Green Skincare for a Green Wedding

While a bride might be willing to make sacrifices to go green on her wedding day, most brides would not be willing to sacrifice looking fantastic.  People talk about “beautiful brides” for a reason!  Most brides and grooms are very happy on their wedding day, and that internal glow often translates to an external “radiance.”  One way to maximize this wedding day glow is to prepare with a good skincare routine combined with high quality skin care products.  Many brides fear the possibility of waking up on the day of the wedding to discover the dreaded stress induced blemish!  The good news is that there are many options to help you achieve gorgeous, glowing wedding day skin, as well as great skin everyday, with natural, green products that won’t blow your wedding budget. 

Lets begin with a primer on the basics of a good skincare routine.  The following steps are the basics of a routine for beautiful wedding day skin: 

1.  Cleanse - whether to remove makeup, or just the grime we accumulate in the environment, cleansing the skin is the cornerstone of a good skincare routine.

2.  Exfoliate - necessary to remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin.  This can be accomplished manually (such as with a washcloth, scrub, or microfiber cloth) or chemically (such as with gentle acids).

3.  Tone - helps to protect the skin by returning to proper ph (somewhat acidic, between 4.2 and 5.6).  Toners can also help to hydrate the skin.

4.  Hydrate - the skin is about 70% water, and we need to hydrate both internally and externally.  Internal hydration requires drinking plenty of water, while external hydration can be accomplished through spritzing the skin with water or based products (for example distilled or spring water, aloe vera juice, and hydrosols – distillates which are a by product of the essential oil making process), or applying water based serums, lotions or gels.

5.  Treat - there are many natural and green products that can treat various imbalances or problems with the skin (such as essential oils, hydrosols, antioxidants, acids, fruit and nut oils, and other “active” ingredients).

6.  Emollience - oils, lotions, and creams help to seal in the hydration and protect the skin. 

While this may seem complicated, we don’t necessarily need to include all of these steps everyday (depending on your individual skin care needs, exfoliation and treatments might only be necessary a few days a week). 

The very basic daily routine should include: 

• Cleansing (even if its just wetting your face with water),
• Toning (with a mild tonic, such as a spritz of aloe juice mixed with a small amount of vinegar, or an herbal hydrosol)
• Hydration – for some a toner will be sufficient hydration, others may want to follow toner with a water based serum or gel
• Emollient – seal in hydration and protect the skin with a few drops of natural oils (NOT essential oils – these are too potent to use straight on the skin) or a naturally formulated lotion or cream.

Speak up!  Have a favorite green skin care product?  Let us know by adding a comment below.

Reducing the Footprint of Your Wedding

Renewable Energy Credits and Carbon Offsets 

Reducing the Footprint of Your Wedding

The events surrounding a wedding, just like much of our everyday lives require the use of a significant amount of energy.  Whether used by guests travelling by plane and by car, or the electricity used by the wedding, rehearsal dinner, and hotel facilities, energy is used in every aspect of a wedding.  The gasoline for cars and planes and the electricity generated and sent through the grid is primarily (over 90%) from greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels.  Transportation and electricity production are MAJOR contributors to global climate change.

Since most of us aren’t able to get to every wedding by walking or riding our bike, and not every facility has solar panels on the roof to produce 100% of the electricity or a wind turbine out in the back, we have to find other ways to make energy consumption as part of a wedding more sustainable. 

The primary tools we have to do enable individuals to support renewable energy projects and carbon reduction are known as Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and Carbon Offsets or Voluntary Emissions Reductions (VERs).  Now it just so happens that as Director of Resource Development at Renewable Choice Energy, a leading marketer of RECs and carbon offsets in the US, I lead our efforts to support these types of projects (so that’s why Mandy asked me write this!).

For more information about RECs and carbon offsets, how they work, and what the difference is between them, please visit http://www.renewablechoice.com/residential-why-it-works.html – our marketing people have put together a great series of diagrams and explanations that help make this all much clearer than I could type here.

