Ask Corina

What is the most effective way to let event attendees know the special event is green?

Great question, and one of my current favorite’s to help clients produce! Recently I commented to Teresa’s blog post on a wedding invitation she recieved and her concern over the sustainability of the food on the menu she had to pick from– beef, fish or vegetatrian. Her post is a great example of a guest that have sustainable values, and wants to know you’ve considered the future of the planet in the poduction of your special event.

So, to get the conversation rolling that you are having a green special event start with the invitation– the first point of contact. Be sure to include that is is printed on recycled paper, or has plantable seeeds embedded. Guests will be looking for this information– I’m telling you!

Next, if you are serving an organic and seasonal feast, let them know — “We’re proud to serve you a variety of seasonal and local organic foods at our special event…”. And because fish populations are dying around the world do to over fishing, let your guests know you and your caterer are serving sustainably sourced seafood! It will give everyone some peace of mind when making their selections.

Next, post it on your web site. Be sure to include a section of your site that lists your commitments to greening your special event. Consider linking to local resources for more information or to nonprofit organizations that inspire you to care for the planet. It’s important to engage your guests in who you are and what you care about!

Next, include in your program some language that you have greened your event. I like to have a heading that says “Greening Graduation” — if it’s a graduation I’m producing. You should include any sustainable vendor names that you feel deserve recognition, and list all the ways you integrated organic, local, seasonal, and carbon offsets in to your event.

Next, if you are having a program of some sort, or at the wedding reception, consider making a public announcement — “To showcase our values for the future of the planet we’ve created an event that is zero waste, has a low carbon impact, and is water conscious….”. Encourage guests to do that same at their next event and through out their lives– this is where your thoughtful “green favor” will come in handy!

Finally, display a plaque at your buffet or at your check-in table. Show all your guests that this is something meaningful to you and important by displaying it in the open. It is amazing how many people read these plaques and have side conversations on how cool it is…I’ve seen it, many times!

Have fun sharing your values and commitments to a healthy and vibrant future we all desire! Let me know if you’ve done something you thought was unique others should try.

With summer upon us, I’m planning on hosting a lot of BBQ picnics. What suggestions do you have to make it a family and earth-friendly day?

BBQ picnics are a great way to gather friends and family for a great time, but many people are unaware of the environmental tolls these events have on our planet. The thousands of paper plates, plastic forks and vinyl table cloths that get trashed each year is a huge waste of resources and takes it’s toll, unnecessarily, filling landfills. Here are some things to consider when planning your special event this summer:

• One of the most important things you can do is stay away from charcoal lighter fluid. It is full of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) that evaporate into the charcoal and help get it started. But then when you cook your food over it those toxins go into the food and then eventually into your body. This causes health problems, especially in children, but when the VOC’s escape into the atmosphere they become one of the primary contributors to the creation of ozone, trapping heat in our atmosphere, aiding in global warming. Instead consider a charcoal chimney, which uses newspaper to heat your coals instead of lighter fluid. And of course propane BBQ’s are a better way to go as well.

• Eat organic, and when you can’t, buy local! This reduces the amount of pollution causing pesticides and promotes healthy soils and agricultural practices, and reduces pollution caused by shipping your food from locations far from your home.

• Eliminate paper napkins, plastic garbage bags, cups and cutlery. Cloth tablecloths, silverware, and glasses always add a touch of class to your event, and can be taken home and washed – always the more environmentally responsible choice. But if you must go with disposable, why not consider purchase biodegradable bags, plates, cups and cutlery made from cornstarch and can be composted after your picnic. These new eco-innovations can be purchased online at GreenHome.com and the price is coming down all the time!

• Keep the bugs away with non-toxic insect repellants this summer. Toxic repellants have endocrine disrupters and powerful chemicals which have long term effects in the human body. Choose new improved natural repellants that don’t make you sick, or harm your body like Orange Guard, or Battle.

