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*

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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

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!”

After the SIGG debacle, which turned into the GAIAM debacle, it has turned to the war of bisphenol A-laden receipts.  Yes, according to articles in the last month, receipts are a primary BPA source that all Americans are exposed to (as well as canned foods).

Miss the receipt-full-of-BPA news clips?  Check here.

Really, this is annoying a bit.

Scare tactics abound us in the realm of living “healthy” and “green”.  Media and many other message-pushers rely on fear to get you motivated.  Have you seen the “Eat fruit alone or it gives you cancer” email?  Or “don’t drink cold water or it will give you cancer” email?

Further, we begin to feel like “hey, what around me isn’t toxic?”

It reminds me frequently of a conversation with my best friend Sara (also on Twitter) where we discussed ~ when is enough enough?  What all do we have to do in our daily lives to feel like we can breathe easily and safely?

Is avoiding nail polishes with formaldehyde, tolune, and phthalates enough?  What about your vinyl accessories?  Or the upholstery in your furniture, carpets, and car?  What about the paint on your walls?  Your drink bottle?  Your deodorant?  Your grocery bags?

And now, your receipts?

The loose-powdered BPA from receipts reportedly is much easier ingested and concentrated than that “locked” into polymers of can liners and water bottles.  Meaning, wash your hands super frequently because otherwise you eat it easily as the BPA moves from receipt to hands to food.

What about sticking the receipts in your wallet or purse?  Have you just transferred mega-toxins into (and onto) everything else you touch a hundred times a day and can barely wash out?

I mentioned last week that “no one gives” a hoot “about going green”, which I meant (in earnest) as a jab at deceitful companies such as SIGG and GAIAM.

The deeper issue is, however, it can be hard to give a hoot when it feels like a huge losing battle anyhow.

For instance, besides lousy water bottles and everyday receipts, you can find BPA in:

• ALL of your canned foods.  Yep.
• Soda cans.
• City drinking water.
• Pizza boxes made of recycled cardboard
• Recycled paper
• Wine (fermented in BPA-resin lined vats)
• Beer (likewise)

Find more info on that here.

So, what is a girl to do?

Give up?

Take it all on and battle every frustrating piece of news we get?

Quit our jobs and lobby congress?

All I can offer is the reminder that you are not alone in your frustration and efforts.  Together, we can hold our heads high and make differences where we can, forgive ourselves for the things we let slide, and resist temptation to give into the media pressure to scare you.

Stressing out frequently will kill you and your loved ones far quicker and more miserably than your receipts or your SIGG.

And as you keep living your life consciously and in stride, say no to receipts when you can (as a budding environmentalist, you prefer to save trees anyhow).  Pay attention to what is in your food… and cosmetics… etc.  Vote with your dollar and support companies you can believe in, who strive for progress.

Any suggestions?  I would love to hear from you.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Just a quick moment to let you know about Jolly Green Girl’s fabulous new giveaway!  She’s partnered up with b.b.begonia to give away a stylish new tote!  I think that’s a fantastic idea!

Why would Jolly Green Girl Susie partner up with b.b.begonia?  It’s a perfect pair:

b.b.begonia brings you the latest in stylish and fashionable polyester totes to reduce our dependence on plastic bags and hopefully eliminate them completely in the near future. With modern and kitschy prints; you would be proud owners of these Eco-chic bags.

When you mix a chic with impeccable style and taste as well as eco-smarts with a responsible company also helping make a positive impact on the environment while remaining hip, you have a fantastic chance to win a fantastic bag!

Susie offers multiple ways to enter and increase your chances, so head on over to her post to find out how you can have that chance!  Plus, by carrying this modern eco-friendly bag, you can reduce your use of plastic and paper disposable bags when you shop!

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

How very cool would it be to pick up your groceries in a 100% organic cotton ecobag with your original artwork on it?  Even better, how very cool would it be to have won it, free, in a giveaway competition?!  I think it sounds like a great way to kick your disposable plastic shopping bag habit!

Peter from EcoPrintWorks let me know about this awesome giveaway.  Check them out if you want to win a “custom print [ecobag] with your art using our amazingly soft, vibrant, and earth conscious water-based inks.  All you need to do is register or place an order” with EcoPrintWorks by the end of August, and you could win!  Visit their site and read more.

Good luck!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Funny to think that a few years ago, Marc and I regularly gorged ourselves on spray-cheese-in-a-can and prepackaged dinner packs, but the more we learned about how food effects us and our environments, our food philosophy changed dramatically.  Now grocers such as Earth Fare and Whole Foods are in on their own food philosophies.

Marc and I spend seemingly exorbitant amounts of money on our food in comparison to our days eating dry, crumbly, cheap ingredient foods out of boxes, but now we eat not only for today but for a long, healthy life.  I knew with the weight-gaining of the last decade – and by looking at my family – the health problems I have lurking ahead if I do not eat better now.  Further, I really hope to have a child one day.  I have to consider more than what I food habits I want to share with that child, but I also have to consider what I consume today that affects my health and fertility and can affect my (albeit hypothetical) fetus.

I happily began supporting (more…)

The “go green” movement has revived slogans from decades ago, appearing on T-shirts that exclaim “Green is the new black”, reusable water canteens that have “Make Love, Not War” and “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”, and now using Naughty-by-Nature’s 1990’s hit “O.P.P.” to make pencil holders cool.

