The average financial cost of a US wedding comes in at about $20,000. The average ecological cost? A lot. But, with a little planning, the happiest day of your life could provide sustainable memories for everyone involved. Before you walk down the green aisle, send out an invitation to Planet Green's "How to Go Green: Weddings."
Top Tips for Greening Your Wedding
Size Matters: When you sit down to oft-dreaded task of creating an invitation list, remember: with each person you include, you add more miles traveled, more food consumed, a potentially bigger venue, and more waste when all is said and done. Why not worry less about a few ruffled feathers and more about setting a powerful eco-example?
Seek Green Resources: For example, here are just a few of the questions you might consider: Can you encourage caterers to use organic produce? What is your dress made of? How was the gold in the rings mined? Did those tasty little gift bags of chocolate involve slave labor?
Green Registry: Of course, the greenest choice of all is to forego gifts. However, since many couples need some help in stocking their eco-lives, why not choose a green registry? This not only affords you the opportunity to get a solar cooker or rain barrel, it also puts your guests in position to learn more about such choices.
Did You Know?
- More than 6,300 weddings take place each day in the US (2.3 million per year)
- Out of the 2500 tons of gold mined each year, 80% goes into jewelry
- The amount of already-mined gold could satisfy demand for 50 years but much of it currently sits in bank vaults and in old, unused jewelry
For more on Wedding Tips check out Planet Green's Guide, How to Go Green: Weddings. For more on Going Green, check out the Planet Green How to Go Green Archives.
