Farms Are For Lovers

Here is a new article by the same woman who wrote How Green Was My Wedding. My husband and I held part of our wedding on a farm and it was wonderful - I am not sure that is the message here but Mia does a good job of documenting this new trend.

Ecological - Make Your Day Big Time Green

Kathryn Bechen mentioned The Green Bride Guide in her recent article in San Diego Style Weddings. This article also features the green wedding planning company Plan It Green and Wherever Shuttle - two great resources for couples in the San Diego area! Click here to read the article.

Clay Art for All Seasons: A Guide to Soft Clay Art

I recently came across a woman who makes the most amazing clay art flowers in Hawaii - DK Designs. While searching for other clay artists making eternal wedding bouquets I found Yukiko Miyai, who runs the Deco Clay Art Academy. Here work is outstanding and I think speaks for itself - so here are a few images form her website:





Her book has received rave reviews - check it out!

Eco-Chick

Starre Vartan is speaking in Hartford on Thursday at an event hosted by CT Green Scene. Starre is the author of the new book The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green and runs the website Eco-Chick.com.

In reviewing her book for Amazon, Meghan Meyers of Portovert - the leading green wedding magazine- wrote:

"This is, hands-down, the best green living guide I've read to-date. It is well-organized and approachable and filled with practical information for everyday living. You'll find budget-friendly tips to fix your home and easy-to-digest explanations of today's hot topics (i.e hybrid vs. PZEV vs. electric vehicles vs. fuel cells). I LOVE THIS BOOK. This is the first and last book you'll need to help you understand the eco issues facing us today."

Sounds great!

October Contest!

For the first time ever, The Green Bride Guide Online is offering monthly contests!

Only a few people have entered our October contest so far - so the chance to win is high!! The contest is for 80% off a CameraRenter package - worth almost $400.

Here is a short video about Camera Renter, a company that offers a great alternative to disposable cameras:

<a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=31345381-7ce5-4568-bf42-e9eb4f7058ea" target="_new" title="Tell Me More About CameraRenter">Video: Tell Me More About CameraRenter</a>

Even if you don't win, you can get a Free Archive CD by entering the code: 0.00_81thegreenbrideguide on the camera renter site.

Shopping for the Guilt-Free Diamond

Claire Frost and Jose Negroni brought this article about ethically-sourced diamonds to my attention. To read the article click here. To buy loose Canadian diamonds and to view other eco-friendly engagement ring options click here.

Earth Vows

The San Diego Local News recently ran a story by Pat Sherman featuring The Green Bride Guide and Pamela Noxon - who will host the first Green Bridal Show in San Diego on March 8, 2009. To see the text of the article click here.

Flowers for the Table

I rarely rave about flower books but I am so impressed with this one I felt compelled to include it in the reading room. If you are thinking of doing your own flowers or are looking for seasonal inspiration pick up a copy of Flowers for the Table: Arrangements and Bouquets for All Seasons.

Ariella Chezar is a master arranger, and incorporats fruit, vines and many unexpected items into her magnificent floral arrangements. If you want sustainable wedding flowers with an organic feel this is the book for you.

Here are a few pictures courtesy of Amazon:

To buy her book click the link below:

Hello Cupcake

My brother called me today raving about a new booked called "Hello Cupcake." It offers clever, fun and EASY cupcake designs - perfect for any DIY wedding. No special tools required. As one reviewer wrote, "Wow, wow, and WOW! This veritable encyclopedia of "mini-cake" decorating is so fun and easy that there is absolutely no excuse for anyone to lament "they can't". With the use of food items found anywhere, you will be making the cutest, and most impressive cupcake creations you can possibly think of, and Karen and Alan will make you legendary to boot! "

I downloaded these adorable and illustrative images from Amazon.

If you are interested in reading more about why cupcakes are green click here.

How to Be a Budget Organic

My mother - an avid reader of Prevention Magazine - sent me this article today on how to make thrifty organic food choices. It is a quick informative read on how to prioritize on a tight budget. Click here to read the article online.

NEW UK Green Wedding Book

I just got wind of a new green wedding book coming out in August in the UK - How To Get Married In Green. For those of you reading this on the other side of the puddle - hopefully Suzan will have lots of local tips to share!

Interested in Biodiesel?

Here is a new book about how biodiesel can help us fight global warming.

From thir website:

"Let's set things straight!

