Go From Prom Queen to Prom Green. Here are a few ways to make the big dance environmentally-friendly.

Dress For Eco-Success

Chances are you’ll spend $200+ on a gown that you’ll only wear once before suffocating it in plastic and shoving it in the back of your closet, where it will remain until it becomes hideously out-of-date and thus rendered unwearable.

Why not have that once must-have dress serve a greater purpose? Here, some options: Check out the dresses by Passenger Pigeon [2], an eco-friendly clothing line that uses organic fabrics like bamboo and hemp, so the material is biodegradable! (That means it won’t sit festering in a landfill for hundreds of years until it finally decomposes!) Plus, the natural fabrics let skin breathe so dancing up a storm will be no sweat, literally.

If you’d rather wear a more traditional dress, why don’t you and your friends from other schools have a dress swap [3] (bff’s almost always covet each other’s style anyway!).

When you've worn that amazing dress, what do you do with it? You probably won't ever wear it again so consider donating it to a teen who can’t afford to purchase her own dress via DonateMyDress.org [4].

Ladies, You Can Even Green Your 'Do!

Here is a great alternative to an “old-school-becomes-new-school” prom look sans the electric curlers and curling iron. Rag curls create soft, graceful curls that will last all night. Just remember: you'll want to do this the night before your event since you're counting on Momma Nature to dry it.

1. Take an old sheet and cut it into strips: an inch wide by 6 inches long.
2. Make a sugar water setting lotion by mixing 2 spoonfuls with 6 oz water in a spray bottle.
3. Spray wet hair with the mixture.
4. Section off hair into inch chunks of hair. You don't have to be too precise since the messy look is in.
5. Take the hair, roll it into the strip and then tie it up. (You may want to wrap a scarf around your hair before you hit the sack.) When you wake up, voila, you'll have beautiful curls.
6. First take a test curl to make sure your hair is dry - air drying takes a little longer.

Borrow the Blooms

Attention prom committee members: Discuss going local with your centerpiece flowers, then talk to the nearby greenhouse or nursery about renting plants. Really! It saves energy because you’re not getting flowers that were shipped from some far off place and then preserved in greenhouses. If you decide to buy, ask the principal if you can plant them afterward to brighten up your school. Finally, consider finding an organic grower in your area. Pesticide-free flowers are healthier for the environment and the people who handle them, and - get this - they smell better!

Travel With Your Posse

You’re all going to the same place, so why not share the ride? You’ll save big on emissions and carbons, not to mention on gas, chauffeur tips, and the price of renting individual limos. If you’re bent on going solo in a limo with your date, consider this: Those boat-sized autos are so pre-millennium – why not do what the eco-chic stars do for the Oscars and arrive in a hybrid? Get more green traveling tips here [5].

Provide a Delicious AND Healthy Dinner

Rally to get food options that are good for your taste buds and don't damage the planet. Opt for organic and, if possible, local produce. That way, you’ll know the crops were treated with care -- and so were the workers who harvested it. Need help? Click here [6].

Make Prom Matter

If you do any or all of the above, you’ll save a bundle, so why not consider giving a portion of your prom proceeds to a charity or non-profit organization?

And remember not to trash the leftover food; donate it to a local soup kitchen.

Sources:

TreeHugger [7]

PlanetGreen [8]

Prom Spot [9]