues in the world today. Maybe fair trade for banana growers, or the correlation between car theft and the rise of petrol costs.

4. The end of the party

Don't let a party drag on all night. The longer a party goes for, the drunker people become as well as becoming more tired, which generally results in angry destructive people. Arrange for the party to go somewhere controlled like town, or pull out a cup of herbal tea around 1.30 am to let all the party goers start to wind down.

But the most important part of the ethical party is to make sure it doesn't end in a destructive riot. Although this can at times seem great, when viewed from an outsiders perspective, it is actually terrible. Riots generally destroy a lot of property and also result in the police being called up which is just a waste of tax payer money, which could be going towards more efficient power generation.

So think about some of these things next time you are throwing a party, but most of all have fun. Just make sure it is beneficial to the planet fun.

To celebrate our up coming party, I've got this little jam I had earlier tonight here for your listening pleasure.

Water Creatures - Standing on Fire