Anytime you have a big event, it leaves a big
footprint. Carbon footprint, that is. It isn’t just air pollution from
transportation, either. There’s also
CFLs from laundry detergent, electricity from the event, and many other little
things that add up whenever a lot of people get together. Many eco couples who decide they want to
start their marriage off clean and Earth-friendly ultimately do so by focusing
on this.
But where does one begin, you ask? Well it’s just like “greening up” any other
part of your life; you start with what you’ve already got, then make little
adjustments. If you change even one
aspect of your wedding to “green,” then you’re making a positive impact. If you change more, even better!
1.) Location. If you
hold your ceremony in the same location as your reception, it cuts down on the
amount of traveling that your guests need to do, and likewise cuts down on the
emissions from their vehicles. Parks,
private homes, and some churches with reception areas nearby are all great for
this. I know a couple who got married in
a gorgeous old restaurant; not only was it a stunning venue with amazing food,
but they now also have the option of going back to where they got married for
their anniversary dinners.
2.) Potted plants. I
mentioned this in an earlier post about reusable wedding décor, but it’s worth
repeating. Potted plants are one of the
BEST wedding decorations; they make great wedding favors that symbolize the
growth and vitality of the marriage itself, they last longer than cut flowers,
and they contribute positively to the overall “greenness” of the planet. (Instead of the “wrinkly brown mushiness”
that happens when cut flowers bite the dust.)
3.) Buy local.
Transportation of goods (especially food) across long distances is a
major pollution factor. If you buy
locally produced goods, you not only eliminate that factor, but you’re also strengthening
commerce in your own community. If you
really want to go all out, try serving all organic food, which helps support
the reduction of agricultural pesticides and other chemicals.
4.) Invitations. Go
with recycled paper; the more you increase the demand for recycled goods by
buying them, the more manufacturers will increase their production. This means more global recycling and lower
prices for recycled goods as supply goes up.
Or you could go paperless by e-mailing your invites and posting all
important wedding info on your wedding website.
5.) Go mine-free.
Let’s be honest, the amount of pollution and sheer destruction involved
in mining is immense. Take your toe out
of those waters by making sure that all your jewelry is Earth-safe and
mine-free, including not only your eco engagement
and wedding rings but also your
bridal party gifts. Recycled gold jewelry and lab-createdgemstones are the number one place to start. Of course, Diamond Nexus is a fantastic resource in this area, offering
hundreds of eco-friendly diamond
simulant engagement rings, pendants, bracelets, men’s rings, watches, you name
it. There are all kinds of customization
options if you want different colors or stone shapes, and a top-notch custom design department for something
totally unique. Best of all, most of it
is really affordable. There are around
100 engagement rings under $1000,
and many more pieces for far less.
(We’re thinking matching studs for the bridesmaids, or maybe solitaire
pendants.)
6.) Carbon offsets.
These came up in my earlier post about gifts for the treehuggers in your
life, and they’re especially good for eco couples. They work by estimating the carbon footprint
of an average wedding, household, car, or whatever, and you pay a set amount to
cancel out that footprint by funding clean renewable energy projects. Many eco-couples register for these as
wedding gifts, either to cancel out the footprint of their house or of the
wedding itself. If you’re interested in
this idea, check out TerraPass,
voted best carbon offset provider for two years running.
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