Recently, weddings have become reoccurring event in my family. I have attended and been a part of 5 family weddings within the last 2 years and more to come in the near future. When searching about weddings, I came across the couple Kristy and Nik.
This couple are big green-goers and had decided their wedding on entirely green decisions. They used organic foods locally grown/ sustainably harvested fish to homemade tablecloths that were later used as dinner napkins.
After reading about their story I researched more into green weddings. Apparently, this was a growing industry! There is everything available. There are hybrid limousines by OZOcar; Organic Vintners wines, Houston-based Green Hotel Association (hotels that are committed to saving water, energy, and reducing solid waste); solar powered reception halls; caterers that offered pesticide-free menus, china and linen that were useable and even websites that set up donations to environmental charities instead of guests giving heavily paper wrapped presents.
This industry was all about the zero waste factor. It seems that most green products were targeting towards this goal. Using all these organic services will enable less fuel consumption and less air pollution. It will create a healthier menu for you and your guest, use renewable resources, reuse and recycle products, all while saving the environment.
This couple are big green-goers and had decided their wedding on entirely green decisions. They used organic foods locally grown/ sustainably harvested fish to homemade tablecloths that were later used as dinner napkins.
After reading about their story I researched more into green weddings. Apparently, this was a growing industry! There is everything available. There are hybrid limousines by OZOcar; Organic Vintners wines, Houston-based Green Hotel Association (hotels that are committed to saving water, energy, and reducing solid waste); solar powered reception halls; caterers that offered pesticide-free menus, china and linen that were useable and even websites that set up donations to environmental charities instead of guests giving heavily paper wrapped presents.
This industry was all about the zero waste factor. It seems that most green products were targeting towards this goal. Using all these organic services will enable less fuel consumption and less air pollution. It will create a healthier menu for you and your guest, use renewable resources, reuse and recycle products, all while saving the environment.
Researching also brought me the jewelry industry. Extracting precious metals and gems can damage the ecosystem and harm miners. One of the harms the jewelry industry can bring to table is using cyanide and mercury to separate gold from rock. This process can poison the miners and the environment. This is where companies GreenKarat take action.
Green Karat mission statement :
Our mission is to provide an ecologically and socially responsible jewelry alternative to those who seek change. We want to help you, in some small way, become part of the permanent solution. Together we can make a difference.
Green Karat mission statement :
Our mission is to provide an ecologically and socially responsible jewelry alternative to those who seek change. We want to help you, in some small way, become part of the permanent solution. Together we can make a difference.
Green Karat realizes the dangers in gold and gem mining. Large scale mechanized mining is destructive to the land and near by aquatic ecosystem. The after effects of the mining could be catestrophic. Not only are large scale mechanized mining harmful, manual miners use harmful techniques are well.
Ways to help out in mining:
1. Stop the use of mercury in mining,
2. Start the process of recovering damaged land,
3. Help miners learn to operate with ecological awareness, and
4. Transition to the miners to sustainable livelihoods.
Green Karat conscious about arsenal miners in poor countries. Although they realize not all mining could be stopped, they try to help as much as they can. They take action in retraining these people to have non-mining livelihoods. This will stop them from mining and interacting with harmful chemicals that destroy their health and the environment.
2. Start the process of recovering damaged land,
3. Help miners learn to operate with ecological awareness, and
4. Transition to the miners to sustainable livelihoods.
Green Karat conscious about arsenal miners in poor countries. Although they realize not all mining could be stopped, they try to help as much as they can. They take action in retraining these people to have non-mining livelihoods. This will stop them from mining and interacting with harmful chemicals that destroy their health and the environment.
Some groups trying to help the environment because of these mining problems are: The Basel Action Network (BAN) , Phyto Reclamation, and Ecological Mining to Forest Gardening.
BAN works to prevent globalization of the toxic waste. One of the many efforts they are striving for is to end the use of mercury in artisanal mining. This toxin does not break down and over time accumates in the food chain, which becomes very concentrated.