In America, we use gasoline in our cars primarily, but diesel engines drive all of our service vehicles from school buses to garbage trucks, construction equipment, marine, planes, trains and hundreds of thousands of semi's shipping food and goods each day. Thats alot of pertroleum, and alot of pollution!
Biodiesel is petroleum FREE, and will double the life of an engine and reduce carbon emmissions by 78%!

And biodiesel can be produced in abundance, close to home, without harming our food crops or precious rainforest!"

You can download this book as an MP3 too - which has even less impact on the environment. Click the image below to learn more.

Green Business Reads

Yesterday a reader suggested that I include a couple of good green business book suggestions. One book that has gotten a lot of attention is Green to Gold.

Dan Esty (one of the co-authors) is the only faculty member at Yale who is a joint professor with the Forestry School and Yale Law School. He is the Director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy as well as the Yale World Fellows Program.

"Every business, big or small, in manufacturing or services, faces environmental risks and opportunities. Esty and Winston show how companies have benefited from taking these challenges as strategic opportunities, but they also detail why corporate environmental initiatives often fall flat. There are important lessons to be learned from both the successes and the failures."-Bertrand Collomb, Chairman, Lafarge (Bertrand Collomb )

The other book that was recommended to me is Green Business: A Five-part Model for Creating an Environmentally Responsible Company.

As one reviewer wrote:

This is a large-format, coffee-table book that makes a colorful and enjoyable introduction to the basic elements of enhancing sustainability for any type of business. It is written at a more basic level and is successful in giving a broad overview of the range of typical sustainbility practices:
+ Greening your mission
+ Greening your employees
+ Greening your operations
+ Greening your facilities/sites
+ Greening your products/service

It's a Nice Day for a Green Wedding

The Advocate, one of my favorite CT papers, ran an article today about green weddings that mentions The Green Bride Guide. It has lots of great ideas - especially for NY and CT brides. Click here to read it.

Natural Cleaning

Having just added a number of non-toxic cleaning supplies to the look book, I thought it would be helpful to add a book on natural cleaning. In addition to the "over-the-counter" or pre-made cleaning supplies I highlight in the look book you can also make a number of effective natural home cleaners using everyday items (like vinegar). A great book on this topic is Nontoxic, Natural & Earthwise. For a more modern take try Green Up Your Cleanup.



While I am promoting cleaning books, I have to add my fathers personal bible. While it is not a specifically non-toxic book, it has effective cleaning solutions for almost every common problem. Based on this book, my father has developed a reputation among friends and family members as "the stain master." Now his secrets are revealed.

Volunteer Vacations

Although not for everyone, more and more couples are taking volunteer honeymoons. Even if you are not interested in going on a volunteer trip for your wedding, you might be interested in taking a volunteer vacation at some point in the next few years. If so - I recommend checking out some of the amazing opportunities recommended in "Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others."

That Buzz in Your Ear May Be Green Noise - New York Times

Yesterday Gail wrote in asking me about how to ensure you find eco-friendly products. Today I read an article from last week's New York Times describing the feeling of "burnout" people seeking environmentally friendly choices sometimes feel.

Click here to read "That Buzz in Your Ear May Be Green Noise"

This article offers some good resources to help you prioritize. I also recommend the book Hey Mr. Green - which tackles many of little questions about which choices are best for daily living.

Love, Honor, Leave No Carbon Footprint

Today's New York Times had a nice article on green honeymoons today. Click here to check it out.

Green Gardening

Summer is here and gardens in CT are in full bloom. If you find yourself struggling with bugs and weeds every summer - before you reach for the usual arsenal of chemicals consider some of the many highly effective organic and natural alternatives. For a good primer on the how to of organic gardening try Burpee : The Complete Vegetable & Herb Gardener : A Guide to Growing Your Garden Organically. For a more sophisticated guide to insect and disease control check out The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals.



To find organic seeds and saplings click here.

Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style

Christie Matheson, the author of Green Chic, is a veteran writer. Her work has appeared in Body & Soul, Glamour, Shape, Boston, San Francisco, Yoga Journal, and The Boston Globe Magazine. She is also the author of four books (listed below) and an accomplished photographer.

in Green Chic, Christie offers fun practical tips for living a greener life. As the author of Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash, Elizabeth Royte, wrote: "Matheson slyly steers us toward consumer goods and services that minimize our earth-stomping human footprint. She's brave enough to say 'buy less of everything,' and even the politically fraught 'buy nothing.' Matheson's genius is to make this seem not only doable, but fun."

This is a great book to buy for yourself or as a gift for a friend.

Check out Christie's other books: