Aug 27, 2012 | Eco-Friendly Events, wedding planning
Photo by MWD Photography.
Probably the largest environmental impact from any kind of celebration is from the transportation involved. Guests from other places and in-town transport cause inevitable carbon emissions. To reduce the environmental impact, you might encourage your guests to arrive by rail, by bus, or to carpool. Of course, if you have your event where public transportation is an option, you can help your guests to get around by local transit. If possible, reserve hotel rooms for your guests within walking distance of the party. If they will have to travel some distance, charter a bus for them. Or, try a pedicab.
Carbon offsets are one way to mitigate the environmental consequences of travel. Although there are some who question their effectiveness, you might know of a program you feel comfortable with. You could ask your guests to pay for carbon offsets instead of bringing gifts. Or it can be your gift to them in place of favors.
For an eco friendly honeymoon, try these ideas: honeymoon close to home; honeymoon at home (turn off the phone and tell everyone you’ve gone away); honeymoon by bicycle; or, most romantic of all, honeymoon by rail. (As my sister says, “Anyone who says romance is dead hasn’t been on a train lately.”)
Jul 16, 2012 | Eco-Friendly Events, wedding planning
A tent wedding can be a green option.
One concern I hear about having eco-friendly events is that it is going to be too expensive to be eco-conscious. While it is true that some environmentally friendly choices are more expensive, others are less expensive. There are always trade-offs, and, in the end, it is up to you to make the choices.
Organic food and flowers are almost certainly more expensive than conventionally grown or raised food and flowers. Organic growing is more labor-intensive, and so the price goes up. Also, retailers raise the price of organics when they can because it is a niche market. But much of the increased cost is due to the high quality of the product. On the other hand, local food and flowers in season may be less expensive than their counterparts from distant locations because of the lower transportation costs. You can get local, organic; local, non-organic; or organic, non-local products. Each of these is more environmentally friendly than non-local and non-organic products, so you can figure out what best meets your budget and your expectations.
When you’re thinking about decor, you can save money and go green by reducing the quantity of decor items at your celebration and by reducing the potential waste. For example, edible or grow-able favors with minimal (or reusable) packaging might save you money over an elaborate knick-knack that may end up in the landfill. Finding a location that doesn’t require much decoration can save you a lot of money (and time) on decor.
A little creative thinking can both save you money and increase your green quotient. And you don’t have to have a perfectly green event. There are always trade-offs and purity shouldn’t be the goal. But if there’s something you can do that suits your style and your budget, you can be just a little more green.
May 14, 2012 | Eco-Friendly Events, Other Events
Healthy Green Goods in Evanston is not a wedding vendor, but Marny Turvil, the owner, is someone you should know if you are interested in environmental topics.
The store on Main Street stocks a wide variety of non-toxic and environmentally safe items for the home, including linens, paint, furniture, air and water purifiers, and personal care items. Marny is also available for in-home consultations on indoor air quality and keeping a healthy home.
If you are looking for a high-quality, environmentally friendly, non-toxic gift (for a wedding or for any occasion), Healthy Green Goods is a good place to start. They will even ship anywhere in the US.
Apr 23, 2012 | Eco-Friendly Events, wedding planning
Try a beautiful outdoor location for your celebration. Photo by Magical Moments Photography.
Yesterday was Earth Day so I’m thinking about locations for eco-friendly weddings and events. There are many choices you can make to have a sustainable location for your event.
For example, you can choose a LEED certified building, or rent from and support a location that has an environmental mission, such as a botanic garden or organic farm. You can also look at the Green Hotels Association to find a hotel with an environmental commitment. Or you can find an eco-friendly restaurant through the Green Restaurant Association. Celebrating outdoors, of course, reduces the power needed for lighting and air conditioning. If you’re having more than one event on the same day (such as a wedding and reception), have them in the same location to reduce the amount of transportation needed.
There are lots of easy things you can do to make your wedding or other celebration more eco-conscious. Every little bit helps!
Mar 5, 2012 | Eco-Friendly Events, vendors, wedding planning, Weddings
Committed 2012 was last Sunday, and it was a successful and very fun afternoon. This was the first year the of the show’s existence, so the fact that a couple hundred guests showed up was very heartening.
What everyone said was that this was much nicer than most bridal shows. It felt more like a party than a trade show.
The Stephanie Rogers Band.
Music was provided by Cage+Aquarium (doing an all-vinyl set) and the Stephanie Rogers Band. There was food provided by several caterers, including FIG, City Provisions, and Pure Kitchen.
Setting up the truffles.
Katherine Anne Confections and Bleeding Heart Bakery provided delicious sweets.
Mignonette's booth.
Models from Mignonette showed off some gorgeous and highly unusual bridal dresses and vintage tuxes.
Collective Resource.
Collective Resource was very successful at composting the entire event. The ratio of compostables to garbage at the end of the event was about 75 to 1, maybe more.
And here was my set-up:
My area.
Feb 20, 2012 | Eco-Friendly Events, vendors
A little bit of natural beauty.
I wrote a post a while ago about compostable disposables. I mentioned in that post that the thicker compostable plastic could only be composted in a commercial facility, and that is not always easy to find access to those facilities. Well, I have found a resource to help eco-minded people solve that problem.
Collective Resource is a business based in Evanston that is committed to helping you have zero-waste events. The owner, Erlene Howard, is tremendously knowledgeable about how to compost, what to compost, and why to compost.
For a fee, Collective Resource will bring compost buckets to you for your event (or to your home for household composting), help you figure out what goes into the buckets, and pick them up after the event. All food scraps and other compostables are taken to Land and Lakes in Chicago where they become nutrient-rich garden soil.
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