How a broken window can make your wedding shine with Eco-friendliness.

Dear Mom and Dad,
Today in school we learned about Earth Day.

"Boys and girls, what are the three things we can do to make every day Earth Day?"
(all together now...)

REDUCE!  REUSE!  RECYCLE!!

Nicely done.  You get a gold star.

Taking my students' lead, I decided to investigate how I too could reduce, reuse, and recycle some wedding centerpiece ideas...

And here's what I found.

"Spiral Bowl- Black Glass"

Recycled Glass Bowls by Recycled Glass Works-  a company in San Francisco.  Beautiful, handcrafted, recycled glass centerpieces that used to be windows.  Fill them with quartz stones, soy candles, and succulents that are sure to add dynamic design upon your guests' tables.

"Square Platter 'Labyrinth'"

"Starburst- Clear Glass"

Furthermore... and here's where the "reuse" part comes in...

Durable and dishwasher safe, they add flare to your standard kitchenware:
Unique party trays, holiday meal platters, or... as future centerpiece gifts.

In the past, this may have been referred to as "re-gifting."

But not today.  The hereby official term:
"Eco" gifting.

And I promise not to give you a "haven't I seen this in your house before??" furrowed brow stare if I receive one in the future. 
(FYI: I am partial to the "Spiral black glass" bowl)

Rather, I will gladly accept the gift I saw in your house (or at your wedding) and show my thanks with the official Earth Day salute:

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!!

Wow- was that yet another gold star?
Oh I think it was.

100% recycled, plantable paper for every occasion...

'Tis the season of April showers and May flowers.

Let's continue to show how we'll make your garden grow!

(If it's not obvious by now...I'm an elementary school teacher by day.)

Thanks to my very first "Eco" role-model (my fabulous mom) for the lead on this!

Taking to heart the adage of "use a tree, plant a tree," the Bloomin' Flower Card Company is known fondly in Boulder, CO as the "seed paper people."

Each and every paper product they create (they even have wrapping paper!) is made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and contain seeds that will, as they say, "spread like wildflowers."  

Their designs have a lovely "rustic" quality to them... handcrafted and, of course, 100% eco friendly.

The Green Thumbed Bride

With a May wedding, you would think my choices of "in-season" flowers would be bountiful.

Think again.

My hydrangea-set heart withered in disappointment to learn it's actually a summer flower.

And while I know I could have hydrangeas if I really wanted them, I'd like to stick with in-season flowers as my eco choice.
Here's why:

- It upholds the "shop local" philosophy.

- You know exactly where they came from and can ensure they are pesticide-free.

- It minimizes carbon emissions from shipping.

- It's less expensive.

A website I stumbled upon to aid with my in-season flower quest is The Flower Dictionary. It's a terrific resource for discovering lesser known flowers that will adorn your day nicely.

Also, a potential wedding project that's equally eco and far more economical:
 Start a flower garden of your own that will sprout your bouquet and remain a keepsake long after the wedding bells have chimed... 

And although it may cost you a manicure or two, the end result would most certainly earn you a green thumbs up!

A Glimpse into Your Dream Green Future...

"A Wake-Up Story"

 
As a green bride, it goes without saying that you want to carry out the rest of your "Happily Ever After" in every eco way possible.

So, it's never too early to start thinking about how you will create a healthful, nontoxic home and better planet for your future family.

Healthy Child, Healthy World-- an organization devoted to educating and advocating healthy environments for children and families-- has recently created this video ("A Wake-Up Story") to give a sense of the challenge we future moms are up against.


The picture it paints is far from a pretty scene.
The most staggering fact to me: Babies are born with 200 chemicals flowing through their veins.  

A future healthy baby has to start with you and your husband committing to a chemical-free lifestyle now.  You can also protect other families by sharing what you've learned from this video and website.

Healthy Child, Healthy World provides a list of companies that have won their "kid safe" approval.  Their book, written by Christopher Gavigan (CEO of Healthy Child), is also a wonderful resource to add to your registry!

