Eco-Friendly Wedding Planning!

In my personal life as well as in my professional life I strive to be "greener."  Some days that means walking to the fitness complex in our neighborhood instead of driving there, some days that means using the same  glass to drink water out of all day.  Professionally, I love when clients ask for eco-friendly venues, and are concerned about the paper used for their invtitations, place cards, menus, programs and table numbers.  I also love to support local vendors who grow their own flowers, or who purchase food and ingredients from local vendors.

In the wedding industry, what does "green" mean?  The answer is very subjective.  Going "green" may mean using recycled paper in all of your paper products, or it may mean donating to a charity in lieu of favors.  More and more we're seeing wedding venues going "green" by using energy saving appliances, linens made of organic materials, light switches operated by hotel keys to reduce the use of energy, and some hotels are even growing their own gardens with fruit, vegetables and herbs right there on the property!

Many places are becoming LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.  You can check out how to do that and what it entails on the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) website:

http://www.usgbc.org/

Here are some great eco-friendly resources for finding "green" hotels including wedding venues:

http://www.greenhotels.com/

http://www.istaygreen.com/

http://www.environmentallyhotels.com/

REDUCE * REUSE * RECYCLE * RENEW

courtney@petalsplanningco.com
http//www.petalsplanningco.com