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.

We’ve captured our checklist here to help you as you organize your thinking.  Let us know what other questions or suggestions you have!

Why Going Local Is One of the Best Ways to Go Green

Sustainable weddings are a wonderful event to plan because every detail can be intentional – from the recycled paper or paper-less invites to the dress made of eco-friendly materials or, even better, found on consignment. Your wedding is the perfect opportunity to be authentic and share your environmental passion with guests. One commonly overlooked area to make a huge impact and drastically cut your carbon footprint on your big day is to serve local and seasonal food. And in Georgia, it’s easier, and tastier, than ever.  

Local food tastes better, doesn’t need a passport to arrive at your wedding and supports your local community and on your wedding day – good karma is great thing! In the U.S., food travels an average of 1,500 miles from farm to fork and arrives on your plate with added chemicals to make the long journey, reduced nutritional value and lackluster flavor. Treat your guests to local goodies by using these great resources and tips:

•          In Georgia, there are several caterers that specifically source local and sustainable food. Check them out in Georgia Organics’ Local Food Guide. Already have a caterer lined up?  Ask them what they can source from local farmers!
•          Plan a seasonal menu. Working with your caterer is the easiest way to do this but you can have some fun with your fiancé and find out what’s in season for your big day. Eating seasonal food guarantees the freshest taste and is affordable.
•          Source local wine and beer. Georgia has some great local breweries and wineries coming online every day. Treat guests to something different form the usual Monday night football brew and check out options like Atlanta Brewing Company, Sweetwater, Terrapin, Persimmon Creek Wines and others. All listed in the Local Food Guide linked above.
•          Don’t forget the meat! Eating local isn’t just about veggies. Georgia has some of the BEST local meats. Enjoy grass-fed and humanely treated items on your menu such as beef from White Oak Pastures and pork from Riverview Farms.
•          Consider using local flowers. Most farms grow beautiful wildflowers to facilitate pollination of crops. Many sell these flowers at local markets or directly. While most brides choose roses or lilies, think outside-the-box and feature big, beautiful bouquets of local flowers instead. To find a list of farms who sell flowers, check out Georgia Organics online Organic Directory - look through the farms for listing that include flowers. Who knows what else you may find?!

Save food miles, serve tastier food, support the local economy AND do a great thing for the environment on your wedding day – support local food!

Hungry for More? Check Out These Tantalizing E-Bites

Online Local Food Guide 

Interactive Organic Directory 

Whole Foods Farm to Market Blog – The Faces of Those Who Grow Our Food

Enter Brent of White Lightning Barbeque Company.   Late 20′s, early 30′s. The youngest son in the family business. Southern to a T. His mom has made chicken salad for Sonny Perdue, our current Governor and a true south Georgia boy. 

Brent’s eyes danced as we ran the different options.  We were all in agreement.  Nice but nothing fancy. We need to give all the Yankees the real southern experience but not make it hokey.

The menu was pretty easy. Pulled pork, chicken salad, Brunswick stew, potato salad, cole slaw, sweet tea (plus lots of unsweet tea so the Yankees can dilute the real stuff), pecan pie, and banana pudding.

Then we got to the sourcing discussion.  Everything was perfect. My heart raced. It was like being on a first date with a boy you really liked and preparing to reveal a fact that you knew was going to be make or break. 

Before I knew it, we were done with round one with flying colors. All were in agreement. We’d do a local pig that was not from a large farm.

 ”Is free range better than local?” he asked. 

I was stopped dead in my tracks. A million caveats ran through my head. “How do I answer that? How do I give him an answer he can hold onto and not an ‘it depends’?” Sean gave a slight laugh. In a stressed out, fast clip I spit out, “we’d prefer a free range option from within the state.” Inside my heart sank. That was not the tone I wanted to portray. Ugg. My inner critic sang “now he thinks you’re. You made him thing green is hard.”  All the while I was hearing my new hero Farmer Scott’s, “those free range chicken operations are a bunch of bologna.”

In an instant that all passed. I overreacted. I realized Brent really was excited about this like we are. He wants to learn about going green. He is genuinely interested for himself and he sees the potential it has for his business. He is pumped that this wedding will give him the opportunity to learn.

My heart burst with joy. I could barely contain myself. We found what we were looking for!