Green Weddings: Finding Green Vendors
By Mireya Navarro, WedNet Specialist Blogger on Green Wedding, Author of “Green Wedding: Planning Your Eco-friendly Celebration”, http://www.mireyanavarro.com
On a recent panel about green weddings, a fellow panelist, a bride, made an interesting point: when asked whether a green wedding was harder to plan than a traditional celebration, she said it was actually easier because there are not as many vendors to choose from.
This is true, but the green market is rapidly expanding and it has become a challenge to tell who’s a true green vendor and who is a green washer, a business that makes false claims just to get on the green bandwagon. Here are a few guidelines to make sure you pay for truly environmentally-sound products and services:
* Look for trustworthy labels, such as USDA Organic for food or LEED for venues that market themselves as green buildings. The labels mean the product is certified by outside parties that vouch for its green
credentials.
* Most products and services are not certified, unfortunately, but you can do some research when there’s no seal of approval. Go to the vendor’s website to look at its environmental policy. The transparent ones vouch for their commitment to sustainable practices in detail. Ask questions, like "Where does this product come from?" "How far was it shipped?" "Do you recycle?" A long pause on the other end of the telephone may be all you need to tell who’s who.
* Check with watchdog websites, such as www.GreenerChoices.org by Consumer’s Union.