Marc Choyt asked:


Over the next twelve months, roughly 2.4 million Americans will spend 70 billion dollars (US) getting married. Green and socially responsible weddings can have a huge impact for the better on local economies and ecologies. Here are ten ways to express your commitment to the interconnectedness of life on earth during your wedding day.

1. Eco Engagement Rings and Eco Wedding Rings

It can take up to twenty tons of rock to produce a single wedding ring, yet there is more than enough gold available now for the entire jewelry industry. Some jewelers offer rings that are made from recycled gold. The ethical jeweler who has committed to using recycled gold will more than likely have a selection of conflict free diamonds or other gemstones that are responsibly sourced. Start your search locally, but realize that ethical wedding rings have not reached the mainstream yet and may be difficult to find.

Here are several online ethical jewelers, arranged by price range, for your consideration:

low-mid price range

high price range

Here is a guide to buying green wedding rings.

http://www.articles-collections.com/culture-and-society/consumer/ten-tips-to-purchasing-green-ethically-sourced-wedding-rings-online.html

2. Greening Your Guests

Consider reducing the numbers of people who have to travel for your wedding. This is NOT easy, but then again neither is a commitment to the earth, much less to your spouse-to-be. If you decide to have a larger wedding with many guests coming in from out of town, consider donating some money to an organization that offsets the carbon imprint of the travel.

Here is a wedding carbon dioxide offset calculator:

http://www.terrapass.com/wedding/index.html

Here are some US companies that offset carbon emissions:

TerraPass

http://www.terrapass.com/

Native Energy

http://www.nativeenergy.com/

MyClimate

http://www.myclimate.org/index.php?lang=en

3. Greening Your Invitations

Another reason that reducing your number of guests is significant is that you will also reduce the amount of paper required for printing. There are often save the date announcements, actual invitations, wedding handouts for each guest and then all the thank you letters. Be sure you’re using recycled paper or – if you can – use email as much as possible.

Here are some great sources for recycled paper:

Twisted Limb Paper – 100% Recycled Invitations

http://www.twistedlimbpaper.com/

Invite Site – Eco Invites

http://www.invitesite.com/

Green Field Paper – non-tree paper, 100% recycled paper

http://www.greenfieldpaper.com/

4. Your Green Venue

The marriage should take place somewhere that is beautiful, inspirational and resonant with your green values. Look locally for meeting houses, farms, retreat centers, community gardens, parks or a building that supports a cause you believe in. Further, make the location central to the majority of your guests. If possible, consider having two ceremonies if you have large groups of guests at opposite ends of the country.

If you choose an indoor location, talk with the building managers about the energy efficiency of their facilities. If they are working to meet LEED standards for high-efficency buildings then you’re in good shape. Ideally the place will have outdoor and indoor space, allowing for different weather contingencies. Try to choose your venue as far in advance as possible; the best places book up quickly.

Wilderness Weddings (location suggestions from the Sierra Club)

http://www.sierraclub.org/e-files/weddings.asp

Learn more about LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

http://www.usgbc.org/

5. Your Food and Drink

A wedding is – for the majority of the attendants – a great big party. Buy organic food that is, if possible, locally grown. There are now excellent organic, and often locally produced, wines and beers. Food can be one of the most expensive parts of a wedding, but this is part of your gifting to the community that witnesses your vows. If you can’t afford an entirely organic menu, then consider going with organic meat, or choose a vegetarian option. Another idea is to ask friends to help prepare the feast.

Local Harvest: Find Organic Food Near You

http://www.localharvest.org/

Green Restaurant Association: search for green restaurants for catering

http://www.dinegreen.com/restaurant_guide.asp?page=search

6. Green Wedding Clothing

To purchase dress that will only be worn on one occasion for the wedding ceremony does not make a lot of sense. Purchase clothing that you will enjoy wearing on special occasions after the wedding. Organic fabrics are still limited, but you can choose to purchase clothing that is not made in a sweat shop. You can also rent your outfit or buy something that was worn by someone else once or twice.

Get Conscious: Hemp Wedding Gowns

http://www.getconscious.com/

Faernyn’s Grove: Green Bridal

http://mycorset.com/bridal.htm

Rawganique: Hemp, Organic Cotton Clothing

http://www.rawganique.com/organic-hemp-wedding-clothes.htm

7. Gifting And Being Gifted

The experience of gifting and being gifted is an integral part of any wedding ceremony. You can decide to make your party favors environmentally responsible products. Look for locally made regional products that visitors from out of town might appreciate. People want to gift the bride and groom. Everyone wants their gift to be appreciated. So it is best to open a Green Gift Registry. Those who feel as if they have everything they need may want to ask that, instead of gifts, money be donated to a particular environmental organization.

I Do Foundation: Charity Registry

http://www.idofoundation.org/

Vivaterra

http://www.vivaterra.com/

Branch: Sustainable Design

http://branchhome.com/

GAIAM

http://www.gaiam.com/

Send Us Off: request donations towards your green honeymoon

http://www.sendusoff.com/ecofriendly.htm

8. Dishes, Recycling and Redistributing

It is more environmentally sound to rent your dishes and glasses instead of simply using disposable paper products. Ask your caterer to use earth friendly soaps when cleaning up. Also, make sure that you have bins for recycling all aluminum and glass products. Look in advance for a food depot or soup kitchen that can take the left over food and distribute it.