Whether you BBQ just over a holiday weekend or at anytime of the year, these tips are universal. And if you feel you just can’t get to all of this, just bringing an environmental awareness to your event by not over purchasing and keeping waste of resources to a minimum will contribute a lot. Just don’t forget to enjoy your green event and your summer!

I’ve noticed a new trend in organic wines, but I don’t know why they are better or where to get them. What do you suggest?

Most events aren’t complete without wine, and today organic wines are ripe for the picking and easy to find. With grapes at the top of the list of most chemically “sprayed” fruit (University of California reports over 2 million pounds of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and other chemicals used on Napa County grapes) it’s a good idea to treat you and your guests to something healthier.

So what exactly makes wine organic? Basically the farmers that grow organic grapes today practice old fashioned principals for organic production; using materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems. Organic grapes are grown without artificial fertilizers or synthetic chemicals, encouraging the natural pest/predator balance, and according to the farmers, stimulates healthy plant growth and enhances the overall flavor and quality of the fruit.

Organic grape growing includes an approach developed in the 1920’s called biodynamic farming. This method encourages plant and animal diversity for the overall success of the product. Farms like Bonterra Vineyards in California take time to cultivate their animal diversity as much as the plants. They build birdhouses to attract diversity and to ward off harmful insects. They also leave native oak trees in place and plant cypress and helpful plants like lavender on the landscape. Organic farming embraces the natural checks and balances in nature that allows for full expression of the earth, giving rise to vines that truly thrive!

The success over the last six years of industry leaders like Bonterra has paved the way for a crop of new organic options for the modern wine consumer. Unfortunately a lot of these wineries aren’t promoting themselves as organic and biodynamic, mostly because of the hassle of becoming certified. Because the USDA does not allow the use of sulfides in a certified organic wine, some vintners are out of luck, but others like Coturri Winery who offer one of the purest organic wines on the market, don’t want the USDA stamp “because they simply want to be known as a traditional fine wine.” (SF Gate, 2006)

So here is a short list to help you with your next party wine selection. For a more comprehensive list, go check out The Organic Wine List:

• Coturri Winery (California)
• Snoqualmie Vineyards, Naked line (Washington)
• Grgich Hills (California)
• Bonterra Vineyards (California)
• Frog’s Leap (California)
• Frey Vineyards (California)
• The Organic Wine Company - Key importer of Organic French Wines
• Organic Vintners - Importers of internationally produced Organic Wines

What gift registries do you recommend for helping charities?

Recently I’ve been looking into alternative gift registries and came across an organization and website called UniversalGiving. It is a social entrepreneurship non-profit whose mission is to make giving and volunteering a natural part of our everyday lives. Their web service connects donors and volunteers with worthwhile organizations all over the world working to protect the environment, children, animals, and much more.

If you’re like me, you may have an aversion to giving over the internet because you’re just not sure where that money is going. What I like about this service is their obvious transparency and wide variety of projects to pick from. Through UniversalGiving you can help reduce trash in Africa for $25, help send one million books to Sierra Leone’s children for $75, or contribute to the building of a rural school in India

As a green wedding consultant I help my clients look at alternative gift registries, which I’m happy to see UniversalGiving has! They offer gift registries and gift packages starting at $30, and the ability to send gift packages in someone’s name. You can adopt an orphaned chimpanzee in Cameroon, West Africa in the name of your best friend for just $15 a month. They would receive an 8×10 photograph of their chimpanzee, a full biography, periodic updates and a certificate of guardianship, and of course the satisfaction of making a real difference!

I think they do a really nice job making the cause projects transparent, easy to access, and the website simple to understand. It is tangible and realistic– making the whole giving experience feel great for you and your fiends. So when you’re planning your next birthday party, wedding, bar mitzvah, or anniversary please consider making a difference by registering through UniversalGiving. Have your family and friends get involved in helping to make our planet a safer, cleaner, and more compassionate place for our future.