Feb 16, 2011 | Eco-Friendly Events, Parties and Special Events, wedding planning, Weddings
The Chicago Green Wedding Alliance (of which I am a member) has announced its first planner’s workshop. The team is busy lining up speakers to help wedding planners learn more about how to green their clients’ weddings. It will be nice to have some company as a Green wedding planner!
The event is planned for Sunday, February 27, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the West Loop Studio, 17 N. Elizabeth St., #3. Enjoy brunch, beverages, and be inspired by the expert panel on the art and sophistication of planning green. Tickets are $75. Click on the image to below buy tickets for the event.
Dec 26, 2010 | Budget Planning, Day-of Coordinating, Eco-Friendly Events, Family Parties, Other Events, Parties and Special Events, wedding planning, Weddings
In this season of many blessings, I would like to take note of a few things I am grateful for.
I am grateful to be able to make my living helping people and doing things that I love.
I am grateful for the other event and wedding professionals I am lucky enough to work with. There are some terrific people in this business!
And, most of all, I am grateful for all my wonderful clients who share their special occasions with me and trust me to make sure their weddings and family parties are as wonderful as they expect them to be.
Thank you to all of you! All the best in 2011.
Aug 24, 2010 | Eco-Friendly Events, vendors, wedding planning, Weddings
One of Lynn's designs. Shamelessly stolen from her website.
I’ve been wanting to tell you about Pollen floral studio for a while. Lynn Fosbender, the owner, is definitely someone to know if you need flowers for an event. While her primary interest is in eco-friendly floral design, the thing that impresses me the most about her is her creative thinking. She recently worked with some clients of mine who were mostly interested in creative ideas, and they loved her and the flowers for their wedding.
I like her approach to eco-friendly flowers, as well. She tries to use local, organic flowers whenever possible. And she composts all of her plant waste in two 50 gallon composters on the roof! You can see the extent of her commitment to all things sustainable on her website.
And I know this won’t impress most people, but I love the fact that Lynn has thorough contracts with her clients. You may have heard me griping about the contracts most florists have. Lynn is a major exception to that rule. She tells you what you will be getting, how much it will cost, and when it will show up.
And did I mention she does beautiful work and is fun to work with?
Jul 6, 2010 | Eco-Friendly Events, vendors, wedding planning, Weddings
I generally like to feature vendors I have worked with directly, but I have been so taken with Tweedle Press that I thought I ought to pass along the good news. Nina, the owner of the press, does all letterpress printing. I didn’t really know what letterpress was until I visited her studio and she showed me the 70 year old, heavy machines that print by putting an impression on the paper. This is printing with texture. She also makes her own paper sometimes, which makes for even more texture.
She also does design, so it’s a one-stop shop for wedding or party invitations; menus; thank-you cards; or any other paper goods. Her commitment to environmental practices is strong, too. The only possible drawback is price: Her prices are best for large orders. It’s beautiful work, though, so you might find that it’s worth it to spend a little more for beautiful, stylish, eco-friendly paper goods.
May 18, 2010 | Eco-Friendly Events, wedding planning, Weddings
Last week, I was at the second meeting of the Chicago Green Wedding Alliance. This is a group of wedding vendors who are all committed to environmental sustainability and social responsibility. The official mission statement is:
Chicago Green Wedding Alliance is established to encourage mindful weddings, commitment ceremonies, and social events by connecting a community of environmentally and socially responsible vendors with the conscious consumer. Members are united in their effort to continually grow and inform their responsible business practices through the support of their like-minded peers.
This group is still quite new but it’s an exciting group of people. Watch for more information on a vendor list at their website and some upcoming events.
May 10, 2010 | Eco-Friendly Events, Parties and Special Events, Weddings
Compostable disposables are a great idea for an eco-friendly party, right? Well, maybe.
But let me back up a minute, first. What is a compostable disposable? Well, plastic (like, for plates, cups, silverware, etc.) can be made from petroleum. That kind is definitely not compostable and you have to throw it out. Plastic can also be made from corn, and dishes and so on made from that kind of plastic are marketed as being compostable.
Technically, yes, it is possible to compost corn plastic. But the best authorities I can find (Smithsonian Magazine, for instance), say that it can only be composted in very hot, commercial composting facilities. Being curious about this claim, my husband and I tried some experiments, with the help of a friend who has a very good home composting pile. We took some cups and lids from my husband’s coffee roasting business to our friend. The cups were paper lined with a very thin layer of corn plastic. The lids were somewhat thicker plastic, but thinner than a plastic water bottle, and far thinner than a plastic plate.
The cups were shredded (with the assistance of the friend’s gentle pit bull) and put in the pile. The lids went in whole (since the dog wasn’t interested in them). In a reasonable amount of time (a few months, I believe), the paper and thin layer of corn plastic disappeared into the pile. So far, so good. That was last summer. A few days ago, we were back at the friend’s house, and she handed us a lid that had been in the pile for about 9 months. It was intact, whole, undisturbed. Even her warm, active compost pile had not been able to digest even that much corn plastic. Apparently, it does take a hotter compost pile to compost them.
Here is the lid after sitting in a nice, warm, active compost pile for almost a year.
But where do you find a commercial composter that will take corn plastics? You can search for them at Find a Composter. Search by state and then under “Paper and Compostable Products.” You will find that they do not exist in every state. For instance, while there are nine commercial composters in the state of Illinois, not one of them takes compostable plastic. Connecticut, on the other hand, has one such facility; California has fifteen. You might find, however, that many facilities do not take composting materials from households.
What is the solution, then? If you are throwing a party and want to keep it as eco-friendly as possible, use ceramic dishes. Rent them from a nearby rental house to reduce transportation waste. If you have to use disposables, consider paper. It is a renewable resource, like corn, and is much more compostable. And, as we discovered, paper cups lined with corn plastic are actually compostable, even in a home compost pile. If you need disposable utensils, though, there aren’t any really good answers. Something is going to be thrown away, whether it is corn plastic or petroleum plastic.
So, be wary of the claims of compostability. This is new territory and there are still a lot of questions to be answered.
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