Eco-Snap shot

It’s Climate Week on NY where Pres Zuma will also be making his debut before the UN General Assembly. Top government leaders from 90 countries are gathering for the UN climate session. This gathering is of great importance and stresses the need for climate change focused discussions, a prelude to COP15, happening in Copenhagen in Dec later this year. The US and China, responsible for about 40% of the worlds global green house gas emissions are being closely watched. While the important talks are taking place in NY, we thought we’d chat about the beautiful things that Spring brings, Weddings!

Greening your white wedding

Eco-Brother knows that your wedding is one of the most important days in a couple’s life. If you care about the planet, why not integrate your principles into your big day? Going eco-savvy doesn’t mean you have to compromise on your big day, though. By taking a look at the bigger picture, you can move beyond the usual decadence and consumption to create a truly personal, moving, and sustainable celebration that people will remember for years. Eco-Brother has also been carefully plotting our big green day with Eco-Dolly in as much a sustainable manner as possible! In the mean time, herewith some ways to green up the big day!

No blood diamonds, but ethical jewelry!

Your special rock should be procured and produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Now what does that mean in an industry where exploitation of Earth and people is almost conventional: human exploitation, conflict (or blood) diamonds and environmental damage are all important factors to watch out for when making your special purchase. The key lies in having created, through careful investigation, a supply chain where the origin of each metal or gemstone can be traced.

When it comes to protecting the environment, only gold should be used that is produced without mercury or cyanide. The main issue with diamonds is the conflict they produce through wars funded by illegal sales: Lesotho or Canada are good sources of conflict-free diamonds!

Our Eco-Razzi moment:  

Local celeb Nicole Fox recently had her own green wedding when she married businessman Ramzi Mansour. As a way to offset the carbon footprint of their guests travelling to Cape Town, they have donated hundreds of trees to be planted in schools. They also made sure to use locally produced, seasonal or organic foods in their menu, thus cutting down on the amount of travelling their food would have to do.

Even their flowers were donated to an old age home to be enjoyed for a few more days after the wedding.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds also tied the knot in a semi-eco friendly fashion on Canada’s Vancouver Island. They chose the eco-logically conscious and exclusive wilderness Clayoquat Wilderness Resort! 

Eco-Savvy tips for your big green day!

·      Offset the carbon miles that in-bound friends and relatives are creating!

·      Watch the numbers
No matter what other choices you make, the biggest factor in the ecological and financial impact of your wedding will be its size

·      Source locally and bunch indigenous!
Almost anything can be found locally, but some things are more important than others; choose locally grown flowers Food and drinks are a great place to start. If there's a good micro-brewery down the road, why use up the earth’s precious resources trucking in a keg of your favorite organic cider or beer!

·      Pick your venue
Choosing a location that is as close to as many of your guests as possible will reduce your wedding’s impact in a big way. But once you’ve done that, you might also want to consider what type of venue you will be using. If you are not tied to a particular church, synagogue, mosque, or rammed-earth eco-dome, why not consider supporting your local community garden, farmer or other worthwhile project?

·      The perfect eco-invites
An invitation sets the scene for a party, so you don’t want to look cheap or tacky, but you also don’t want to compromise your principles. Fortunately, there are an increasing number of suppliers of recycled, handmade, or tree-free invitations out there. If you are happy breaking from tradition, then electronic invites like E-vites are worth considering, too.

·      Gifts of conscience
There are almost too many retailers of green gifts to mention these days, and many offer registry services. So why not ask for that solar cooker you’ve always wanted? Many local craft stores may also do registries, and even mainstream retailers now have many eco-options, such as bamboo linens, etc. If you have all you need, why not create an online donation registry to a worthy cause instead?

·      Punch drunk on confetti!

Use dried petals for confetti (start collecting in advance) instead of rice or those horrid paper bits that will stick on your hair for the rest of the day anyway making you look like someone emptied the office punch on your head.

Eco-savvy websites:

South African Kirsty Marmarellis and Beverly Brentnall of Green Weddings South Africa (www.greenweddings.co.za)

Also check out Google Map Earth Carbon Cycle that shows different layers of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere (www.earth.google.com)