Carbon offsets have their origin in the Kyoto Protocol signed in 1997 as the international community’s effort to stem anthropogenic (human produced) greenhouse gasses.  The voluntary market standards and projects have their basis in the Kyoto Protocol. A carbon offset is measured in units of one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (there are six greenhouse gasses – it’s a lot easier to convert them all to their global warming potential based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s conversions).

The Renewable Energy Credit market is a U.S. based market that has developed into an important element of driving financial and other support for renewable energy development in the United States.  One REC equals One Megawatt hour or one thousand kilowatt hours. 

 

Lets take the example of Mandy’s wedding.  For our purposes lets assume:

• That there are 300 people coming
• All 300 people are driving an average of 170 miles (distance from Atlanta to Macon). 
• Of those 300 people, 100 of them are flying an average of 2,430 miles roundtrip (that’s my flight from Denver to Atlanta). 

The impacts of that travel would be approximately:

• 51,000 miles driven emitting approximately 50,000 pounds of carbon dioxide
• 243,000 air miles flown emitting approximately 94,800 pounds of carbon dioxide

That’s a total of 144,800 pounds of carbon dioxide or 65.7 metric tons of CO2.  That’s a lot of CO2 emissions for a single weekend! 

On the electricity side, you have the electricity used in the hotels people stay in, at the facilities for the dinners and other events.  There are a lot of different factors that go into how much electricity those buildings use like how old the building is, how efficient their HVAC and other systems are, whether they have compact fluorescent light bulbs or incandescent, how much they have the air conditioning turned up, etc. 

A 100,000 square foot hotel in Macon, GA would:

• Consume approximately 1,770,000 killowatt hours per year, causing approximately 1,094 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. 
• A three day weekend at the hotel (assuming all events occurred there), would use approximately:
  • 14,548 killowat hours and emit approximately 9 metric tons of carbon dioxide. 
• Purchasing 14,548 killowatt hours of Renewable Energy Credits from a wind, biomass, small hydro or other renewable facility (like the products we sell) would ensure that a commensurate amount of renewable energy went onto the grid to offset the power consumed that weekend. 

Energy consumption is not typically something that we think about in our daily lives.  We flip the switch and the lights come on, we fill up the tank or get on the plane and it goes.  There are significant impacts to our energy consumption in the United States – we emit 25% of the world’s greenhouse gases yet account for only about 5% of the world’s population.  Tackling our energy consumption by improving efficiency, reducing consumption, and aggressively developing renewable energy is one of the greatest challenges and opportunities in front of us today.  Supporting a more sustainable, low carbon energy infrastructure is a contribution every individual can make, and what better time to start that than with a wedding?!?!

Great use for your retiring towels

It is inevitable that friends and family will throw you showers and parties to celebrate your upcoming big day. All of those registry items will start coming back to you disguised in beautiful wrapping paper topped with bows and ribbons. It is an exciting time, but with that comes stress. The consumer conscious and eco chicks sometimes don’t know what to do with all of their old items that are replaced with shiny new products. 

We have your answer! Well, we have an answer to at least one of your dilemmas. It is almost certain that you will end up with some new towels as wedding or shower gifts.  As you are going through your old towels wondering what to do with them – don’t fret! We have a place that will gladly accept all of your old towels. They will even take the stained and tattered ones with your monogram that you received as a high school graduation gift from your loving grandmother.  Local humane societies welcome towel donations that they utilize to line and clean the kennels as well as bath the animals.  We promise that the dogs will not mind a nail polish stain, a tear or festive color. Plus you can feel good about recycling your weathered towels while enjoying your vibrant, soft, stain-free new ones. 

In addition to towels, they also accept newspapers, newspaper bags, toilet paper rolls & paper towel rolls.  The cardboard paper rolls make excellent “new” chew toys for puppies.  

If you’re in Atlanta- the Atlanta Humane Society is located at the corner of Howell Mill Road and 10^th Street in Midtown.  The Atlanta Humane Society is open seven days a week, so drop by at your convenience and be sure to say “hi” to the adorable puppies and kittens awaiting their new forever home.  

