The world is hazy and a sticky residue has begun to form on the tables. Last night’s pregame has now become today’s mess and it’s time to clean up.
After haphazardly placing everything in a garbage bag, a self-assessment begins. One begins to think about his liver and his life. But, while we’re quick to acknowledge the damage we do to ourselves, we seldom do the same for the environment. With Earth Day a recent memory, the state of our planet should be more than an afterthought. And while we might not be able to bring back the polar ice caps, the very least we can do is aim for a more environmentally conscious pregame. Here are a few ways to help get you started:
Recycle — Our first duty to the environment is to reduce our waste, because as of now the majority of pregames misappropriate both glass and plastic bottles. The minimum for an environmentally friendly pregame is to have several garbage bags within view. However, this really isn’t enough; a true effort has to include a recycling bag. It’s important to make sure that both the garbage and recycling bag are easy to find and it doesn’t have to be a chore. In fact, it isn’t difficult to incorporate recycling into a pregame in a fun way.
For example, a drinking game punishment could involve the loser recycling any spare cups at the end of the night. This is an easy way to make your pregame more environmentally conscious, as glass bottles and plastic cups will no longer be going to waste. If the first doesn’t appeal to you, there are other environmentally friendly acts than can be used as punishments, such as pledging to get a recycling bin for said person’s dorm.
Re-use — In helping our environment, it is best to be creative and reuse otherwise wasted items or use items in nonconventional ways. In this vein, a watermelon can be more than just a refreshing fruit. If you trim the top off a watermelon and scoop out the middle, it can be repurposed as a punch bowl. If you really want to get creative, you can even make drinks using the fruit.
After scooping out the watermelon, the fruit can be blended to a smoothie-like consistency and mixed with rum, or a different drink of choice. If you wish to eat the watermelon as opposed to drink it, you can use a melon baller to scoop it out, make the bowl and place the watermelon balls inside the drink. The same concept can be translated to apples, which after carving can be used as cups and may even add a nice flavor to your drink.
Reduce — Reducing our global footprint is inherently tied to reusing items and recycling our waste. As previously mentioned, the main sources of waste at a pregame are disposable cups and shot glasses. For reducing our plastic shot glass use, there is an easy answer: ice cube shots. Several companies make ice cube trays in the shapes of shot glasses, which make for both a novel, environmentally conscious and practical way to drink. After all, when was the last time you needed ice in your drink?
Not only does this stop the waste of plastic shot glasses, it also guarantees a colder, smoother shot. The best way to stop wasting plastic cups is to stop using them altogether. This could mean giving everyone glass cups, but a party full of glasses is ill-advised. Thankfully, there are plenty of reusable cups made out of materials like metal, wood and plastic, which are more party-friendly materials.