Green Weddings

Emily Elizabeth Anderson, the author of "Eco-Chic Weddings," was online Thursday, June 21 at 1 p.m. to discuss planning a socially responsible and environmentally friendly wedding.

Emily Elizabeth Anderson is a freelance writer, certified yoga instructor, and an advocate of sustainable style. She studied interior design at the Parsons School of Design and has worked for Vanity Fair, Donna Karan New York, and Martha Stewart Living. She and her husband celebrated their own eco-chic wedding and live in New York City.

A transcript follows.

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Alexandria, Va.: Dear Ms. Anderson, a few quick questions for you:

- What are some simple (or easy to find materials for) eco-friendly decorations for a wedding ceremony and reception?

- With which part of the wedding reception can one make the biggest ecological impact (and by the same token, the biggest ecological improvement)?

- For my wedding, I would love to rent an outdoor space with an agency or an organization that uses its monies for nature conservation projects, environmental awareness, etc. I have thought about a Virginia State park. Do you by any chance know of other recommendations in the Virginia Area?

Thank you for sharing your eco-event consulting services!

Emily Elizabeth Anderson:- What are some simple (or easy to find materials for) eco-friendly decorations for a wedding ceremony and reception?

EA: The best thing is to avioid decorations altogether. If you chose a place that has a decor you find appealing, you can skip the streamers. Or, chose decor that you will reuse in some way -- I made table signs with words like "love", "marriage", "understanding" etc., that I framed and now use as decor in my home. Things like: ribbon, fabric, paper lanterns, are all items you can reuse after the wedding.

- With which part of the wedding reception can one make the biggest ecological impact (and by the same token, the biggest ecological improvement)?

EA: I think the food is where you can make the biggest impact -- I like to say that if every bride and groom changed 3 things -- the coffee (sustainable, fair trade), sugar (organic), and chocolate (sustainable, fair trade) they serve -- a huge impact will be made on a global level.

- For my wedding, I would love to rent an outdoor space with an agency or an organization that uses its monies for nature conservation projects, environmental awareness, etc. I have thought about a Virginia State park. Do you by any chance know of other recommendations in the Virginia Area?

EA: This is a fabulous idea. Try: uniquevenues.com, gatheringguide.com. I also know of the Inn at Little Washington, in Washington, Va. They serve eco-friendly food, and perhaps might do weddings on site -- if not, they probably would have a reccomendation for you. www.theinnatlittlewashington.com

Thank you for sharing your eco-event consulting services!

EA: You're very welcome!

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Eco versus Material: Do you think that it's a little hypocritical to have an eco-wedding and still ask for gifts? What would be some ways to make gift giving/receiving seem less like, "I care about the environment, see all the hemp everywhere, now can I please have my mixer?"

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: No. It's really not about changing the basic wedding traditions. Eco-chic is about adopting the cradle to cradle approach to your wedding -- including yout gifts. You can incorporate actions like: only register online, and request that your gifts be held for in-store pick-up. This will avoid any unnecessary packaging or gift wrap. You can also register for sustainable items -- bamboo, or hemp, or even organics. Finally, you can register with sites such as Changingthepresent.org, which will direct your gift-givers to make donations on your behalf to your specified charities.

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Greenbelt, Md.: I read in the article that people want to use hybrid cars rather than limos to get to the wedding. Are there car companies that specialize in renting hybrids? Where would be the best place to rent one in the DC/MD region?

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Hi,

Actually you can go to www.eco-limo.com for environmentally chauffered transport to and from your wedding -- they have location in MD/DC. Thanks!

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washingtonpost.com: From today's Home section: Wedded to Green

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Vendors and recycling: What's the best way to approach a vendor about recycling? Is this something that couples can request or will it be an extra cost? Or is this something couples will have to provide themselves?

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Hi,

Great question. I think the best way is to be straightforward about it -- do you recycle? Do you compost? You might be surprised to know that many restaurants (outside of the city) do compost. I don't think it should be an extra cost . . . . I would actually make my decision about which venue based on their recycling program, but just asking the question is definitely a big step in the right direction, imho (in my humble opinion!).

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Emily,

I hope you'll touch upon the idea of "charitable giving registries" as another option for "socially responsible" weddings.

Charitable gift registries are just like regular registries -- but instead of registering for "stuff," couples ask their friends and family to make donations to good causes. Just like traditional registries, gift-givers can "shop" the registry and donate to the cause(s) of their choice.

These charitable registries are perfect for couples who don't necessarily have a need for traditional gifts, and want to offer up alternative giving options for their guests.