To find your local human society visit: http://www.hsus.org/

by Erin Clark & Beth Ament

GGIS Exclusive: Eco-couture designer Morgan Boszilkov

As awareness and concern about environmental and social issues increase, a bride’s desire to be greener on her wedding day has also grown.  Women are looking to extend their eco-friendly lifestyle into their wedding, because the event reflects the personality and is a great opportunity to share green values with friends and family. 

Brides are looking for dresses that are not only green, but are elegant, beautiful and flattering.  The eco-friendly dress is not just for the hippy bride, but is becoming more mainstream, and therefore, there is an increasing demand for designs with more mainstream appeal.

By wearing an eco-friendly gown, a bride is able to not only look stunning on her wedding day, but make a difference.  Her dress is a statement in support of environmentally friendly and socially responsible causes.  In addition, natural fabrics are so gorgeous and have such a luxurious feel to them.  After working with the eco-friendly fabrics, polyester dresses just don’t have the same appeal to me anymore. 

Some of my dresses may be made with detachable bottom skirts, so they may be worn again or in their shorter form at the reception. This enhances the “greenness” of the dress. 

I have always been environmentally conscious and try to be eco-friendly in both my personal and business life.  When I decided to start my business, I looked around to see what eco-friendly dresses were available.  I was surprised to find so few options available and knew that I would make beautiful gowns that are better for the environment. 

My collection, Natural Bridals, is designed to be everything that a bride dreams of in a wedding dress: elegant, beautiful, well-made, luxurious. And it also happens to be eco-friendly!  I believe sustainable fabrics are not limiting, but have endless potential for creating fabulous designs. 

When choosing an eco-chic wedding dress, a bride should find out what makes the dress eco-friendly.  She should find out if the designer uses sustainable fabrics and if the dress was made in a socially responsible manner.  Another thing that some designers do is to donate or give back to the environment or to communities in need.   

I recommend that a bride finds a style that flatters her figure and one in which she will feel beautiful just like with regular gowns.  A bride can be beautiful and still make an eco-chic statement! 

Morgan Boszilkov, Designer, Natural Bridals 

 

 

About the author: Morgan Boszilkov is a premier international eco couture wedding gown designer based in Atlanta’s leading sustainable neighborhood Glenwood Park.  The Natural Bridals line has been sold globally and Ms. Boszcilkov has been featured on TLC’s “Who are you wearing”. Ms. Boszilkov is designing the attire for the wedding party of GoGreenInStyle’s editor Mandy Schmitt.

Roses are Red, Valentines are Green…

Looking for inspiration for a green Valentine’s Day?  We have just what the cupid ordered.  Exploring one or more of these sustainable options with your sweetheart not only provides a romantic way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but also gives both of you a great experience to share.

1. Use locally ingredients- Go to local farmers markets and try the 100-mile diet concept. Studies show that most food in America travels more than 1,500 miles from the farm to table.  Eating locally cuts down on petroleum demand, supports our local agriculture economy, and provides consumers with a higher quality product. Plus, you can experiment with foods in season to create exciting new menus. Georgia Organics offers a rich set of resources.
2. Make smart seafood choices - Use the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Guide. Buying the right seafood is a complex web of decisions. The Seafood Watch guide does all the work for the consumer. This pocket-sized guide decodes which seafood are the right choice based on health issues and environmental impacts. Download one from their website or pick one up at the Georgia Aquarium.
3. Reconnect with American heritage - Buy heritage poultry, beef, and pork. Industrial agriculture relies on a small number of breeds of livestock, threatening the nation’s food security.  Heritage livestock promotes genetic diversity and has a unique and special flavor to spice up your next family meal.  Free range and organic meat is also a great alternative.  Whole Foods, Atlanta’s Star Provisions, and farmers markets are great places for these finds. Visit Heritage Foods USA for more information about heritage meats.
4. Piece de resistance- Finish with a rainforest-certified and fair trade chocolate dessert. Rainforest certified and fair trade chocolate is a rich, decadent dark chocolate. It is produced with methods that protect the rainforest and the farmers. K Chocolat in Atlanta’s Inman Park will provide your perfect finishing touch www.kchocolat.com.
5. Spice up your outfit- Buy vintage and environmentally sound clothes and lingerie. Buying vintage is recycling, period. Environmentally-sound clothes and lingerie use recycled fabrics, organic cotton, bamboo, and over-run fabrics.  Atlanta has great vintage stores and a number of boutiques that carry eco-couture, including Evolve Boutique in Emory Village and Eco-Bella in Virginia Highlands. Also check out [online retailers]
6. Uncork your passion- Choose biodynamic or organic wine.  Biodynamic and organic wines are grown and produced without the use of synthetic chemicals and with care and preservation of the surrounding land and watershed.  Looks for these wines at Sherlock’s Wine Merchant, Whole Foods, or your local wine shop. Brands to look out for include Yorkville Cellars, Fetzer’s Bonterra line, Benzinger, Frog’s Leap, Opus One, and Domaine Begude.  For more information about biodynamics check out the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association.
7. Set the mood- Select domestically grown flowers or consider clipping some greenery from right in your back yard.  Magnolia and American holly offer lovely, vibrant color and elegance in the Valentine season. Opt for soy or beeswax candles over the traditional synthetic variety.  Synthetic means petroleum based! 

