It's summer party time, and event planner Nadia Digilov of Celebrating in Style has some tips for making it fancy and eco-friendly:

--Skip regular charcoal and use Coconut Shell Briquette Charcoal made from, what else, coconut shells. It has no chemicals inside and makes no smoke. It's cleaner burning, hotter and longer burning. 

--Don't use throw-away plastic and paper plates. For a greener option, use recycled, toxin free, biodegradable products from Verterra.  The company says it's made from fallen leaves that are steamed and pressed. They will naturally compost in two months.

--Buy locally grown and organic foods for the table. They didn't waste fuel traveling far and they didn't require lots of chemicals and fertilizers.

--Use soy candles instead of electric lights or paraffin candles. They come from sustainable and renewable resources and burn longer and pollute less.

Got any other good tips?

Photo courtesy of Celebrate in Style