Phyto Reclamtion is a project to use crops to soak up contaminants from soil at the mining sites that are no longer being used. Once all soaked up and cleaned out the land could be put to use for agricultural use. The gold soaked up in this process is used to fund education and training in these areas.
Ecological Mining to Forest Gardening is a program to teach miners safer techniques and more environmentally friendly ways in going about mining. It also inclucs restoring damaged mining areas and transitioning miners into he program features techniques with a lower environmental impact, restoration of already damaged areas, and a transition to a sustainable livelihood through Forest Gardens.
What do you do if precious metals and gems aren’t being mined? They are being recycled! GreenKarat offers recycled gold, platinum, as well as other precious metals and gems. They also believe in synthetics that will meet the demands of industrial needs.
They offer wedding bands and commitment rings. As well as a variety of other recycled jewelry.
To read more:
I also came across one of the most important factors of a wedding-- the wedding dress! There are alternatives a bride can choose for her dress. There are dresses that remade from the old (recycling old clothes); a dress that can be used for the wedding and the reception; or organic dresses. Organic dresses are made from hemp silk. Many are 100% Sustainable Biodegradable Product certified. After using your old garments (dresses), why not recycle them! Just like recycling gold, reuse the fabrics to make new garments and new wedding gowns! Many designers now are also taking old fabrics and recycling them into new fashions. Not only are designers recycling, but the everyday person can go to a seemstress and alter their old clothes.
You can find some recycled clothes online at http://search.urbanoutfitters.com/?q=urban+renewal
There are also a variety of organic bustiers, corsets, and lingerie made from organic fabrics for you and your lover to share on the honeymoon or any other special occasion!
Save the earth
How to add shades of green to your wedding day:
— Limit guest travel. Have the wedding in the town where most guests live; help arrange car pools.
— Have a daytime wedding, outdoors when possible.
— Choose recycled paper for invitations and place cards.
— Serve organic, locally grown food.
— Decorate with organic, locally grown flowers, fruits and veggies. Create smaller centerpieces. Choose potted plants rather than cut flowers.
— Seek out caterers who recycle materials and use linen and china instead of disposables.
— Wear vintage clothes and jewelry, or choose “green” fibers like silk or organic cotton.
— Use candles.
— Go acoustic.
— Hire a hybrid limo, or a horse and buggy.
— Pick digital over film.
— Check out businesses that claim to provide green services and see if they really do; many new companies have entered the rapidly growing market.
— Find out how much greenhouse gas your wedding will create at TerraPass.com, which offers to then “offset” the event by inviting you to invest in energy saving technologies.
— Pass it on: Show guests that an elegant event can also be light on the environment.
Sources: Maria McBride, Brides magazine; Nik Kaestner, environmental consultant, San Francisco; Eric Fenster, Back to Earth Inc., Berkeley, Calif.; Latha Poonmallee, Case Western Reserve University; www.WedAlert.com; Debi Lilly, A Perfect Event, Chicago.
— Limit guest travel. Have the wedding in the town where most guests live; help arrange car pools.
— Have a daytime wedding, outdoors when possible.
— Choose recycled paper for invitations and place cards.
— Serve organic, locally grown food.
— Decorate with organic, locally grown flowers, fruits and veggies. Create smaller centerpieces. Choose potted plants rather than cut flowers.
— Seek out caterers who recycle materials and use linen and china instead of disposables.
— Wear vintage clothes and jewelry, or choose “green” fibers like silk or organic cotton.
— Use candles.
— Go acoustic.
— Hire a hybrid limo, or a horse and buggy.
— Pick digital over film.
— Check out businesses that claim to provide green services and see if they really do; many new companies have entered the rapidly growing market.
— Find out how much greenhouse gas your wedding will create at TerraPass.com, which offers to then “offset” the event by inviting you to invest in energy saving technologies.
— Pass it on: Show guests that an elegant event can also be light on the environment.
Sources: Maria McBride, Brides magazine; Nik Kaestner, environmental consultant, San Francisco; Eric Fenster, Back to Earth Inc., Berkeley, Calif.; Latha Poonmallee, Case Western Reserve University; www.WedAlert.com; Debi Lilly, A Perfect Event, Chicago.
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