 

Portions reprinted from previous publication in Atlanta Intown by Polly Sattler and Mandy Schmitt.

Tips for Environmentally Sound Wedding Flowers

If you think that greening the flowers for your wedding is an easy task, you may be in for a surprise.  After our experience (Part I, Part II) we assembled this list to help you on your journey to find both style and sustainability in your wedding flowers.

1. Choose a florist that has experience in or can guarantee environmentally sound wedding flower.  Emily Anderson, Eco chic Wedding author, recommends floral designer Livia Cetti, owner of The Green Vase.
2. Choose flowers that are cultivated in a sustainable method. Think organic vegetables and fair trade coffee. Fair Flowers Fair Plants (FFP) is a new initiative to stimulate the production and sales of flowers and plants cultivated in a sustainable manner.  FFP offers a search feature so that you can find FFP certified growers and retailers in your area.
3. Choose flowers that are fair trade certified.  Fair Trade Certified Flowers label “on your bouquet means that flower workers, most of whom are women, can put food on their tables, send their children to school, invest in community development, and use sustainable farming methods” according to TransFair USA. Click here for of list of certified vendors.
4. Use local flowers. You may have to sacrifice local for regionally and domestically grown. Avoiding flowers are flown in from another part of the US or another continent will help you lower your carbon footprint.
5. Choose flowers that are native and in season in your area. You will have a better chance that you’ll be able to find them from a local or regional grower.  Most states have native plant societies that can be great sources of information. Here are a few Georgia Native Plant Society, California Native Plant Society, Native Plant Society of New Jersey, Native Plant Society of Texas, Native Plant Society of Washington
6. Use flowers and greenery from your back yard.  Some florists will also allow you to supply your own flowers for them to use in your arrangements.  For example, hydrangeas are popular wedding flowers that bloom readily in the late spring and early summer.
7. Avoid the use of invasive species.  Invasive species are devastating our local streams and rivers. Most of these invasives have been introduced for landscaping and aesthetic purposes.  By avoiding using them in your wedding you are avoiding being part of the problem.  Visit the National Invasive Species Information Center for more information.
8. Use potted plants for table arrangements.  These can be great gifts for special people in the wedding. Be sure to go for native plants and avoid invasive species.
9. Use edible arrangements and fruit. My Eco Chic Weddings offers a fun and attractive faux rose table centerpiece made of cupcakes! Do It Yourself Weddings and Earthly Affairs.com show you how to elegantly use fruit as centerpieces. Edible Arrangements also offer a delicious alternative to the traditional.
10. Use the same flowers at your rehearsal dinner and reception. Reduce, reuse, recycle. J
11. Structure your floral decorations so that guest can take them home after the wedding events.
12. Compost the floral arrangements that are not used after the wedding events.

Recommended articles and links:

How to have Eco Friendly Wedding Flowers, EHow.com

Listing of sustainable florists in the UK

Fair Trade Certified Flowers

Fair Flowers Fair Plants

Edible Arrangements

 

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One final note – Happy Birthday to our flower girl, Abby Mahoney!  That’s her in the picture, practicing with a local hydrangea bouquet…

Isn’t a green flower called a leaf? Part II

The tension with my mother was lower this morning.  I sensed she woke up thinking it was a new day and there would be new opportunities for solutions that fit each of our desires. I took the road of not saying much.  I just kept saying a little prayer that all would work out.