GlobalGiving.com offers a charitable registry function. We see an increasing number of couples using these registries recently, and have some great, inspirational stories -- one couple recently chose environment-themed projects in Kenya and Brazil for their registry. They saw their wedding as an opportunity to give back to two countries with special meaning to them -- the bride had studied in Kenya and the groom was born in Brazil. A nice postscript to this story was that the leader of the project in Brazil planted trees in honor of the newlyweds!

Donations to projects also are good alternatives to traditional wedding favors -- and go a whole lot further, too . . .

This is a great (timely!) topic -- thanks for covering it.

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: I agree -- making donations a part of your wedding is a great way to spread the love. I love that trees were planted for the couple too. Weddings are such a positive thing -- at the same time, doing the "right" thing for the world and its people is also so positive, and when we make a decision to live this way, it's amazing how inspiring that can be for everyone in our lives too.

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Washington, D.C.: To the bride looking for an eco-friendly venue in the area, she may want to look at Thorpewood in Thurmont, Md. The facility rental fees fund environmental education programs.

http://www.thorpewood.org/

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Thanks for the info. This is a great point too -- once you start talking to venues/individuals who are in the "eco" arena, you will find that the best way to learn about things really is about word of mouth. That's how I come across so much of my information.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I think this talk of eco-weddings is quite funny. If you really want to get married and minimize your carbon footprint, then walk to City Hall and get hitched by the JP! Otherwise just admit that, as far as the earth is concerned, you are consuming and polluting more than you have to for your wedding.

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: You do have a point. However, I think if we start off by being realistic about things (i.e., most people want to have a wedding) then we have a better chance of actually making some changes in our society. Taking the extremist position tends to turn people off, so when they might have been willing to make a few (seemingly insignificant) changes, they end up not doing anything at all. As my grandmother always said "many hands make for light work."

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Vegan wedding cake?: Your eco wedding discussion couldn't be more perfectly timed! I live in NYC but my sister, who's getting married in August, lives in the D.C. area (Springfield, Va.). She asked me to help her find an area bakery that makes really good vegan wedding cakes. I know of places in NYC, but don't want to risk transporting it that far. Where in D.C. can we order a delicious vegan cake to serve about 150 guests?

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Cool! My suggestion is call Babycakes in NYC. She may have a vegan cake solution for you down in D.C. Tell her I sent you too! Email me if you don't get any ideas. www.ecochicweddings.com. Good luck!

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Arlington, Va.: When you planned your own wedding, was there anything you had always dreamed of doing/having that you realized wasn't ecologically responsible and had to give up?

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Honestly -- a big, fat diamond ring.

I really had to let that dream go. But, you can get eco-friendly diamonds, so you don't have to necessarily give that up. Check out leberjewelers.com.

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Chevy Chase, Md.: One idea is to set up a registry with something like Go Zero (http://www.conservationfund.org/gozero) so you can offset the wedding and the guests can feel they are participating. We just asked our guests to contribute to the Conservation Fund (same link as above, minus the Go Zero part) in lieu of gifts and 90% did. The organization was really helpful and sent us a bunch of materials to give to guests to show where their money went. It really brought people in to the experience.

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: That is awesome. Thanks for sharing!

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Vegan bakeries -- many around here!: There are many in D.C. Start with Sticky Fingers. This also has more: http://www.vegdc.com/bakeries.php

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Great -- thanks!

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Lincoln, Neb.: Hello!

We're doing a vegetarian catered wedding for 150. Do you know of any affordable companies that make (reasonably attractive) eco-friendly disposable utensils, plates, etc.? I have heard of some products made from corn, but have no idea where to begin my search. Thank you!

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Hi!

I just found this great company online recently, not sure if it's what you're looking for but check it out: www.papertable.com. But of course, the best thing to do is to not use disposables . . . .

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Washington D.C. -- Vegan Bakery: For the person that is looking for a vegan bakery in D.C. try:

Sticky Fingers

1904 18th St NW

202-299-9700

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Thanks . . . I'll post it for them here.

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Galveston, Texas: I'm not affiliated with the company in any way, but wanted to give a recommendation for a site called www.greenkarat.com. They use all recycled gold for jewelry, and only created stones. You even pay a carbon offset for shipping. I just ordered rings from them and have been v. impressed. They have some gorgeous traditional stuff, also some kind of hippie selection . . . one downside is that eco-friendly jewelry does NOT come cheap!

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: I agree, this is a great company . . . I do wish they would redesign their site to make it more appealing to the average bride, though! You're right about the price. I think the best way to avoid paying the eco-premium is to buy vintage. Or, get a ring on eBay. May sound crazy to some, but I can't really understand why this isn't a great solution for the average couple . . . and there are some serious deals to be had from people looking to unload their bling online!

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Anonymous: Bad URL. It is http://www.leberjeweler.com/index.php3

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Oops. Sorry . . . my bad.

