A Green Wedding Can Be Elegant, Too.

Wedding Photo by Tiffany Coggins

I was recently at a lovely outdoor wedding. So often I cringe at weddings, when I see all the waste, especially when it comes to the cocktail and food part. Many receptions are chock full of disposables; paper plates, paper napkins and non-recyclable plastic glasses.

This wedding had none of that, and it was all accomplished on a budget. The bride and groom scoured local second-hand stores. They bought entire plate services, sets of flatware and coffee mugs. The tables all looked beautiful with the second-hand settings. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even know that all the settings were second-hand and mismatched, until the bride’s mother told me.

The mugs were all set out on a table, and each had a tag on a string. The guest were asked to pick their favorite mug and write their name on the tag. That was their beverage ticket for the night. We all got to take the mug home with us. It was a fantastic, green idea. There was also real napkins and tablecloths.

The mother of the bride plans on loaning out the plates, flatware, napkins and tablecloths to anyone that needs them for a party or event. I hope people take her up on her generous idea. They will save money, help keep waste out of landfills, and reduce demand on precious resources.

Bravo and well done. Congratulations to the lovely, thoughtful couple. I know they will have many, many long years of happiness.

See, Green Can Save You Green

So, I was perusing Yahoo this morning, and came across this article in the Yahoo Finance, 21 Things You Should Never Buy New .  And it occurred to me that this article could also have appeared in the Yahoo Green Section.  I hear from people quite often how expensive it is to go green.  I agree that there are some aspects that can initially cost you more money than non-green items, but I fully believe that in the end you can save money living a sustainable life.

Being green is more than just throwing money at things.  Yes, there are definitely some items that cost more, but many times the extra cost comes from quality, and being produced on a smaller scale (think back to that economics class way back when).  Think about when VCRs first came out (oh, I just dated myself) or when DVD players first arrived, or any new and innovative product came to the market.  Those items start out very expensive, but as more are sold the price goes down.

I also believe that things, like buying the list of the Dirty Dozen organically, is an investment in one’s health.  I also feel that avoiding products laden with toxic off-gassing chemicals is another investment in health.  It’s an investment for myself as well as my family.

If you buy things second-hand, you can also avoid many of those off-gassing noxious fumes, because they will have already released most of the fumes. Believe it or not furniture, mattresses, carpeting, electronics and cars all off-gas many toxic fumes for a while.  I don’t really recommend buying mattresses or carpet second-hand, but the other products will save you money and off-gassing exposure.  Where you save on those items, you can then invest in less toxic versions of mattresses and carpets, or even better, hard surface flooring.

The one thing about buying used is that it can be time consuming, more so than just popping into a store, and buying what you want.  It is also hard to get away from that ingrained consumerism.  I know I have a hard time walking by a shoe department without being drawn in by the siren song of a pretty pump.  It is my weakness.  I find watching The Story of Stuff once-in-a-while helps.  So, go ahead, and prove that going green can save you green.