Sustainable and Green Photography

If you are interested in a greener route for your wedding photography, look around for photographers who can offer more sustainable options. Here are a few options that I know can reduce waste and be more green:

• get proofs online
  
• ask for recycled photo paper
• sign contracts over email
• choose digital photography

nuena.com/blog

I recently met a local green photographer here in the Bay Area. I asked to share with us how she is sustainable and green both in her business practices and in her life. She had some great ideas to share. Here is what Kira Stackhouse had to say about being green:

Why did you start offering sustainable photography?
Offering sustainable photography was something that was included with the launch of my business. To me, there are no two ways around it - having a business and operating it responsibly go hand in hand. I didn't actually decide to market myself as a "sustainable" photographer per se, but rather have sustainability and using eco-friendly alternatives be a set standard to which I naturally operate. I am a strong believer that if there are greener solutions available, I would be crazy not to use and implement them because it's the little choices that add up to make a big difference.

From Kira's blog: nuena.com/blog

How is your business green/sustainable?
We are sustainable in a number of ways. For instance, when we send out contracts, we've switched to a digital format where clients can send and sign a PDF agreement via the internet. When we do have to print something, we print only on New Leaf 100% recycled paper (100% post consumer waste). All of our marketing materials, including printed holiday cards and notecards, postcards, business cards, and client gallery cards are printed on recycled paper using soy based inks (by an offset printer). We also no longer offer printed proofs as part of our wedding packages as to cut down on waste - they are available a la carte now, since most of the time clients will only frame a small handful of the prints and the rest will sit in a box in the closet. We also use Zipcar to get around to all of our photoshoots. Zipcar is easy and convenient, and we save a ton of money on gas and insurance, not to mention that each Zipcar is like taking 14 cars off the road! For image delivery, we also offer the choice between receiving a disc of the images or having images available to download online. Many clients choose the online download simply because it is faster and more convenient than having to wait to receive the disc in the mail!

nuena.com/blog

What do you do in your own life that is green?
On a daily basis, I try to live as eco friendly as possible. When possible I eat organic which is much healthier for your body (My pets even eat organic!), I also ride my bike, walk or use public transportation to get around (in addition to using Zipcar). I also use a reusable water bottle to carry drinks instead of buying bottled water (Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour, most of which are non biodegradable). Also at home I use CFL lightbulbs as using a Brita water pitcher to drink clean water. I also own a pet clothing company (scutte.com) where all the items are made from 100% recycled human clothes.

nuena.com/blog

What would your advice be for a green bride or groom?
In addition to sustainable photography, I would definitely encourage a couple to consider green alternatives for every aspect of the wedding - from looking for organically grown flowers and choosing organic and sustainable catering to considering a ring sourced from fair trade and/or reclaimed metal to having their wedding invitations printed on recycled paper (or even skipping the printed invites and using an online invitation). There are countless ways to make a wedding green without compromising on the quality and uniqueness of the event! I would also suggest considering a destination wedding - destination weddings are usually smaller and more intimate and they are usually less costly than the production of an entire wedding. I find that couples who choose destination weddings usually have another more casual celebration later with extended family and friends.

nuena.com/blog

If you could invent one thing to help us be more sustainable/eco-friendly, what would it be and why?
I can't think of an invention however I'd just suggest that being consistent with every small green step you make will ultimately leave a big impression in the future. By choosing green alternatives (services, products, etc), you'll not only be setting a good example to the people around you but will also be contributing to the longevity and health of the planet.

Thanks Kira for your answers!

G&G

Sustainable Wedding Jewelry

Let's talk about the bling. For most weddings, there are usually rings involved and possibly some other pieces of jewelry that are either bought, borrowed or gifted. So guess what? Those purchases can be green and sustainable just like everything else. Here are some ways to make them more green:

1. Buy used.
This is probably one the most green/sustainable options out there if you are willing to buy jewelry or rings that once belonged to someone else. The silver, gold, platinum, diamonds, gemstones, what have you, are already circulating this round world of ours and the deed is done. By buying them and using them again, you are giving them continued life to be enjoyed for more years to come. This is something that I did for my wedding and I was able to find this wonderful vintage turquoise necklace and crystal hair comb:

photo credit: erinbeach.com

2. Buy used and remake.
You can also buy pieces that you can have melted to make something new, as in the case of my wedding band and that of my husband's. The stones were from family member's old jewelry and I found some used gold rings to melt down. But finding a jeweler who has the mechanics to melt them down may take some investigation.

3. Buy from sustainably sourced and green jewelers.
If you want to let someone else do the recycling, sourcing and designing, there are a few jewelry designers and companies that can offer sustainable, recycled, fair trade and consciously made jewelry. Some specialize in wedding bands and rings, others in evening jewelry or gifts for bridesmaids and such. Here are a few that not only offer recycled gold and recycled or sustainably sourced jewels, but who also include green and sustainable business practices and philosophy.

