Help make my wedding green!

July 10, 2007 7:31 PM

How do I make my destination wedding enviro-friendly?

We really want to have a destination wedding this March. It was recently brought to my attention that destination weddings leave turbo jet-sized carbon footprints.

Never thought of that. Now it's really bothering me. Besides having our guests donate to carbon offset projects in lieu of gifts, what are some other creative ways we can help lessen the impact of maybe twenty people flying from LAX to Central America? Please don't say "just have a wedding at home." I generally try to maintain an eco-friendly existence, but this is the event of my life.

Also, please no more commentary about the friendship ethics of a destination wedding -- we're having a reception back home for everyone that can't make it, and we love them just the same. No pressure, no guilt. Sheesh.

posted by changeling to grab bag (13 comments total)

The planes are flying with you on them or not. If it makes you feel better to do something symbolic for the environment, then go ahead, but it won't keep the planes grounded or make them pollute any less.
posted by The Deej at 7:36 PM on July 10, 2007

(Didn't mean that to sound... whatever. My point is: I don't think you need to be bothered by it, therefore your contribution to the environment should be in keeping with the fact that you are not causing more pollution than any other day.)
posted by The Deej at 7:39 PM on July 10, 2007

I think your destination wedding idea is fantastic, btw.

Maybe instead of traditional favors you could make a donation to an environmental cause you support & give little notecards explaining the cause & its benefit to the world as the actual favors. Or if you have the $, adopt an animal or something for each guest.

For your at home reception, you can also tie in a green theme. Give everyone a baby tree to take home and plant as a party favor.

I don't know that tying these little gestures are going to completely offset the footprints your wedding leaves, but any actions you do will help, and since this is something you take so seriously, I am sure that your regular everyday life more than offsets the travel.

I don't know how hard it would be, but you could also look into some sort of eco-friendly volunteer opportunity for a day/weekend around your wedding (not on your wedding) to which you can invite your guests to participate.
posted by tastybrains at 7:41 PM on July 10, 2007

Over at Offbeat Bride, you'll find good search results for green weddings.

Here's some topic snippets: 10 Steps to a Green Wedding, Eco-wedding shopping blog, Blog for green brides and My big fat green wedding.
posted by cior at 7:55 PM on July 10, 2007

Please don't take this as me being mean, but the very first thing that popped into my head while reading this: Besides having our guests donate to carbon offset projects in lieu of gifts was that: Your guests aren't just expected to travel expensively to attend your wedding, they're expected to buy off your guilt as well? And I really doubt you mean it that way! So maybe be careful with the phrasing-- or just don't bring it up. I feel like it's unintentionally a little rude. And I like the idea of an eco-volunteering thing, but I don't think you should invite your guests, because... really, same problem. Your guests want to celebrate with you, not necessarily be roped into your pet cause, you know?

Perhaps you could commit to a no-plane travel rule for X number of years as a couple (barring having to attend the weddings of others, of course), or you could both wear outfits you already own, or secondhand ones, and donate what you would have spent otherwise to a local environmental fund. If you're having bridesmaids, don't ask them to buy new outfits. Ask the catering manager about organic, locally-grown foods. Etc.

My understanding of plane travel is that it's pretty much the single most polluting thing an individual with no access to giant factory smokestacks can do, so I suspect that anything you come up with to soothe yourself is just that: soothing, but not particularly helpful to the environment. :(
posted by thehmsbeagle at 8:12 PM on July 10, 2007 [4 favorites]

Pay for the offsets yourself. And multiply them. Don't just go carbon-neutral, go carbon-positive.

Go for renewable things, not just 'plant a tree'.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 8:44 PM on July 10, 2007 [2 favorites]

I think the best thing to do is have the wedding, not make a big deal to your guests, and continue to step up your green lifestyle and encourage others to do the same. Of course, you can still do some things for the wedding:

I don't know much about destination weddings, but are you honeymooning in the same place you're getting married? That's one extra trip you don't have to take.

Invite guests to join you in eco-friendly tourist activities while you're traveling. If they add a longer vacation to their trip that replaces a separate vacation later, that cuts down on their airplane emissions too. (Of course, this ecotourism isn't as simple as it sounds.)

Instead of flowers at every table, use living centerpieces. Contact local schools and orgs that have gardens ahead of time to see who would be happy to have the plants.

Vegetarian reception.

Green products and services on your registry (a home energy audit, good commuting bikes, seed money for that Prius, a composting bin, etc.)

Direct link to 10 Steps to a Green Wedding from cior's comment, which has a lot more than ten ideas.
posted by hydrophonic at 8:51 PM on July 10, 2007 [1 favorite]

Don't waste your money on carbon offsets. As the linked investigation shows, they really don't do much. There are much better, more useful ways to do good for the earth.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 10:45 PM on July 10, 2007

The Deej's point is overly simplistic. Sure *that* plane is probably going to fly anyway but the number of flights meet demand so reducing flying does reduce air trips, but you already know this...

People are right to raise concerns over carbon offsetting schemes involving tree planting, but to say "they don't really do much" is going too far in the other direction in my opinion. That's a big leap from "The FT has also found examples of companies setting up as carbon offsetters without appearing to have a clear idea of how the markets operate" which is really what that article is saying.

Tree-planting schemes can be effective, but choose wisely. Investing in renewable energy is an alternative, and you might consider switching to an energy plan or provider that can deliver electricity from renewable sources if you have this option available to you.

You can get some decent guidance at The CarbonNeutral Company website.
posted by nthdegx at 11:53 PM on July 10, 2007

Never indicate to anyone that you expect or demand a gift from them, much less dictate what it should be. And carbon offsets, as you've seen, are pretty controversial anyway.

Why don't you and your new spouse plan to spend (at least) the first year of your married lives volunteering together on a project that's good for either the earth or just other people in general, maybe Central Americans? Working together to do good in the world is really rewarding and good for your relationship on top of the good you'll do for someone else.

There's no way to un-burn that fuel, so just move forward and do some other kind of good in the world.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:13 AM on July 11, 2007

if you're customizing stuff for your wedding, there are a lot more environmentally friendly items like recycled, biodegradable, etc. than there were a couple years ago. not that it has any bearing on your jet fuel, but it is another way to keep the wedding green in general.
posted by snofoam at 7:51 AM on July 11, 2007

Never indicate to anyone that you expect or demand a gift from them, much less dictate what it should be

Your guests aren't just expected to travel expensively to attend your wedding, they're expected to buy off your guilt as well? And I really doubt you mean it that way!

You're right -- I didn't! We're completely aware of this, and of course don't expect gifts. We actually planned on tucking a No Gifts Please card into the invitation, instead of a registry card. But anyway, when people say "in lieu of flowers" at a funeral, I don't think they're implicitly demanding flowers.

Why don't you and your new spouse plan to spend (at least) the first year of your married lives volunteering together

I love this idea, and oh do I wish we could, but he has a good job here. . . same excuse most of us have. Maybe we'll have a volunteer-honeymoon, but two weeks isn't the same as a year.

Some great suggestions here, though -- thank you!
posted by changeling at 10:58 AM on July 11, 2007

It is how you live day after day, year after year, that makes a difference.

Do you drive? How many miles do you fly per year? If you can give ecologically friendly answers to those, you really need to cut yourself some slack.
Just remember that you are now each responsible for 10x however many miles you make the guests fly, and discount all future self slack cutting accordingly :P

If, on the other hand, you have bad answers to those questions.. What you are really asking is, "How can I have a destination wedding that is also the first step toward an ecologically friendly lifestyle transformation?"
That would be a silly question.
posted by Chuckles at 9:00 PM on July 11, 2007