Eco Weddings Gifts That Celebrate Love Not Stuff

When Gary Myer and Dana Gail celebrated their honeymoon at Casita Colibri, a vacation rental in Sedona, Az their wedding was part of one of the hottest trends on the planet, green weddings.

In addition to going easy on mother nature and themselves by renting a healthy vacation home, I was so inspired by what they wrote to their guests about their nonmaterial wedding gifts I thought I'd share it.

Our Alternative Registry mentions gifts we'd most welcome. You'll see some of these gifts don't come in boxes. It would be a gift to us if you:

· Make a donation to Verde Valley Sanctuary or the Nature Conservancy
· Offset the carbon for your trip to Sedona
· Give us a used item from our list—reused from a yard sale or secondhand store
· Something creative of your own choosing that reflects this is a celebration of love, not stuff.

The greatest gift is your presence in our lives and at our wedding.

Feel free to share your eco wedding and anniversary celebration tips. Watch for my article about eco-weddings in the June issue of Four Corners Magazine.

Photo by Edward Randolph.

Love Is In The Air--St. Augustine Eco Weddings

Romance blooms in the Old City of St. Augustine this time of year--it seems there are weddings everywhere. "Green" is one of the hottest trends in weddings, with many guests renting eco vacation rental homes in the area instead of big box timeshares, hotels, or B&Bs. While St. Augustine B&Bs remain a popular choice with the over-50 crowd, younger members of the wedding often want to enjoy more privacy.

Honeymooner, Ali Munroe says she chose our vacation rental because, "My husband didn't like that we could hear other guests through the walls when we stayed in a B&B. We're also not chatty people at breakfast."

Next Post: Scattering Joy--Green Wedding Tips
Last Post: Snake In The Grass

Photograph by pinhole photographer Sheila Bocchine http://www.flickr.com/photos/daisyjellybean/

Green Travel Resolutions

Ecocondundrums have prolonged my deliberations about my 2009 travel resolutions. For example, when I consider the report from Mother Jones on where carbon comes from and how to cut it, I concluded that after switching to solar and sharing a car--not many other efforts have an impact (less than 1 percent). Most carbon comes from coal burned for electric power and cars. If I've cut back my use of both, it seems the best I can do is help others do the same.

Or does it? Reexamining my travel resolutions for 2008 gave me some ideas for research and experimenting in 2009.

No More Offsets? I used to encourage guests to offset their flights to Sedona or Florida for their vacations. And in 2008, I resolved to buy offsets for all my flights (the only carbon left in my footprint). But this year, I've come to see offsets as a surcharge that is not my responsibility. Why should the consumer offset companies' garbage and let them cash in our conscience?


Christopher Elliot explained it this way in Newsweek, "Think about it: Would you be willing to voluntarily pay an extra $30 to your pharmaceutical company to clean up one of its toxic dumps? If anything, you would think twice before buying another one of that company's products. Which is exactly what travelers ought to do when faced with an offset option: run to the competition."

In a post-carbon world, we'll have to figure out new ways to get around on our travels. Instead of spending on offsets, this year I'm going to spend on efforts to reinvent transportation. I'll keep you "posted" on how my thinking evolves as I try it out.

Terrepass sees carbon offsetting as a path to the solutions, but I'm not yet convinced. Click here to read more about their position.


No More Luxury. I used to write about eco and luxury in the same sentence because consumers associated eco-friendly with backpacks and roughing it. But since then, green has gone mainstream and hippie is hip. People realize they can be green without comprimising their lifestyle. Being responsible is expected, not an extra.


With the word "luxury" becoming synonymous with the word "greed," I want to be clear my homes do not reflect excess or a lavish lifestyle. They're about comfort. And who'd be comfortable breathing VOCs and wasting electricity?


No More Recycling. Its a design problem, not a recycling problem. Recycling is too expensive. We need to use products that don't need recycling. Instead of promoting recycling programs, we're providing bags and bottles so guests can experiment with giving up plastic bags and water bottles altogether.


Focus on the Process Not the Product. Yes, essential oils are labeled "natural." But how is the aromatherapy made? Most essential oils are extracted using a chemical, the residue can trigger allergies and asthma. When I travel, I'm going to pay more attention to how people do business and less attention to the "labels." I'll look for More Wise, Enlightened Deals, avoiding the big, super, and mega. and rewarding the small, the slow, the local, the personal. As Kalle Lasn, Editor-in-Chief of Adbusters puts it, "Drive the evolution of capitalism, transforming it into a healthier, more just, more grassroots affair."

This blog is for bottom-up dispensers of cool who enjoy eco-travel deals and healthy living. We feel that "the small, the slow, the local, and the personal" will build the new economy. Your comments will help enrich this information for all of us.

Seth Goldman, TeaEO, Honest Tea and Coca Cola

It's official, Seth has not gone over to the dark side by selling part of his organic company to Coke. I just met him moments ago at the Coop America Green Business Conference where he said, "We were warned that we'd be selling out our integrity if we made this deal. But I'm here to say not much has changed in Bethesda."