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Alexandria, Va.: Hi -- I'm planning a wedding in Vermont for July 2008. I want it to be a "green" wedding. It will be a weekend event where everyone will be traveling from out of town and spending the weekend with us. I'm looking for ideas on eco-friendly decorations (I won't need too many flowers since the scenery will take care of that), smart food, and transportation (everyone will be staying in local B+Bs but we still need to get them to the wedding). Thanks!

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Sounds like a lovely event! The place where I was married was also pretty, so I didn't really need many flowers to spiff it up. Check out www.carbonfund.org. You can offset your guests' travel by purchasing "carbon credits." Good luck!

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Washington, D.C.: Hybrid car rentals for the wedding? C'mon . . . when will people get over the hybrid thing? These cars are not eco-friendly as the marketing arms of the manufacturers want you to think. Their mileage estimates are based on unrealistic driving practices; i.e., never going over 55 on the highway and literally crawling from a stop so the gas engine won't kick in, plus the environmental damage caused by nickel mining to make the batteries is truly devastating.

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Okay, but what's your better idea? I think any discussion at all about how we can reduce our impact (even if it's not the ideal solution) is better than none at all. Progress . . . not perfection. :)

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Cathedral: Greetings Emily --

Thanks for the discussion. I am planning on giving fair trade organic chocolate and coffee (from Honduras, my parents' country) to my guests as their gifts. I had hoped to give plants (as opposed to cut flowers) as table decorations but the expense seems daunting. I am trying to keep costs considerably down, since spending a ton on one day is not my thing. What tips or recommendations would you give, in order to keep costs low?

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Great!

Flowers are probably the most difficult thing when trying to be sustainable. How about alternatives like:

-- Paper flowers

-- Cupcakes arranged at each table on cake plates as a centerpiece

-- Fruit in cylindrical vases as center pieces

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Mt. Pleasant: I'm planning a destination wedding in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Do you have any advice for asking vendors (especially caterers) to use sustainably produced and fair trade certified products? Where can I find sources to direct them to?

Thanks for your ideas!

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Which island?

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Good flowers: I have had amazing results from this site (every purchase has received rave reviews): www.organicbouquet.com. They are also awesome to work with -- one guy runs it and he is great (Johnny). He now has a couple helpers, but it is still a small business. That being said, never had an issue with the order or delivery.

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: I agree . . . organicbouquet.com as well as californiaorganics.com both have fantastic, fresh, organic, sustainably grown flowers. But the reality is that for most people, the bulk prices are cost prohibitive. Flowers, like any fresh produce, are difficult -- there's a reason why a lot of pesticides are used in their production, because that is how farmers are able to yield a large enough crop to sustain their business . . . some solutions are: ask your flower vendor about where their flowers are harvested. At least you can make sure the flowers you use are grown in healthy conditions for the workers (they may not be organic, but this is also an important issue).

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Mt. Pleasant Destination Bride: Sorry! We're getting married on St. Croix.

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: How nice!

Well, there are some wonderful sustainable locations in St. Croix . . . one resource is www.eco-tropicalresorts.com. Check out Mt. Victory Camp (www.mtvictorycamp.com). It's a really cool outdoors type of venue (kind of like camping, hence the name). I hope I answered your question?

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Jupiter, Fla.: How would you go about getting the people in charge of a reception at a major hotel chain to encourage recycling among the guests at the event, and for any used bar or food items that they themselves use? The waste in restaurants and hotels is pathetic and it seems their personnel could be trained to dispose of trash in the proper containers.

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Probably the biggest way to make a difference is by going directly to the source. It's hard to make a change at the local level. There are large chain hotels that are making an effort to effect change . . . though most are in their infancy stages. As a matter of fact, Marriott has only one certified "green" hotel, but it happens to be in College Park, Md.

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Vienna, Va.: I am visiting from India in the summer and was impressed to learn from the Washington Post June 21 issue "Wedded to Green" that you will be online today. My questions are:

Q1. What prompted you to go into environmentally friendly wedding ideas and how are you promoting it?

Q2. Do you think it has any prospect in India where weddings are a great industry and there is great waste?

Q3. If yes, how does one begin?

Barin Ganguli

Emily Elizabeth Anderson: Hi . . . thanks for your question . . . I think that anyone can be a "green" wedding advocate by just asking the questions, and applying the philosophy of "reduce, reuse, recycle" to every aspect of the wedding planning process. I certainly hope that everyone, in India and elsewhere, challenges themselves to make conscious decisions about where and how they spend their money -- for their wedding, and their lives in general. How will what I am doing today affect other people, the environment, my own health, etc.? I want to encourage people to live a life of accountability, and to make choices they can feel good about.

Thanks everyone for your interest in my book, let's keep the conversation going out in the world!

All the best, Emily :)

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