In this day and age you really can turn any common and seemingly mundane activity into a social occasion. One of the latest excuses to host a party? Getting together to make green cleaning products with your friends.

The idea originated with Women's Voices for the Earth, a national organization that encourages women to advocate for the right to live in a healthy environment. WVE started the green cleaning party initiative as part of their efforts to educate women about the 85,000 chemicals currently on the market in various products, most of which have not been tested to see how they affect human health. Until companies provide full disclosure regarding the chemicals in these products (unlikely), WVE believes individuals should make their own to reduce the risks of asthma, birth defects and infertility.

WVE offers a Green Cleaning Party Kit to help party planners get started. The kit includes a booklet with background information and party planning tips, as well as an educational video that can be previewed at the event, recipe cards with instructions for making the products, supply lists for guidance about what is needed for the party and container labels for the products themselves.

Party hostesses (or hosts!) can be creative with the additional details, such as serving organic wine and snacks or requesting that guests wear green in honor of the occasion. For larger events, hostesses will need to find a space with several tables so each party guest mix ingredients without bumping elbows with their neighbors, as well as a sink since many recipes call for water.

To top off the party, WVE encourages women to carry the idea of non-toxic products beyond a social event and suggests taking action by signing a petition to companies asking that they remove toxic ingredients from their products or list all ingredients on the products.

Find out more about hosting your own green cleaning party, as well as to request your party planning kit, after the jump.

» Women's Voices for the Earth (Official Site)