A staunch advocate for democratizing organics, Goldman's beverages are now sold in Sam's Club and other mainstream retailers. Sales in September doubled the number of sales in 2007, not for the month of September, but for the entire year. Good news in a gloomy economy. And my first journey with a drink that is neither water or sweet. What a trip.

Who Says Money Doesn't Buy Happiness?

Support Walking, Biking

Walk Score needs your help to create more walkable neighborhoods. Please sign the petition to support walking, biking, and transit--the 2009 Transportation Bill

The 2009 Transportation Bill is a once-in-a-decade opportunity. Walk Score will hand-deliver the list of supporters to Congress on foot, on bike, on bus, and on subway.

Orbitz Gets Greener Rental Cars

Online travel giant Orbitz Worldwide announced a partnership with Fox Rent A Car, an independent rental company that specializes in airport rentals of hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles. Fox Rent A Car rents hybrids including Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius and Toyota Highlander SUVs.

Bikers Benefit From Bailout

While the 700 billion dollar bailout may help big business, it also gives a Federal tax break to people who ride a bike to work.  Thanks to organizers from Oregon who worked for seven years to get a break for bikers, in 2009 those who cycle to work can get $20 a month from their employers for cycling expenses.  Another good reason to get out of the car and onto a bike.  Read more…

World of Good Launches at eBay

Earlier this year I toyed with the idea of online selling the hip, green furnishings that our guests love to buy from our vacation rentals.

But my market research didn't support launching an effort with only 100 guests a year. My research did show it was a good idea for a business with a broader audience. And eBay must think like me cuz they just launched a beta site for socially responsible sellers.

If you wanted me to sell through EcoLuxury Lodging, I encourage you to try it. As for you shoppers, I'll keep you posted if I see the fab wash cloths, soft linens, green cookware, and other stuff we stash in our vacation homes for sale on World of Good, especially if it seems eBay has worked out the kinks in the beta site. You can shop for green gifts, fair trade handicrafts, delicious gourmet foods, unique arts and more at eBay's new WorldofGood.com online marketplace.

Living Rich Break Down Part 1: Do Good, Save More on Your Green Remodel

The most time consuming and frustrating part of my green remodels was the demolition and replacement. Contractors were unwilling or unable to recycle the useful appliances and fixtures. Usually they agreed upfront to haul things to the recycling center or to the local Habitat Restore, but that always seemed to work more in theory than in practice. Various failures ranged from reasonable to ridiculout, “It’s too late in the day," or "too far to drive with fuel prices this high." "I tossed the sinks and cabinets in the dumpster."

But my story has a happy ending. When I remodeled the bathroom last month at Casita Colibri, I found a socially responsible group of contractors, Green Demolitions who extract items for free and sell them in a self-sustaining nonprofit. I was in heaven--luxury home decor from cool places like kitchen display stores (birds eye maple!) and estates of the rich and famous, including Robert Kennedy.

Proceeds fund programs to support addicts at Recovery Unlimited. The partnership is described as “Recycling Luxury for Recovery.” Donation items include furniture, vanities, and mobile homes. There is a sale through Halloween for 50-75% off.

The only catch is they’re on the east coast.

Fly and Still Go Green?

Environmental groups say people need to fly less. Sites like Carbon Responsible can calculate the footprint of your trip, plus show you how long it takes to make the equivalent carbon saving by cutting down on car journeys or using low-energy light bulbs. My recent flight from Florida to Arizona has the same impact as driving a Toyota Camry for one year. What's a globe trotter to do?

Some of us use carbon offsetting to ease our conscience, avoiding, of course, the suspect services. Green gurus insist that's not enough.

If business and travel lovers like myself won't give up flying, the least we can do is ease the impact of flying in these ways:

1. Book daytime flights. Flying at night or in the winter is more environmentally damaging. The reasons are complex and to do with condensation trails trapping heat at night, but reflecting it away from the earth in the day. Researchers found that, although night flights only account for 25% of air traffic, they contribute 60% to 80% of the global warming caused by flying.

2. Travel in a lighter plane. The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, for example, is made from lightweight plastic, which supposedly makes it 20% more fuel efficient.

3. Plan side trips by rail or ferry instead of short, commuter flights.

4. Stay in green accommodations. Avoid ones that greenwash. Look for ones that do more than put out recycling bins and switched to fluorescent light bulbs. Ask specific questions about what the lodging does to conserve energy and water and minimize waste. Don't just accept that the use of the word green means they have sustainable practices. The more people who ask, the more hospitality management will listen.

"Already the word 'eco' has lost all power and meaning,' says Guyonne James, senior projects manager at Tourism Concern, a UK charity which campaigns against exploitation. 'If a bed-and-breakfast has a garden, they'll call it an eco-lodge. There has been such a proliferation of claims and green labels that as a tourist you really have no idea what's going on."

5. If you spot someone with bad practices, write a review on irresponsibletourism.info.

6. Take your habits from home on the road. Recycle, turn off lights, take public transportation, bring your own water bottle and maybe even your coffee mug. Use organic sunscreen to limit contamination at beaches and swimming holes.

For easygoing green travel tips, check this list or add your suggestions here with a comment.

Photo by Greg Lepera, St. Augustine, FL.