Brilliant Earth

• offer conflict free, fair trade & Canadian diamonds from ethical and sustainable sources
• use recycled gold and platinum
  
• offer ethical origin sapphires
• give 5% of their profits to local African communities harmed by the diamond industry
• offer fine jewelry including: earrings, necklaces, rings, wedding rings
  
• offer custom design services
• jewelry comes with material sourcing information
• packaged in sustainably harvested Rimu wooden boxes
  

Green Karat

• use recycled precious metals
• use recycled and unmined gemstones
• use eco labeling to share the story of their jewelry
• use fair trade practices
• offer a registry option where family/friends can offer their old jewelry to be made into your new wedding rings
• offer custom design services
  
• offer wedding bands, rings, some earrings and other jewelry options

Ruff and cut

• use conflict free diamonds
• use recycled precious metals
• donate 10% of their sales to nonprofits who work to improve the lives of people in Mining Communities
  
• jewelry comes with material sourcing information
  
• offer rings, bands and some earrings and other jewelry options

Green Diva

• use recycled precious metals
• source from suppliers who use fair trade practices
• use recycled crystals,renewable and untreated jewels and materials
• plant a tree for every piece of jewelry sold
• offer services to refashion old jewelry
• jewelry comes with an eco key that explains sourcing and fair trade elements
  
• offer for a $15 discount if you recycle an old phone
• send jewelry in a pouch made from recycled wedding dresses
• offer earrings, bracelets and necklaces for a bride or other wedding party members

Kyler Designs

• source from US and local suppliers
• created pieces that can be reused over and over
• use mostly recycled metals and precious metals
• use recyclable glass jewels from recycled/partially recycled glass
• they recycle and practice green business practices
• donate to portion of profits to local and other non profits including National Breast Cancer Foundation, National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease and SF Food Bank
• plant a tree for every order made
• working on being more green and sustainable and carbon neutral
  
• offer daytime and evening jewelry including earrings, bracelets and necklaces
  

Remember that any steps, even little ones, cumulatively have a big impact if we all challenge ourselves to make them.

G&G

Eco-Friendly Invitation Options

Once you set the date, reserve a space and come up with your guest list (that task can be difficult, good luck!) you're on to the invitations. And there are a lot of options. Here I've given you a little taste of some of the more green options available and a brief explanation of how and why they are green.

Earthly Affair

earthlyaffair.com

How Earthly Affair acts as a green printer and sustainable business:

• They offset co2 emissions resulting from shipments and business through carbonfund.org.
• A portion of their profits are donated to environmental projects.
• They recycle or reuse everything they can.
• They implement energy saving practices
• They compost and/or recycle leftover paper scraps.
• They reuse shipping supplies or materials.

Invite Site

invitesite.com

How Invite Site acts as a green printer and sustainable business:

• Their 6,000 sq ft factory is not heated or air-conditioned.
• They use biodegradable packing material and reuse boxes or recycle them.
• All paper scrap is donated to LA's BEST Afterschool Program.
• Use old printing presses and feed paper by hand
• Use vegetable based inks
• They are dedicated to the promotion of treefree and alternative fiber papers
• All appliances are energy star and no water bottles are allowed at the work site
  

Paisley Tree Press

paisleytreepress.com

How Paisley Tree Press acts as a green printer and sustainable business:

• They use 100% cotton paper. This paper is made in America from reclaimed fibers from the textile industry that would otherwise be discarded and thrown into our landfills. Other paper is made from 30% to 100% post consumer recycled paper.
• They recycle and reuse whenever possible.
• Every piece of paper is hand fed into a 1902 Chandler and Price letterpress.
• They seek out suppliers that use eco-friendly practices. Their plate makers offer recycling of old printing plates.

Delphine

delphinepress.com

How Delphine acts as a green printer sustainable business:

• They use eco-friendly papers: the standard letterpress stock is 100% cotton...tree-free and the standard digital stock is 100%pcw recycled.
• They use soy-based inks, low voc solvents and recyclable metal plates.
• They buy envelopes and paper from mills that use 100% clean, renewable hydroelectric energy or other certified renewable energy sources.
• Burnt out light bulbs are replaced with energy efficient bulbs
• They recycle and print on both sides of copy paper.

Tasha Rae Designs

tasharaedesigns.com

How Tasha Rae Designs acts as a green printer and sustainable business:

• 85% of their customers request recycled papers and they try to talk the other 15% into using them as well.
• They offer a wide variety of recycled and earth-friendly papers
• They plant a tree at the end of each month through www.americanforests.org for each earth-friendly order.
• Instead of charging their customers for samples, they ask them to make a small donation to the charity of their choice.

I hope that was helpful!

G&G

Chocolate for your Green Wedding

I love chocolate. And if you love it too, there are plenty of ways to include it in your wedding. However, you may want to make your purchases wisely as cocoa, like coffee, is a large import and if not grown and processed in the most sustainable way, can have an adverse affect on the land and people who grow and process it.