Nat-Ur Store: Biodegradable Cups, Cutlery, Garbage Bags

http://w5inter2.hivelocity.net/biocorp/cart/showall.asp

Recycline: Green Table Ware

http://www.recycline.com

Second Harvest: Donate Perishable/Preparred Food

http://www.secondharvest.org/how_to_help/donate_food/perishable_food.html

9. Support Your Local Economy

Purchase locally from small businesses whenever possible. Buy local and organic flowers, which reduces transportation and pesticide impact on the environment. Or consider growing your own! Hire a local band or DJ who does not have to travel far to your venue.

10. Your Green Vows

This is the most important part of your wedding ceremony and it needs to be deeply considered. Spend some months and meditate on what is in your heart and what you can commit to. Write it out. Talk to friends who have been married a while. Include life affirming commitment to living in balance with the ecology. I was married by an Apache Medicine Woman, and she had us publicly state what my wife and I brought to the marriage-our good qualities and our flaws. For my wife and I, this exercise in front of our friends and family was a powerful expression of our humanity. Your vows are also your opportunity to spread the idea of eco-friendly values to your guests.

11. A Green Honeymoon

You will want to go to a place in nature that can restore and inspire you. Many people are familiar with ecotourism, yet know nothing about geotourism. The Geotourists has opportunities to improve the places that they visit and have meaningful experiences of local culture.

Here are some links to sites that offer green honeymoon opportunities:

National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations

www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable

The International Ecotourism Society

www.ecotourism.org

Responsible Travel

www.responsibletravel.com

Travel By Train

http://www.seat61.com/

Green Hotels:

GreenSeal Approved Green Lodging

http://www.greenseal.org/findaproduct/index.cfm#lodging

Green Hotels Members

http://www.greenhotels.com/members.htm

More Green Wedding Resources:

Eco-Friendly Wedding Planning Magazine

http://www.portovert.com/

Ethical Weddings: Forums, Blog

http://www.ethicalweddings.com/

Green Wedding Planner

http://www.greeneleganceweddings.com/index.html

Co-op America: Green Businesses

http://www.coopamerica.org/

Green Confetti

http://www.ecoparti.com/toec.html

Organic Flowers Online

http://www.organicbouquet.com/

In CA: California Organic Flowers

http://www.californiaorganicflowers.com/

Conscious Living Tips

http://www.newdream.org/

Other Green Wedding Guides:

A Green Wedding

http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/96/wedding

How To Green Your Wedding

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/how-to-green-your-wedding.php

10 Steps to a Green Wedding

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/2007/03/10_steps_to_a_g.html

Guide to a Growing Trend: The “Green” or Ecological Wedding

http://www.americanbridal.com/gutogrtrgore.html

Wedding Industry Stats (2002)

http://www.theknot.com/au_industrystats.shtml

Escapeso Austin Real Estate asked:


Austin has long been a home for friendly folk- friendly to each other, friendly to animals, and friendly to the environment. What used to be considered as only the concerns of hippies and the bohemian sect, environmentalism is now at the forefront of commercial and residential design, and “green” businesses are popping up nationwide. Austin, however, was the first city in the United States to establish a local green-building program, laying out environmentally friendly and sustainable guidelines for home builders and its interested citizens back in 1991.

Since the Austin real estate market is known nationwide as the leader of these green building methods, the National Association of Home Builders chose the city as its hub to launch an industry-wide effort to establish green-building guidelines in 2004. These guidelines now provide a practical nationally recognized framework for builders to follow to reduce a home’s environmental impact by making them more energy efficient, improving indoor environmental quality, and so on. Though Austin has already been using similar guidelines for over a decade, now the rest of the country is following suit.

The City of Austin and Austin Energy provide a great resource to owners of Austin homes, and new home builders, who are looking for ways to conserve energy, and build an environmentally friendly home. The city’s website offers a list of companies willing to do an energy analysis of a home that will determine possible options to help the house conserve more energy, with suggestions ranging from air conditioning repair to weather stripping doors. The city then will offer a 20 to 75% of that cost.

For those Austinites building a new house or commercial building, the city created the Austin Energy Green Building organization to promote the construction of high quality, more sustainable buildings, and has even zoned sections of the city’s real estate to require an Austin Energy Green Building rating. Four times a year, the organization also holds a one day “Green By Design” workshop open to the public. The workshop provides an overview of the green building process, and brings in design, building, engineering, landscaping, and Austin real estate professionals with many years of experience in homebuilding and remodeling, to help make sense of it all.

In March of this year, Austin was named as the city leading the country in “cleantech” by SustainLane, an online resource center that offers sustainability tips to state and local government. The term “cleantech” refers to venture capital-based startups based in green technology, with Austin as the front runner with seven such startups, ranging from internet-controlled irrigation to geothermal energy technologies. To keep Austin on the cutting edge of green technology, the Clean Energy Incubator program was set up to help young clean energy businesses succeed by commercializing their ideas. With citizens, government, and forward thinking businesses, Austin will likely be the city to follow in the environmental battle for years to come.