It’s only early March, but if you’ve got a high school student in your life, you may well already be in the preliminary stages of prom planning. It’s easy to appreciate why this memorable night is such a big deal to many teens. With the current state of the world, however, it’s hard for most adults to get excited about something so expensive and — between gas-guzzling stretch limos and a gazillion corsages that will get chucked after a few hours — not exactly good for the environment either.
Whole Foods is making this year’s prom planning easier and greener … and not just by moving the organic broccoli to the front of the store (for when you’re stocking up on prom-prep snacks). The retailer recently launched Project Green Prom, an initiative to help teens make eco-friendly purchases for their prom this year. It’s a collaboration with Teens Turning Green, a national alliance of teenagers that spreads the word about positive lifestyle choices that are also good for the environment. Project Green Prom aims to point teens towards earth-friendly and sustainable choices in everything from makeup to corsage flowers to the all-important dress or tux.
A key component of Project Green Prom is an online contest, which is going on now through the end of the month. High school juniors and seniors can upload videos to YouTube in which they talk about how they would improve their prom’s environmental impact. The winner will win a green prom makeover, including a custom-made dress by eco-friendly designer Bahar Shahpar (one of her party-friendly creations is pictured here), matching vegan shoes by olsen Haus, and a special environmentally friendly prom night lounge for the winner’s school. The grand prize also includes a trip for two to New York City for the announcement of the contest’s winner on April 6. Judges for the competition include experts in everything you’d need for a green and glamorous prom, including the beauty director of TeenVogue to the founders of several sustainable fashion brands.
If you think all that’s left from your own prom are the cringe-inducing photos and plenty of memories, think again: Most of the debris from that night is probably still in a landfill somewhere, and it isn’t going away anytime soon. With initiatives like this, today’s teens can leave a much smaller prom footprint … although you can bet they’ll be just as embarrassed by the night’s photos in 20 years’ time.
For more information on Project Green Prom, go to www.teensturninggreen.org.