How green is your wedding?

No, we are not talking about a green colour scheme.
What sort of an impact is your wedding having on the environment?
Weddings in New Zealand do not have the best reputation when it comes to being eco friendly, so we thought we would make a few suggestions as to how you can do your bit for the environment by making your wedding a little bit more eco friendly. If every couple includes one or two eco friendly options into their wedding, it will go a long way towards helping out the environment. Under the banner "eco friendly" we are including being carbon neutral, re-using, recycling, organic, supporting New Zealand businesses and using sustainable products.

Eco friendly wedding tips:

Venue:

• Choose a venue that has a good recycling program and that sources local suppliers.
• Choose a venue that is close to home, that way you will be cutting down on the distance that you and your guests will need to travel to get to the venue and thereby reducing your carbon footprint.

Caterers:

• Choose a caterer that sources seasonal, local ingredients from local growers, that way you are supporting NZ producers and again reducing your carbon footprint.
• Ensure that fish and other protein is not on any endangered lists.
• Choose local and or organic wines and beers.

Flowers:

• Ensure your flowers are in season and are grown locally.
• Use native New Zealand flowers and greenery.
• Use potted plants as centrepieces.
• Flax flowers are also a good option.

Cake:

• Choose a baker that supports local suppliers and uses organic ingredients.

Transport:

• Encourage guests to car-pool to your wedding.
• Hire a bus to transport your guests to the wedding - this can be a great idea if your venue is out of town.
• If possible, encourage your guests to use public transport to your wedding - you could even arrive by bus! That would deffinitely make a statement!
• If you do hire cars to take you and your bridal party to the wedding, choose hybrid options.

Photographer:

• Choose a photographer who uses rechargeable batteries.
• Choose a photographer who has albums printed in New Zealand.

Stationery:

• Email invitations to your guests instead of posting out invitations.
• Choose recycled paper to print your invitations and thank-you notes on.
• "Save the Date" invitations can be video'd & emailed to guests.

Favours:

• Give guests a native plant which they can plant at home.
• Flower seeds are another great favour option.

Decor:

• By using a hiring company you are effectively re-using - this can include tables, chairs, tablecloths, chair covers, centrepieces, etc. While many of these products are imported from overseas, they are being used again and again and therefore reducing further imports.

Bridal gowns & bridesmaid dresses:

• Opt for a pre-loved wedding dress or bridesmaid dresses.
• If you are using a local dressmaker, check whether material can be locally sourced.
• For your jewellery, choose pieces that have been made locally, especially if they are from a community project operation.
• Search for jewellery and shoes at your local op-shop, that way you are re-using and supporting a local charity.

Suits:

• The groom and groomsmen can hire their suits, this way they are being re-used.
• If you are buying a suit, source a New Zealand manufacturer.
• Search local op-shops for suits, waistcoats and ties, again not only are you re-using, but also supporting a local charity.

Gift Registry:

• You can nominate a charity of your choice and ask guests to make a donation to that charity, instead of giving you a wedding gift.

Other green wedding ideas:

• Plant a tree as part of your wedding ceremony - usually during or directly after an outdoor ceremony, to symbolize the putting down of roots and the care and attention a sapling requires, just like a marriage, before it can grow and flourish. (Based loosely on the  Scandinavian tradition of planting an evergreen near the front door of the bridal couple's home as an investment in life and where the longevity of the evergreen was thought to give strength to the marriage and symbolize its own longevity).
• Donate items that are left over from your wedding to charity shops (e.g. wedding dress, vases, etc).
• Tell your guests about the eco friendly initiatives you have included in your wedding to raise awareness.

Confused about what these "eco friendly" terms mean?

So were we! To clarify, here is a short description which us mere mortals can understand:

Eco Friendly:
Refers to goods and services considered to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment.

Green:
You can help the environment by "going green" whenever you make environmentally friendly choices in your everyday life.
Examples:
Walking instead of driving
Combining errands into one trip instead of making multiple trips
Car pooling (less fuel/pollution)
Using mass transportation (less fuel required per person)
Buying organically grown food (no poisons into the environment)
Buying food grown locally (requires less delivery fuel/pollution)
Buying items made from recycled materials
Recycling
Etc.
Basically it means to think about your everyday choices and how they impact the air, water, land, and the future. Then make choices that have the least negative impact or, better yet, choices that make a positive impact.

Carbon Footprint:
The term "carbon footprint" is used to denote the amount of carbon dioxide produced by your daily activities and use of material goods.

Carbon Neutral:
You might think that carbon neutral simply means that something does not release any carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is true to an extent, however, it is too simple a definition. It is possible to release CO2 into the atmosphere and still be carbon neutral, as long as it is balanced by a CO2 reduction elsewhere.

Biofuels are carbon neutral, even though burning them releases CO2. How can this be? Well, the carbon in the biofuel comes from photosynthesis, where CO2 is captured from the atmosphere by a plant and turned into glucose. The glucose can then be turned into more complicated molecules such as sugars, starches, oils and proteins. Sugars and starches can easily be converted into bioethanol, while oils can be converted into biodiesel. Carbon is removed from the atmosphere, stored in plants for a few months, then released when the biofuel is burned. For every gram of CO2 released by burning a biofuel, there was a gram removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis just a few months ago. This perfect balance is why biofuels are carbon neutral.

Sustainable:
The term, in its environmental usage, refers to the potential longevity of vital human ecological support systems, such as the planet's climatic system, systems of agriculture, industry, forestry, fisheries and the systems on which they depend.

Re-use:
Is to use an item more than once. This includes conventional re-use where the item is used again for the same function

Recycle:
Recycling means taking materials from products that you have finished using and making brand new items from them.

Organic:
Organically grown food is a term that relates to food that is grown on a certain kind of farm using methods of production that care for the soil and the environment. Food that is further processed is done so under guidelines that ensure minimal chance of contamination and deterioration in food quality.

Hybrid car:
A vehicle that has two sources of power – petrol and electricity. Today's hybrids combine a petrol engine with one or more electric motors. Emissions from hybrid vehicles are lower than conventionally powered motor vehicles.