Green events are in full leaf in some parts of the country. In other areas, “going green” at weddings, banquets, company barbecues and other special events is a concept just starting to take root.

But signs of this budding trend are sprouting everywhere: Here, a stationer offers recycled paper for party invitations. There, a florist suggests fair-trade roses for a bride’s bouquet; a caterer recommends organic produce for a reception; a transportation company advertises hybrid limousines; a couple chooses an outdoor-wedding venue that will use less power for lighting and air conditioning.

In addition, five minutes of surfing the Web turns up sites featuring everything from biodegradable tableware, recycled-cotton napkins, tree-seedling centerpieces and hemp apparel, to tips galore for throwing events that are easy on the environment.

Small changes – but they add up.

“It takes a lot of little actions to make a big splash,” says Janet Larsen, director of research at the Earth Policy Institute, an environmental group in Washington, D.C.

Here are some tips for organizing a greener gathering:

¢ Invitations: Use recycled or tree-free paper and soy-based inks. Choose small cards, use a reply postcard instead of card and envelope. Create a Web site with directions, hotel suggestions, etc. For paper with seeds embedded, visit plantablepaper.com.

¢ Flowers: Use flowers or potted plants from local and/or organic farms or order at organicbouquet.com. Check for a VeriFlora sustainability tag. Donate flowers to a nursing home after the event.

¢ Food: Locally grown organic foods are fresher, pesticide-free and less fuel is burned transporting them. To avoid waste, don’t over-cater. Send leftovers to a composting program. Decorate wedding with organic, edible flowers.

¢ Drinks: Use bottled water in biodegradable bottles from biotaspringwater.com. Serve organic wines.

¢ Venue: Outdoor venues use less power for air conditioning and lighting. Hold the wedding ceremony and reception in the same place or nearby to reduce travel. Encourage guests to carpool or provide a bus or pedicabs. Use an emissions calculator at portovert.com to determine travel-related pollution; offset these with a donation to a clean-energy group. Find a venue that recycles glass, cans and paper.

¢ Gifts: Register with an eco-conscious retailer. Give bridesmaids and groomsmen useful items such as cosmetics, wine or fair-trade coffee. For ideas, visit tenthousandvillages.com.

¢ Favors: Choose seeds, seedlings or potted herbs. Or instead make a donation to an environmentally friendly organization on behalf of guests. For ideas, visit plantamemory.com, treeinabox.com, epersonalized-gifts.com, greenworldproject.net, arborday.org.

¢ Dress: Find a dress or tuxedo from a vintage or resale store. Buy a simple dress of organic silk, cotton or hemp you can use again. For examples, visit ecoganik.com, coolnotcruel.com or stewartbrown.com. Learn how to donate wedding dresses to charity at idofoundation.org (under “tips and ideas”).

¢ Tableware: Use biodegradable plates and cutlery made from sugar-cane fiber, cornstarch and limestone, available from simplybiodegradable.com and clearcreekcomp.com. Or rent real glasses, dishes, cutlery and cloth napkins to avoid disposable paper or plastic goods.