The Audi “Green Police” Super Bowl commercial last night was a major letdown for many environmentalists (not all), as well as a major shot in the arm for extremists on both sides.  I think it was a marketing fail on Audi’s behalf not to take a more grounded approach… or at least hit their target properly.  And I explain why here on AshleySue.

I’m sorry.  I lost my voice.

*Or 1&1 simply refused to work with the WP upgrade and froze all my websites.  That’s OK.  I’ve salvaged them.  And am moving to Dreamhost… this week.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

FYI, flowers are lovely and all, but incredibly eco-unfriendly.  Particularly when you’re talking the scale of the Rose Bowl Parade.  Doubting they are grown with much concern for toxins, not to mention the global transport for these flowers.  I have no doubt by refusing to watch the parade I am making a difference, too.

Meh.

Oh yeah, and HAPPY 2010!  I’m thirty now!

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

Amidst my wedding research, I have some awesome blogs in my RSS reader, including A.Mountain.Bride…

who happens to be running a contest to win a sweet little classic white Cosabella lingerie number!

I dig that the company has a bamboo eco-friendly line of naughties too.  Hello Bamboo Lowrider Thong.  Hehahe

My favorites are the Sex & The City Line by Cosabella though.  I cannot figure out for the life of me what is SATC about them (and trust me, I am a devout SATC junkie, and nothing at all in the slightest is ever at any point in any episode looks even kinda like these items… so, uh???), but regardless, the happy purpleness of this Miranda Chemise.  So cute and sassy without being juvenile.

So, check out A.Mountain.Bride’s Contest post for more information on how YOU can enter to win the sweet white Cosabella chemise, a $118 win that will make you feel oh-so-lovely under your own wedding garb (or whenever!).

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Feeling trapped in plastic, much like this poor couple, I came to a new stance for Marc’s and my wedding (and sanity).

Somehow, when I Googled “Plastic-free wedding”, I found nothing, though I figured all the overlay of eco-concern and weddings would naturally have had a blog or something named this.

Anyhow, I am not going the route of creating a specific website and blog to this specific topic, but you will find posts regarding how I try to make my upcoming wedding friendlier to the Earth and our future. My first vow is to make my wedding as plastic-free as possible.

I have already been weighing the disposable plateware versus china rental conundrum. I think I am within a week’s decision on that one. How about everything else though?

The wedding industry (sometimes referred to as the WIC – Wedding Industrial Complex) is a complete craphole for useless, disposable, stuffs. Favors, decorations, hair goodies, foods, clothing, invitations, programs, and so much more. In fact, it feels that with each year, new crappy disposable things get tacked on to a new bride’s “must-have” list.

Like Save-the-Date cards (sadly referred to as STDs). Those used not to be at all. Now, not only do many brides feel they are mandatory, but the new thing is Save-the-Date magnets. I have received three from friends… and while they are actually cute, it feels weird to leave magnets of all my coupled friends on my fridge for years to come.

We are just bypassing wedding STDs completely.  *chuckles*

Read the rest of this entry »

Today, 10 December, means for those of you buying Christmas or Hanukkah gifts for your loved ones, time is ticking.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

With that, I have a few awesome, heart-felt, useful, and even handmade options and ideas!

1. I already mentioned Equal Exchange fair trade, organic, yummy coffees, chocolates, and nuts and berries! Cheers to that, and you get rockin’ deals on their baskets THROUGH 15th DECEMBER!  Less than five full days, so get to ordering!

2.  Ashley from Our Little Apartment has an awesome Etsy store. You know, I dig handmade stuff, and Etsy is cool, but I quickly tire of a lot of the frivolous stuff I see as crap you can buy on Etsy.

Yet, I just <3 Ashley’s store.  I absolutely drooool over her earrings, and a rad idea on being more eco-chic is getting quilted coozies for your coffee cups!  Next time you roll into a coffeeshop, slip out one of these awesome bad boys from your purse and tell them to keep their cardboard sleeve!  Seriously… I am in love!  Go Ashley!

3.  Allie from The Greenists (previously Allie’s Answers) has an awesome roundup of fun, ethical and healthy gifts… both for her and for the child in your life.  This is the best list I have seen.  The Lola mini clutch and both necklaces make me giddy, while I love all the wooden, classic-style playsets for kids!

4. Dianne (also) from The Greenists has gone the route of giving what can be eaten! Dianne’s take:

A few years ago I decided that edible gifts were the perfect way to go. They are simple, yet still show someone you care and are thinking about them during the holiday season.

Pass along the recipes too, and the receiver might joyfully remake that for years to come.  That is how I acquired some of my favorite holiday recipes!  In Dianne’s post, you’ll find her links to several great holiday gift ideas you can devour.

So, there you have it… my favorite picks for holiday gifts for 2009.

Cheers, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

I only wish I did not think about the BPA coating my hands (my purse, my pockets, etc.) every time I handle a receipt… and for quite a while afterward.

Meh…

As G.I. Joe reminds us, knowing is half the battle.  Right?

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Marc and I have not picked a church in which to marry, nor have a caterer, musician, or rentals in contract, so we have in no way started a registry.  Frankly, I am not sure how I feel about wedding registries at all, but when speaking with my future sister-in-law, registering for plates and such popped up in conversation.

See, Marc’s twin brother is also planning a wedding to his longtime girlfriend (and no, we are not having a double wedding).  Stacey is so excited about registering for Fiesta dinnerware, something I had never heard of or noticed.  Her excitement regarding their quality and USA-made craftsmanship got me intrigued, though.