I was able to sample some varieties of chocolate bars at the SF Green Festival, all of which were organic, meaning they were made from organically grown ingredients. Most were also fair trade, meaning the people who grew the cocoa were paid a fair price for their product so that they can afford to live and send their kids to school. Some were even made from raw chocolate, and others were vegan. The options abound.

Righteously Raw chocolate is raw, organic, vegan, kosher and contains no refined sugars.

This raw chocolate included some foods like goji, maca and acai, which are commonly used for their antioxidants and supposed health benefits.

Theo Chocolate is organic and fair trade and comes in some great flavors including: Coconut Curry, Chai Milk Chocolate and Bread and Chocolate.

They also offer Origin bars with cocoa sourced from different parts of the world that are vegan, and the Jane Goodall bars which donate part of the proceeds to help support cocoa farming that saves indigenous wildlife.

Chocolate Conspiracy offers raw, organic and fair trade chocolate that is dairy and soy free.

Their flavors included mint, goji, maca and wild spice.

I hope all this talk of chocolate didn't get your mouth watering too much!

G&G

All Photography made possibly by: Corduroy Media

A G&G arrangement that was donated to the Green Festival

A Green and Vegetable August Wedding

Over the Summer I had the pleasure of working with Meredith and Ben for their Wedding in Kensington, CA. Many of the elements were green and the decor was not only sustainable, but also very unique. Meredith chose vegetable and fruit centerpieces in lieu of floral designs; which played double duty as party favors for guests.

I asked Meredith to share some of the ways in which her and Ben acted green so that others could learn from their choices and plan sustainably in future weddings.

Bridesmaid's flowers
(seandonnellyphotography.com)

Why was being green important to you for your wedding?

My husband and I try to be conscientious of how our choices might impact the world in which we live. From the food we buy and eat, the clothing and products we purchase, to what we choose to throw away. We make every attempt to be conscientious in our parenting, eating, living, and consuming. We wanted our wedding to be a reflection of our lifestyle.


What green and sustainable items and decisions did you include?

The attire.
My wedding gown is a Nicole Miller and she only uses natural fibers in her dresses; I also chose a style that is (hopefully) not dated and can be passed on to a younger family member for her future wedding. My husband chose to wear a tan suit, which he will be able to wear time and again. And the wedding party was asked to choose any dress within the color scheme that they felt they would wear again (one bridesmaid has already worn her dress again!). Everyone was beautiful and unique in his/her chosen attire.

The wedding party.
(seandonnellyphotography.com)

The décor.
The amount of flowers that can be thrown away after a wedding saddens me, so I had the idea to use locally grown fruit and vegetables as centerpieces, which could also double as the take-home gift. A friend of mine works at a restaurant and gave me a stack of the little, green fruit baskets, one of which was at each place setting so guests could fill the basket with produce from the centerpieces.

Vegetable and fruit centerpieces.
(seandonnellyphotography.com)

A main component of the décor were the paper lanterns, which can be used again.

Lanterns.
(seandonnellyphotography.com)

My husband is an artist and he installed a piece of his art as the backdrop, along with the lanterns, during our ceremony. The flowers in the bouquets and boutonnieres were all local and in season.

Local flowers.
(seandonnellyphotography.com)

I specifically found flower girl baskets that were made of paper mache and that will biodegrade. Pilar did an amazing job, and the décor was festive and colorful.

The food.
The food was delicious! We chose a caterer who uses only high-quality, ethically and sustainable raised and grown food.

The cake.
The gal who created the cake for our wedding used only high-quality, organic ingredients and purchased as many of these ingredients at a farmer’s market as she could. The icing did not have the chemical fondant in it.

The Invitations.
My husband researched a local artist whom we asked to create a caricature of our family, so we used a local artist. She provided envelopes made of recycled paper.

The Guestbook and Favors.
I found a used photograph book of special places in the region and asked people to sign a photograph of their choosing. My mom poured some colorful soaps and placed them in clear compostable bags for guests to take home.

The Programs.
In lieu of individual programs for the ceremony, we created a single poster that sat right by the entrance stairs.

The Save-the-Dates.
We used email instead of mailing out ‘save the dates’ and set up a website for additional information that is often sent on separate pieces of paper with the invitation.

The Party.
(seandonnellyphotography.com)

What would be your advice to a green bride or groom planning their own wedding?

Question every little component of your wedding: think how you can make every detail unique in your own style and question how those details can create the least amount of waste.

More Lanterns.
(seandonnellyphotography.com)

What was the most enjoyably part of your wedding?

We both agree that our favorite part of the wedding was the ceremony. Our friend wrote the wording of the ceremony and my husband wrote the vows. We also really enjoyed the gathering of our family and friends. And finally, the décor and the food were amazing. We had a lot of fun on our wedding day!

Many of the lanterns ended up with second uses too, as fun kids toys.
(seandonnellyphotography.com)

Thanks so much Meredith and Ben for sharing your wedding and the steps that you made towards a greener wedding. All photos courtesy of Sean Donnelly Photography: seandonnellyphotography.com


G&G