Eco-chic Weddings

In case, you missed this before, I'm sharing it again because there are so many great ideas, I don't want it to get lost in the shuffle of my blog! I recently finished reading "Eco-chic Weddings" by Emily Elizabeth Anderson and have LOTS of great information to tell you about. As you know my passion is sharing eco-friendly ideas that you can consider for your wedding, it doesn't have to be everything, even a few green efforts can make a big difference. This will be a pretty lengthy post, so stick with me, have a cup of coffee, get a piece of paper to take notes, or get ready to click on links and bookmark them! Most of this information is directly from Emily's book and some I have added in.

Facts To Think About:

• According to Conde Nast Bridal Group- American Wedding Study 2006 the average American wedding is now $27,825 in 1990 it was $15,208
• Prioritize!! What is the most important part of your wedding that you are willing to spend money on and what could be edited out?
• Borrow -  Emily wrote in her book that she borrowed her friends pearl bracelet which was special since her friend couldn't be at the wedding. Maybe borrow someone’s veil too.
• Think about one-time-use items like your wedding shoes that you will only wear once, do you really want to spend that much on them?
• According to the Bridal Consultants of America, October is now the most popular month of the year to get married.
• Ask and find out if your venue/caterer compost leftover food? Could they donate to a compost community garden?
• Reduce: Send your wedding invitations earlier than planned so that you don’t have to send out save-the-dates, or it’s too late to send out save-the-dates so you just send invites
• Self-adhesive stamps come with non-recyclable plastic sheet backing so if possible get the moisten and stick stamps
• Recycle your ink cartridges, more than 300 million ink cartridges end up in landfills every year. You can take them to Staples and get a discount!
• Average money spent on honeymoon is $3.700
• This is a BIG FACT I DID NOT KNOW!! 10% of honeymooners go on a cruise, but did you know that one of the largest waterway polluters is the cruise ship industry! Discharge into the ocean by cruise ships is not covered under the Clean Water Act. I have actually never been on a cruise but it's such a huge industry for tourism.
• Consider going to a “green” location and doing “green” activities and rent from Enterprise Rent-A-Car since they have the Toyota Prius

{Organic Wednesday} Medlock Ames

Medlock Ames is dedicated to environmental sustainability as well as the production of premier quality wine. Their vineyards are farmed organically with no insecticides, chemical fertilizers or herbicides and solar power provides the energy we need to run. It is their belief that the land they farm is their greatest asset and they take every precaution to nurture and protect it. They also partner with local wildlife (owls and hawks make excellent gopher foes for example) and have reserved the majority of their acreage for oaks and wildflowers, not vines.

Their commitment to sustainability goes further, however, and flows through everything at Medlock Ames in a truly holistic approach - this management style forces them to evaluate formally every business decision they make, and determine its impact on our environment, on the health and well being of their employees, and on their bottom line.

The company's greenness is among its greatest assets, allowing for unflagging energy and a fresh perspective to the industry while maintaining a thorough commitment to the proven practices of making high- quality wine. They are driven by both their customers' satisfaction and the pure enjoyment of creating an ideal product. They strive to mirror the perfection of their surroundings by crafting equally ideal wines.

 

They even have sunflowers growing there!! My favorite :)

Medlock Ames new tasting room picnic table

Medlock Ames Tasting Room
3487 Alexander Valley Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448 

http://www.medlockames.com

http://www.facebook.com/medlockames

{Organic Wednesday} Green Truck Wine

Did you know that organic wines don't contain any added sulfites (some sulfites occur naturally as a result of the fermentation process)? "Like all farmers, winemakers can't control the weather. When there's more rain than usual, molds sometimes attack the vines, threatening the harvest unless a fungicide is used. Such seasonal vagaries make some vintners reluctant to seek organic certification, even when they generally use organic techniques.

Luckily for consumers, most really good wines come from winemakers who avoid agrichemicals as much as possible. "Winemaking doesn't really lend itself to the practice of Big Ag, because whatever you do to the grapes you will ultimately taste in the wine," Jonathon said.

Of course, some winemakers who use organic agriculture use sulfites in the winemaking process. Sulfites act as a preservative and keep white wines from changing to a golden or brown color. (They are not used as often in red wines.) The labels on these wines may say that they are made with organic grapes, but they do not -- and, by law, cannot -- identify the wines themselves as organic.

So the organic label is only one way to find wines that are grown with an eye toward ecologically minded practices. Another way to look for environmentally sound wines, Jonathon suggested, is to look for small-batch wines from a single vineyard." A primer on organic wines, and a sweet way to bring them to the table By Roz Cummins

Red Truck Winery is a great choice from Sonoma, CA. Check out their facebook page: Red Truck Winery FB page or their website: http://www.redtruckwine.com/
RED TRUCK ORGANIC SERIES
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* Green Truck Organic California Sauvignon Blanc
* Red Truck Organic California Petite Sirah
* Red Truck Organic Mendocino County Zinfandel (exclusively at Whole Foods)