I checked out Fiesta dinnerware, and while it is very much not for me, I do like that it is made in America.

Which got me thinking, what other dinnerware companies are still made in America?  Who knows… maybe I will register for plates.

I found a few interesting websites.  Still Made in USA, Made In USA, and Americans Working all inspire me to research whatever we do choose to register for very carefully.  Anything we can do to support Americans staying employed seems socially-conscious to me, since kitchenware is something we need anyhow.

No decisions on a company or style now though.  We have much bigger concerns to tackle first.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

As I try to plan a wedding, something which you think you can do until you are in the position to, and then realize you have zero experience in doing so and should not be given the privilege*, I am faced with yet another conundrum.

Do we use disposable dinnerware for the wedding reception, and what options are there besides plastic?

The whole thing arose when I told my Sis and Gramms over Thanksgiving that I did not know how much rental dinnerware would cost us, and Gramms suggested I could get pretty clear plastic plates from Walmart and probably save a bundle.

Yep, Gramma.  I could save a bundle, but I edit and write articles about not doing exactly that.  Using plastic plates just does not jam at all with who Marc and I are.**  So, I thanked her for the suggestion but explained how that could not work for us.

I have noticed, however, that I am far from alone on this debate.  Forum board after forum has brides talking about going plastic.***  Then again, many boards are slamming plastic.

Paper is getting slammed, too.

Enter Bambu Veneerware, made of 100% organically-grown bamboo.  The products look chic enough, and I found Pink Argyle and Kirstin Endemann talking up the products.

I am thus torn between renting dinnerware, buying cute mismatch dinnerware I have to wash myself after the reception, or buying this Bambu Veneerware which is still stylish while being super easy to clean up after (plates only, not the bamboo utensils) and says it biodegrades in less than six months.  Hmmm…

I really dug this post by Apartment Therapy where Kristen Lubbe debates this exact issue when it comes to hosting parties.  I dig the honesty of questioning which to do, and where we (as environmentalist and social-conscious humans) should allow ourselves some forgiveness for accepting a little convenience over moral high-ground.  But check out the tremendous slew of comments afterward, many bashing the author for not taking the route of renting or buying new dishes.****

So, suggestions?  Feelings why you lean one way or another?  Or what you would never do?

Let it fly… I have stuff to decide.  And you know you would feel gratified and proven right if your comment is what sways my decision. 

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

*Who am I kidding?! I love this challenge!  Nine and a half months left to figure it all out!

**Except plastic plates are cheap.  Marc and I are cheap.  :/  Cost, however, is not enough of a jam for us to forsake our ethics.

***I’m a honking big snob anyhow and just think plastic is tacky.  I would avoid it however I could.

****Commenter Oneformybaby at November 23, 2009 11:25 pm really expresses my feelings regarding this Apartment Therapy post and the commenters with “i totally understand about the need to preserve our environment but why dont we stop attacking each other for trying to make our lives just a little less stressful and start putting our attention to where it really can make a difference. Its like telling someone they are horrible people for eating fast food once in a while! Sometimes, you just need a break!”

Sounds kinky (and maybe even fun for some of you), but what I am weighing is how environmentally-friendly latex balloons are.  Or aren’t.

Five years ago I did a project for my fraternity, during which I found the fact that latex biodegrades at the same rate as an oak leaf: about 26 days.

Well, as I plan for a wedding that is in nine months, I am trying to weigh out different decorating options. You might know what I mean – what do I need to buy, what should I certainly avoid buying, what do the things I buy need to be made of or where… and the questions keep going.

original on Austin Wedding Blog

While I also have to debate the equally pressing question of how tacky balloons are as decorations for anything except a 10-year-old’s birthday party, I decided (at 3 a.m.) to Google how environmentally sound (or destructive) latex balloons are.

As with everything, that all depends on who you ask.

Some blogs have ridiculously uni-dimensional and short-sighted views condoning balloons and claiming “all natural latex balloon releases are safe for the environment“.  There is even a Balloon Council (and several variations) looking out for the welfare of latex workers and balloon advocates everywhere.

I found that many green bloggers out there have already questioned the same thing.  Leslie Garrett over at Gaiam has the most comprehensive weighing of the issue that I have found, sharing the compounding issues such as latex’s slowing of biodegradable capabilities in certain temperatures, as well as her personal experience of constantly finding latex balloon remnants littering the ground.

Plus, what about the plastic ribbons knotted, tangled, and dangling from these balloons?  Those are toxic.  They get tangled around animals or eaten, right?

Some people have tried to feel good about using latex balloons by adding wildflower seeds inside to spread across the land after mass balloon releases.

Change.org has us pondering how many children in India are involved in human trafficking, making the very latex balloons we use to celebrate our own children’s birthdays.  They site this November 23 article from Times Live.

From an environmental perspective, some of my research showed promise that latex balloons can be used responsibly (like this and this).  And everything concludes to Green Sexy’s final thought:  Mylar balloons are always bad, so latex is the choice between the two.

Me though… pictures like this are all I needed to know that, as cute and whimsical as giant balloons are (SERIOUSLY check these cute wedding pics!), I have to decline.

Photograph by: ANDREW BIRAJ Credit: REUTERS

Just because I am blessed to live where I did not have to work in horrible conditions as a child to support my family does not mean I also have the right to buy products manufactured in such ways.

… in fact, it means just the opposite.  It is our responsibility to create a better world for others too.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

PS. A mere hour after writing this original draft, I went for a walk at Shelley Lake here in Raleigh, NC and spotted this balloon debris just off the path, washed up from flooding… Perpetuating the solid no of balloon use.