If you could see the carbon footprint of the average wedding staged in America, you’d probably be horrified.
The sheer waste of most weddings is monumental.
We’ve all got to start thinking in a new way to reduce the amount of resources that we use in our weddings.
One of the easiest ways to make your wedding greener is to start with your reception.
Plan the amount of food you’re serving carefully.
Don’t overfeed your guests.
You can probably reduce the amount of food you’re planning by about 25% and no one will leave hungry.
Don’t waste food.
If there’s any left over after the reception, ask the caterer to save and freeze what he or she can.
If that’s not possible, ask if the leftovers can be taken to a local food pantry or be given to the homeless.
That’s a wonderful way to start any relationship, by giving to others and considering the impact of what you are doing on the world.
Here’s a great way to make your wedding greener: rent all of the silverware, glasses, tablecloths, napkins, serving dishes and so on that you will use.
Try not to use anything disposable; it will just wind up in a landfill.
Sure, the reusable dishes and glasses will require energy to be washed, but it will be a lot less than what was required to manufacture it.
And, when it is clean, it can be reused for someone else’s affair and it won’t be part of the tons of waste that wind up in landfills every year, taking up space and doing no one any good.
So, insist that your caterers and even planners only employ reusable plates, etc. when they are setting up your wedding.
You’ll feel better knowing that you’re part of the solution and not part of the problem.
Another way to make your affair greener is to only use recycled materials for your decorations, invitations and other paper goods that you must use at a wedding.
Insist that the caterers and cleanup crew have to use garbage bags made from recycled or biodegradable plastics.
In fact, if you have to use any plastic goods during your wedding or reception, try your hardest to find items made from recycled plastic.
With a little research and planning, you can stage a green wedding, and it’ll still be a fun, colorful and special affair.