Enter Allison Lucas.

Allison had been a legend in our household for years. She is the one person who my mother has been able to count on and consistently turn to for a product that met her high standards.

As we pulled into the church parking lot my mother gave me the order, “You have to explain to Allison what you mean by ‘green’.” “Sure, fine. I’ll do that. It will all be fine.” I was trying to console myself as I spoke these words.  Simultaneously, my mind raced with questions about her. “Was she classic old guard Macon?  Did she think this green stuff was silly? Was she going to laugh at my wants and desires?”

The church parking lot was empty except for two cars- a Honda Accord and a massive Toyota Land Cruiser.  “Please let her’s be the Honda Accord.” I wished to myself.  No dice.  My worries raced faster.  I smiled, took a deep breath and said, “Hi Allison, I have heard a ton about you and my mom raves about your work.”

Fast forward past small talk.  She was lovely and I was beginning to see why mom was such a fan.  My mother sternly looked at me and then looked at Allison. Another deep breath.

“The environment is very important to Sean and me.  We are working to green every element of our wedding including the flowers.  We’d like to talk to you today about how we can do that.” I said.

By now you would have thought I would have remembered the theme we’d been seeing. People are open to going green and are looking for opportunities. Allison was no different!

She lit up with ideas about local growers and vendors. She and my mom began speaking another language- the language of flowers. (A good florist is a walking catalog of flowers and greenery.) I gave her a picture of a bouquet from one of the many magazines my mother showed me the night before and gave her a Georgia Organics local source guide.  We were off to the races.

In the midst of the conversation I realized any tension that remained between my mother and I had long melted away.  I knew we’d found another green solution.  I was also reminded that we all need others to help us on our journey to go green, especially if you are an expert in a field.  Change is hardest when you have a methodology that works well.  It’s a little easier when you have a friend or partner whose walking down the path with you.

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Missed Part I of Mandy’s Flower Journey?  Catch it here.

Check out our Tips for Environmentally Sound Wedding Flowers for specific steps you can take.

Bridesmaid Dress Brew-ha-ha

Last night was definitely an experience.  (I have a feeling that I am going to describe a lot of this wedding preparation as “an experience”).  I arrived at Mandy’s house to find a 3-person film crew, a dress designer, the mother of the bride, and 6 bridesmaids, along with several other “groupies”.  I was immediately pointed in the direction of the wine, so I guess someone tipped off the film crew in terms of my lack of desire to be filmed while trying on dresses.  As things got started, it was evident that there was no way for this not to be a night to remember.  All of the girls went upstairs to try on dresses while the film crew set up downstairs.  We then descended the stairs while the cameraman zoomed in on our midsections (a girl’s most flattering angle, I am sure) and our legs (mind you, we are all barefoot and in cocktail dresses that don’t necessarily fit…again, very flattering).  There were about 4 “rounds” of dresses when you take into account all of the different dresses and then some girls trying on the same dress another girl had already tried.  While we stood in a line, side by side (sort of like awaiting a firing squad), the others in the room would look us up and down and critique the dress, the fit, etc.  I just concentrated on the fact that, somehow, the humiliation was making our world a better place.

Eventually, we all agreed on certain dress features and colors that we liked and the designer took tons of notes.  Mandy was interviewed on camera for the TV show (while I made sure I had to be in the bathroom each time the “record” light came on).  Overall, the night was fun and definitely helped us understand the details that have to be taken into account when visualizing and designing the perfect eco-dress.  I am excited to see what the designer comes up with!  Oh, and I learned that not only does the camera add 10 pounds, but it also removes all hint of tan from my skin, always catches my worst angle, and makes me as nervous as a prison escapee.

Picture courtesy of Andrew Turner

Real Green Brides II – Amanda and Daniel

Green brides are sprouting up all over!  This week we are thrilled to share the story of Daniel and Amanda and the steps they took to green their nuptials.

