So, if you’re one of those who are environmentally friendly people, now’s your chance to have a ‘green wedding’! Here are some of the tips and ideas from other couples who had earth friendly weddings:
Express contributor Rachel Kaufman shares
t’s true — it doesn’t take much to add a tinge of green. Hire a digital rather than a traditional photographer, or a DJ like Evan Reitmeyer (Mydeejay.com), whose company offsets its carbon emissions and runs a paperless office. Maybe you’ll choose a green hotel for your out-of-town guests, or, instead of buying new, look on Craigslist.com or rent what you know you’ll use only once. “It’s the type of stuff I don’t think anyone even noticed,” says Mackay.
In that spirit, we’ve gathered some easy wedding tweaks ranging from mini to medium to major.
» INVITES
» GREEN: Calligraphy is expensive, but it eliminates the inks and chemicals that might be used in a commercial printing process.
» GREENER: Look for locally sourced paper, either recycled or made from cotton, a renewable resource. Logan Circle’s the Written Word (1427 P St. NW; 202-223-1400), for instance, sells soy-based inks printed on U.S.-made cotton paper.
» GREENEST: Skip the paper invites and e-mail/call your guests. Build a Web site with the pertinent details and send guests to it for info. Or do as Mackay did: She and her fiance sent invitations but included only one extra slip of paper. “We put a little bird on it that said, ‘To support our conservation efforts, go to our Web site to RSVP.’ That’s as aggressive as my husband was willing to go,” she laughs.
» FLOWERS
» GREEN: Reuse ceremony flowers as reception centerpieces. Planner Laura Auer of Soiree Special Events (Soireespecialevents.com) says it’s as simple as checking with your florist, who may be heading back in your direction anyway.
» GREENER: Buy pesticide-free flowers, so their area of origin stays clean and/or less-polluted.
» GREENEST: Harvest seasonal posies from a friend or neighbor, or buy from a local farmer. This is tougher for a winter wedding, but still possible: Cindy Brown, assistant director of Greenspan Gardens in Fairfax County, suggests using brightly colored berries or dogwoods, which have red, pink or gold branches. If you don’t want to give up flowers entirely, talk to Barbara Von Elm (Growingwildfloral.com), who combines imported and homegrown blooms, right, (from her Delaplane, Va., farm) for her clients.
» FOOD
» GREEN: Donate your extra edibles to a local food bank. Some don’t have the staff to pick up food from an evening reception, but for a lunchtime meal, brides shouldn’t run into problems.
» GREENER: Locally grown, in-season organic food has much less of an impact on the earth than pears flown in from China.
» GREENEST: Ban meat. The folks at PETA are right: Vegetarianism and veganism really are better. For the environment, at least. According to a 2006 UN Food and Agriculture Organization study, the international meat industry is responsible for 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions — even more than transportation.
» DRESS
» GREEN: Borrow accessories instead of buying, and ask bridesmaids to buy a dress they’ll wear again. Or, if you must have it all match, ask your entourage to donate their dresses to the Glass Slipper Project (Glassslipperproject.org) or Fairy Godmothers Inc. (Fairygodmothersinc.com), organizations that give dresses to underprivileged teens come prom time.
» GREENER: Buy a vintage wedding dress. Poshgirlvintage.com has a wide selection that varies weekly. And Brides Against Breast Cancer’s sales of donated dresses benefit Making Memories, a non-profit that grants the wishes of breast cancer patients.
» GREENEST: Consider a gown made from sustainable materials, such as hemp, above. Rawganique.com and others sell organic hemp wedding dresses; hemp’s a renewable, quick-growing resource that requires few to no chemicals to grow.
» VENUE/TRANSPORTATION
» GREEN: Consider a reception spot that supports the environment, like a museum, garden or arboretum. At the Philip Merrill Environmental Center in Annapolis, one can admire views of the Chesapeake Bay from inside a LEED-certified building.
» GREENER: Use shuttles or hybrid vehicles to move guests from the ceremony to the reception. Bonus points if you arrange for group transportation to get your out-of-town guests to and from the airport.
» GREENEST: Hold the ceremony and reception at the same venue, or within walking distance of each other. Nowoslawski is doing this at the Decatur House, and the hotel is five blocks away.
» HAIR/MAKEUP
» GREEN: Cargo Cosmetics’ PlantLove lipsticks, ($20 each, Sephora) right, come in a compostable tube made out of corn. Plant the box and it’ll sprout a patch of wildflowers.
» GREENER: Look for the USDA National Organic Program seal, which signifies at least 70 percent organic goodness inside. Or, set a natural tone with non-product-shellacked hair. Go “more relaxed, with loose, natural-looking waves — something any hair type can accomplish with a great stylist and a good blow-dryer,” says Fred Hawck, event-styling specialist at one80 Salon on K Street.
» GREENEST: Skip the nail salon. Several chemicals in polish have been designated by the EPA as potentially harmful.
» HONEYMOON
» GREEN: Calculate the CO2 your airplane trip will emit, using a calculator like the one at Terrapass.com, then buy offsets — money that funds the development of wind, solar or other renewable energy products. Warning: Carbon offsets are a controversial topic right now, with many debating the pros and cons.
» GREENER: Select a hotel at Greenhotels.com. They’re responsible for many of the changes occurring in the hotel industry — notably, those little cards in the room that ask you to reuse your towels.
» GREENEST: It’s official: Being green shows good taste! Anna Post, great-great-granddaughter of etiquette maven Emily Post, suggests: “Look locally for a cozy little B&B to hole up in — it cuts down on your carbon footprint and keeps your dollars in your local community.”