Another wedding registry fav... for anyone who knows me, OF COURSE I was bound to include it somewhere, and I'll probably write more about it again soon.  Shaklee's Get Clean cleaning products.  Toxic-free, eco-friendly cleaners that end up saving you lots of money too (they're really concentrated, so just add water).  Each kit saves 108 pounds of packaging from the landfills and 248 pounds of greenhouse gas.  That's a lot, my friends.  Start doing your green bridal part now!  And reap the healthful benefits later...
 

Your Very Own Web-Easy (and Eco) Wedding Workbook

I am quite a visual person.
I am also the queen of notes and "to-do" lists galore.

So, clearly, my wedding cannot be without either.  Which brought about the need for a super-duper organizer... preferably sans paper.

And along came My Wedding Workbook.




A personalized website that organizes your guest list, budget, every wedding event and detail while also keeping you on a structured timetable, the winning feature is that it provides lists of common and not-so-common questions to ask each vendor:

"Are you aware of safety issues regarding the need to keep food heated/chilled from cooking through serving?"

A bit type-A, granted, but still a viable question...
(I don't really feel like giving food-poisoning as a wedding favor-- hey, thanks for coming!).

Best of all, you can work on your workbook anywhere since it's on the web, but you can also download everything onto your own Excel to keep hardcopy records.

Oh but wait-- it gets better...

It's absolutely free.
Ahh, that word we brides-to-be never ever hear these days...

I just signed up for an account and it couldn't have been simpler.


And by the way, if any of these companies happen to read my blog, did I mention I'm available for PR contracting?  ;-)

The Bridal Book Club

A sign you're a bride...
you notice the need to join a book club that will force you to read about non-wedding subjects.

But while we're on the subject-- here's my current read!

The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth Friendly Wedding on Any Budget.

Why I picked it:

1. The "any budget" part stuck out.  And by the way...  For any brides who are not on a budget... if you're out there.... would you like to make a donation to my wedding fund??  Thanks!!  :-)

In all seriousness, I like the "any budget" phrase because sometimes "Eco" gets a little too "Eeeek! Oh!!!"

(That's me upon seeing price tags for our caterer's plates of grass fed beef.  I know it's important to support a healthful life for animals, but wow, will people please buy more of it so we can make these prices relatively stomach-able??)

2. The book is clearly structured by topic.  Very, very easy to navigate for the exact answer you're looking for.

3. The author, Kate Harrison, provides super green alternatives but also pairs them with options that are more green than conventional choices.  So if you just can't bear having your ceremony without flowers, there are ways you can have your flowers and eat them too (on your organic cake!).

4. The cover is really pretty... Did I really just judge a book by its cover?  Whatever, I like the color.

Two Wedding Do-Gooder Deeds

This isn't "green" persay... just some tidbits of social responsibility to pass along.  But hey, when you want to do good for the planet, chances are you care about the people on it, too.

How to do some good on this day of you...
The one day when you can wholeheartedly focus on you (and your intended), as you rightfully should!  But in doing so, here are some thoughts on how to share that love.

This weekend my fiance and I participated in a "Pre-Cana Day" as part of our marriage prep and the priest recommended we consider giving one of our wedding gifts to the poor. 

"Ah, like donate one of the extra toasters," I mused to myself.  Of course that makes sense.

No, no.  Not exactly what he meant.


Take the cost of one plate at your wedding and buy nonperishable food with the amount.  Bring the basket to the front of the altar to be blessed during the ceremony (or rehearsal dinner) and then donate it afterward.

Simple yet effective.
I thought it was a wonderful suggestion for sharing from the wedding table of plenty.


Another thought-- compliments of that terrific Special E company who donates/recycles all leftovers:

"One Can"
I totally love the pun on this one.
Both a testiment to the fact that "One can make a difference" as well as the actual task. 

Guests are asked to bring one can of nonperishable food to the reception and then it will be donated to the local shelter.

Note: if you do go this route, just make sure to tell guests well ahead of time so they can coordinate the right grocery satchel to go with their dresses.... just to ensure that it's all good with the doing good.