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The Green Wedding of Amanda Flaim & Daniel Ahlquist

 

Wedding Location: A gorge in Ithaca: Ithaca is gorges after all.
Robert Treman State Park, specifically.

Date: June 17, 2008

In a locally produced, fairly-traded, certifiably organic, recyclable nutshell, our wedding reflected a very united attempt to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Luckily, this priority merges quite well with our commitments to social justice, supporting local communities and economies, and my affection for all things vintage and home-made. If we couldn’t make it ourselves, to every extent possible, we hired local artists and vendors to do it for us.

We will not lie and say this was a super easy undertaking. Even in eco-magical Ithaca, New York where local foods and alternatives abound, planning an event like your wedding is never easy. Moreover, the bridal industry is a well-oiled machine, geared to make your wedding day vision a reality with a few visits to the nearest bridal shop or brides-are-us website. In your exhaustion, you will be tempted. But we swear it’s worth it to RESIST! In the end, our wedding was entirely ours. As an added bonus, we saved a lot of money-we were $1000 under budget and we honestly don’t feel like we missed out on anything! We could have done a lot of things better, but here’re a few ideas and lessons learned!

Invitations:

Designed by Amanda with the help of a local artist we hired who formatted and printed them on recycled paper.

Rings:

Made from recycled gold, and made by a local artist!

Canvas bags:

Given to all of the guests to use at the Ithaca farmer’s market.

Dress:

I initially wanted to turn my favorite French nightgown into a wedding dress. After my mother protested, I resigned myself to something new.  I designed it, bought the fabric at a local fabric store (fabric not made locally, however!), and hired a family friend to make it. It was amazing and no one else has it.  I also wore the veil that nearly every woman in my family as worn in her family since the 1950s. In many ways traditional = sustainable.

Cake:

Our friends made the wedding cake from as many local ingredients as possible. It was DELICIOUS and really beautiful. It was so special to see what tremendous effort and love was put into making our cake. I can’t think of a better first meal to eat as a couple. Also, I made the wedding topper out of scraps from my wedding dress. 

Flowers:

Our flowers were spectacular. They were organically grown and best of all, they traveled a total of 5 miles to the wedding site. Our favorite florist at the Ithaca farmer’s market made the bouquets and flowers for the bridal party, and provided us with four buckets of flowers. Our friends came early and placed the flowers in baskets and tin cans collected over the year from various flea markets and yard sales. At the end of the wedding, we gave the flowers to all of our local guests and the band to spread the love.

 

Chuppah:

The Chuppah is the four-posted canopy used in a Jewish wedding that represents the house that the couple will build together. A local artist who makes simple and exquisite structures from fallen wood constructed our Chuppah, which was absolutely perfect. We decorated it with Daniel’s grandfather’s prayer shawl. We couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. We rented it so that other people can use it and enjoy it!

Decorations:

We rented things that could be washed and reused, and bought vintage table cloths to decorate the tables at the wedding. For gifts, we gave them away at the end of the wedding. They were spectacular and so original!

Music:

We hired a local bluegrass band that plays regularly at the local farmer’s market (our favorite hangout). They powered the speakers with a solar panel. It was totally rockin.

Food:

We hired all local vendors, who used as many organic, locally-produced, in season products as possible. We wanted to serve the food family-style, but we opted for the buffet because less food is wasted this way. While we would have preferred to use washable dishes, after lots of debating, we ended up using compostable plates, cups and cutlery. The caterer made sure everything was composted. Because the Finger Lakes produce a lot of local white wines, we used all local wine.

Activities:

For the weekend, many guests stayed in local bed and breakfasts. We took them to the farmer’s market for lunch and perusing, the local museum (rehearsal dinner), and hiking at the state park (wedding venue).

Registry:

We registered with the Nature Conservancy and some friends also gave us fabulous gifts from Heifer, one of our favorite NGOs. We registered at local shops and even registered for our dinnerware from a local potter (who lives entirely off the grid). Because so many of our guests live far away, we asked that they call in their gifts to local shops so we’d have less shipping and packaging.