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译文:
举行一个绿色环保的婚礼（我们的一颗爱心）
那么，如果你是一个环境保护人士，现在你就有一个拥有“绿色婚礼”的机会！这有一些来自其他夫妇们关于地球朋友的婚礼方面的窍门和意见：
那是真实的——不需要增加绿色风味。租一个数码相机远胜于传统的摄影师或是像Evan Reitmeyer那样的流行节目主持人（Mydeejay。com），他们的公司总是散发着油墨的气味或是管理者一间数据传输的办公室。也许你需要为你远道而来的亲朋选择一个环境优美的旅店，如果不想为他们购买那些只用一次的物品，你可以查看一下Craigslist。com或是为他们租借一下就可以了。“我认为其他人也不会注意这些事”，Mackay说。
从这个精神出发我们为婚礼轻松的准备了各种用品，从小到大样样俱全。
新鲜的方法：书写请柬太贵了，除去墨水、化学用品还会花很多钱去印刷。
比较新鲜的方法：在当地寻找纸源，用可以重复利用的或是棉花制品，一种可以再次利用的资源。例如Logan Circle 的写字法（1427PST。Nw；202-223-1400），美国一种用大豆制成的墨水印在棉花制成的纸上。
最新鲜的方法：放弃用纸张直接发送电子邮件或打电话给你的亲朋。建一个相关的网站，把消息发送给亲朋。或者像Mackay一样做：她和她的未婚夫只发了很小的纸片作为邀请函“我们在邀请函上放了一只小鸟并写了‘支持我们的努力成就，到我们的网站RSVP'， 很像我的喜欢挑战的丈夫愿意做的事，”她笑着说。
新鲜的方法：像招待会的中心饰品一样重新使用典礼时用过的花。专门晚会（SoireespecialevenTs。com）的设计者Laura Auer 说就像种花者检查他的花一样简单，你可以指挥把它们放在任何地方。
比较新鲜的方法：买不用杀虫剂的花，那么种花的地方可以是保持干净或是减少污染的。
最新鲜的方法：从朋友或邻居那里收集季节性的花，或是从花农那里购买季节性的花。这对冬季的婚礼了说是件很难的事，但可能性还是有的：Greenspan Gardens in Fairfax County 的副导演辛迪.布朗建议使用色彩鲜艳的浆果或是茱萸，它们有红色的、粉色的或金黄色的枝条。如果你根本不想放弃鲜花，你可以和Barbara Von Elm（Growingwildflor。com）谈一谈，她现在就为她的客户负责管理进口花卉和国产花卉（在她的Delaplane。Va农场）。
新鲜的方法：剩余的食物可以捐赠给当地的食物储藏所。有些地方可能没有足够的人员来收拾晚上的招待会剩下的食物，但对于新娘的午餐会剩下的食物应该没有问题。
比较新鲜的方法：准备当地生产的、应季的食物比起像从中国进口梨子一样的食物要便宜的多。
最新鲜的方法：禁止肉食。民间的PETA 方式就很正确：素食者和素食主义就非常好。至少对环境来说是不错的。根据2006年联合国粮食农业组织的调查显示全世界肉食产业释放占全球百分之十八的二氧化碳气体——远远超出了运输工具。
新鲜的方法：借礼服代替购买礼服，要求你的女傧相购买的礼服应该是可以下次还能穿的。或者，如果你希望服装能够相配，你可以要求你周围的人捐赠一些 Glass Slipper Project类的礼服（GlassslipperProject。Org）或是Fairy GodmothersInc。（Fairygodmothersinc。com）类的服装，或是一些组织为贫穷的十多岁的孩子参加舞会准备的服装也可以。
比较新鲜的方法：买一套过时的婚礼礼服。Poshgirlvintage。com每周都有大量供你选择的服装。而且新娘抗乳腺癌协会出售记忆发展组织捐赠的服装，是一个非营利的组织专门为乳腺癌患者的父母提供帮助的。
最新鲜的方法：考虑用一种比较经济的原材料来生产礼服，像大麻类纤维。Rawganique。com网站和其它的销售大麻制成的婚礼礼服的商人认为大麻是一种可以重复生长、生长迅速而且不需要化学药品。
新鲜的方法：考虑到婚礼需要一定的环境场地，像一个博物馆、一个花园或是植物园。在安纳波利斯的飞利浦.马瑞欧公园中心。是一个可以在室内就可以欣赏切萨皮克美景的地方。
比较新鲜的方法：使用各种交通工具接送客人。如果成批的安排交通工具接送外地的客人或去机场应该是一件经济实惠的主意。
最新鲜的方法;举行仪式和招待客人在同一个地方。或者两个地方步行就很容易到，比如两处只隔五条街。
新鲜的方法：使用普通的唇膏（每只二十美元）用玉米棒卷发在插上一束野花。
比较信息的方法：找一下美国农业部的图章标志着至少百分之七十的慈善组织在内。或者，束一个绝无仅有的发型。'更舒适更放松看起来很自然的波浪——就像是自由派艺术家一种自然吹干的发式"FredHawck说。一个在K街80沙龙的精力派专家。
最新鲜的方法;不使用指甲油。美国环保署指出几种抛光指甲的化学用品具有潜在的危害性。
新鲜的方法：计算一下你的哥伦布亚飞行，在Terrapass。com用计算器算一下然后买一张分支表算一下投资多少可以享受海风、日光浴和其它的恢复精力的产品。警告：对于这个分支表存在太多的争议。
比较新鲜的方法：在Greenhotels。com选择一个旅馆。他们对可能出现的各种旅馆工业方面的问题负责——特别是：访解忧一个小卡片要求你重复使用你的毛巾。
最新鲜的方法：它是官方的：环保的最好体验！安娜.泼斯特，礼仪专家艾米丽.泼斯特的重重孙女建议“在当地找一个供两人享用的舒适的小旅馆——即减少了你的足迹对环境的污染同时还让你的钱花在了当地的社会”。