Convention Decorating with Recycled Materials

Some thoughts....
You might want to do something a bit upscale but fun ....
www.greenglass.com

For the computer guys (isn't every lawyer carying alaptop?)
Catching solar energy with a bag to power iPod and even the laptop are very popular. They come in cloth or leather.

And definitely find a caterer that has an understanding of cooking with regional locally grown foods.
They would also have ideas and connections to local companies that do creative things with recycled materials.

Get shrubs and tall tree branches before the leaves appear. Use clear and light blue small Christmas tree lights.Put them in containers in areas around the room.Sew together large pieces of material that was going to be recycled, making sure they are all the same size.Edge it with 3/4 inch of matrial that is cut in 4 pieces for each table cloth.In paper bowls spray paint various branchesand place in rocks.Do silohettes of various peoples profilesand place them on the wall.Do this from leftover paper.Place a small homemade flagto one side of the arrangementon the table.. A big toothpick could be the pole.Toilet paper rolls cut in half, will be the napkin holders. Use left over scraps of material will cover the napkin holders.Hang up balloons and cover with materialTie them up together with leftover Christmas ribbon from above the table! Cherry and everyone will want to participate.

instead of using table clothes for the tables. you could cover them from the comic pages of Sunday paper. Or you could as the group who is hosting the event to donate sheets they no longer use to cover tables. Or you could lamanate the comic pages and use them as placemats so they can be used over and over again.

those are all the suggestions I have for now. When i come up with more I will let you know.

Zig

I can see using some recycled tin cans, like veggie or fruit cans as vases with some raffia tied around them, filled with flowers made from the plastic from soda bottles cut and melted a bit, maybe spray painted. To do that, I would cut petals, curve some of the edges a bit with the heat, then attach them together with some wire and add a few "leaves".

You can also make real pretty flowers with pipe cleaner edges and leftover fabric scraps. To do this, you form a petal with the pipe cleaner and glue it on the fabric, then cut the fabric real close to the pipe cleaner. Add 4-5 together to form your flower, with the pipe cleaner showing on the top of the petal. They are real easy, and very colorful. You can use floral tape to make the stems for either flower, put around some wire.

You could make table cloths from newspaper end rolls from the printer and have markers crayons or whatever out for all to help decorate them. We did do that once, and even the adults had a grand time with that.

Another thought, I know in Minneapolis, MN there is a place that sells manufacturing scraps to families to use for art etc. Maybe you could gather some usable scraps of something fun at our local manufacturers.

Good luck! Remember to think outside the bun, and I bet it turns out beautiful!