Indeed, if you are buying school supplies (or perhaps you are an office supply junkie such as myself) you may consider dropping by Target to pick up their $1 line of fun recycled supplies.

Terracyle has been taking a number of items such as drink pouches and empty snack containers, which they turn into nifty school folders and these crafty zip-pouches for your pens.

On the same end-cap, Target had these great recycled-paper-barrel pencils.

My indisputable favorite recycled item they carry is this “O.P.P. Other People’s Plastic” tie-dye effect recycled plastic pen cases.  If I could have thought of a single reason to buy yet another pencil case, I would have spent the $1 and been thrilled about the purchase.  I was disappointed the case does not indicate what percentage of recycled plastic it is, so it could be as little as 10% and largely not that green.  Further, the product was made in China.  I really do not want to buy “made in China”.  If it had been made in the US, I probably would have splurged and bought some anyhow.

Ultimately, before you buy anything, the greenest option is to decide if you really need it at all.  If you are only purchasing it because it is “the right price” or because the sexy green appeal, you are still contributing to unnecessary manufacturing, energy consumption, and waste.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Plastic has become such an evil word to those of us pushing an enviro-friendly agenda, but buying recycled plastic products can be an amazing way to get that “I’m reducing trash in the world” high.  Case-and-point:  Preserve products.

I have written before out using Preserve razors and Terracycle toothbrushes, both of which are made by inspirational companies that use recycled plastic for their goods.  Cheers to corporate awareness of how they can work with consumers to make an impact.

While Marc and I camped last month in the Pisgah National Forest, however, we spent our first couple days also camping with Marc’s oldest brother and nephew.  In those couple days, paper plates and plastic Solo cups were the containers of choice.  I cringed the whole time… we had brought permanent cups for the trip, but dang if the disposable convenience mentality does not prevail among the masses.  :/

The good news was that once it was just Marc and me again, we did not use another disposable cup or plate.  Only our enamel-coated camp ware for us.  Still, I felt horrible.  Damage had been done.

Preserve makes a great “powered by leftovers” product line of colorful cups, plates, bowls, and utensils.  For some people, this may be a great summer purchase.  Stop by your local Earth Fare or Whole Foods, pick a couple vivid colors for your palette and just imagine sitting down with family and friends at a picnic table with these nifty, lightweight cups full of mojitos and plates loaded with cool, zingy potato salad and steaming, sweet cobbler… Then you carry it all inside and put load your dishwasher!  So easy, so eco!

Marc brought up his desire to inspire our family not to use those typical disposable cups and plates, but pointed out he believes the primary reason they use Solos is for the weight as well as convenience.  He said he thinks they get tossed between drinks because people forget to label their cups with their names for reuse… then they all get mixed up on the table.

Alas, Marc noticed these great multicolored aluminum tumblers!  Why are these so lovable for us?  Well, beside the fact a pack of six is a pack of six different colors for easy remembering, aluminum is lightweight for packing on trips.  Even better, when these get too dinged up to be usable anymore, aluminum can be recycled countless times.  If you accidentally leave your cup on the picnic table and a bear comes and tries to eat it, after he realizes he does not want the cup and spits it out, you can chunk it into your recycling bin!

When you plan your next family outing by the lake, in the backyard, or deep in the forest, maybe you as well will pick up Preserve tableware or some easy, inspired, lightweight enamel, aluminum, or steel products.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue

The list of companies claiming natural and green efforts grows every day, and often, unfortunately, these companies have little to offer.  Two national companies, however, showing progress in their sustainability practices are Reynolds and Kerr Drug.

What do these two companies have to offer?

Reynolds finally caught on to recycled foil.  For an Earth Day promotion, they gave away coupons for a free roll of their 100% recycled aluminum foil.  I am partly excited by this because I do think Reynolds foil is often better quality than many off-brand foils.  Plus, Aluminum, which can be recycled countless times, is a great way to practice your Rs.  When you finish with using foil, you can recycle it or reuse it yourself.  No matter what, make sure you clean off the foil.  Any foil with residual grease and oil cannot be used by recycling facilities, and you certainly do not want to reuse sticky foil.

Kerr Drug, which I never thought I would be giving thumbs-up, sent a “Naturally Kerr” flier in the mail this week.  Claiming to carry “over 3,000 natural and organic products for a healthy lifestyle”, I opened the paper and gave it a look.

Honestly, I was thrilled to see how many legit products they stock.  From organic groceries such as sugar, Late July brand crackers, FEED granola, JASON and Avalon Organics toiletries, natracare tampons and organic cotton pads, Seventh Generation products, Amy’s Organics, gluten-free foods, vegan foods, and even Pirate’s Booty snacks (I wonder if they carry Tings), Naturally Kerr by Kerr Drug is setting a standard for what a chain pharmacy/store can provide for their communities.  Who knows where this chain can go and where they are headed!

If you have not noticed, I rarely give chains a shout-out, so this post is a big deal for me.  Naturally Kerr, which is located at Harvest Plaza, 9650 Strickland Road, Suite 105, Raleigh, and 1124 Patton Ave. in Asheville, even had an Earth Day celebration today.  They gave away free reusable tote bags filled with natural and organic goodies.  The store also had drawings for a free mountain bike, as well as gift certificates to my absolute favorite Raleigh restaurant Irregardless Cafe and Flying Biscuit (never been).  I love the local aspect of this.

So, Kerr and Reynolds, cheers.  Keep up the amazing progress and set even higher standards.  Ready, set, go!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue