Events & Celebrations

 Weddings - A special day and the biggest spend in our lives. Here are our green wedding ideas:

1. Go Local: The flowers, venue/s, food, drinks, honeymoon and gifts will all have a much lower environmental impact if they are local.
   
2. Needs and wants: There is a massive industry around weddings designed to take our money away from us for things we just don't need. We can eliminate a large slice of our environmental impact by avoiding the things that we don't need - no one remembers the silly add ons anyway: we remember the bits that matter on the day.
   
3. Go Green: For the things we do need we can spend our dollars in a way that builds sustainable industries, products and manufacturing. For the food, drinks, invitations, clothing and decorations try organic, recycled, compostable, reusable, washable and recyclable. Green Pack can provide compostable and recycled tablewares.  A google search for green wedding reveals many possible green options. We can now have rings made from recycled silver and beautiful dresses and suits made from recycled or organic fabric.
4. Get the Big Bus - One big bus is much better than 30 cars. Try to keep the reception and the venue distance to a minimum to reduce the transport impact.
   
5. Make a Statement: Our wedding is a celebration of who we are. A wedding that is clearly environmentally conscious and is also a wonderful celebration of love, friends, family and fun will make a big impact on the people who attend.
6. The Registry - Check out natural weddings. For gifts buy an local experience instead of stuff (ten toasters per wedding has to be bad for the planet!). There are plenty of environmental gift alternatives.  The Dharma Door can provide fair trade gifts from developing communities and Green Pages links you to all environmental products and services in Victoria.

for an environmentally conscious trip.

Other Events and Celebrations - Whether it is a child's birthday, a big year birthday, a welcoming ceremony, a reunion or an anniversary, here's how to have a great green time:

1. Food - organic, unprocessed, unrefined and local foods are not only better for us, but have a much reduced environmental impact. At childrens parties especially, they don't need the burst of sugar and 'number' additives to have a good time.
2. Disposable is so 1980's - With one polystyrene cup taking 500 years to decompose, our event can have quite a far reaching impact. Buy a good set of party or event cups and plates that don't break, can be washed and add a bit of fun to the occasion. Wrap the pressies in old newspaper - no one actually cares what the wrapping looks like, they want what is inside!
   
3. The pressies -  For children try giving a nature experience, like a trip to the zoo or a guided bush walk. Try giving locally hand made. Try giving something that will last forever. Try giving something that involves outdoor play or discovery. Connection to the natural world is a wonderful gift to give a child - According to Rachel Carson, all they then need is one adult to share the wonder with them.
   

Funerals - Some wonderful options are now available to reduce the large environmental impact that our funeral can have. The Natural Earth Burial Society has been set up to provide an eco-friendly alternative to the coffin/cremation burial. The Natural Death Centre is another option for good information, as is Funeral Services.  We can also have an online memorials - yes, it's true, we can now be remembered virtually ...

Earth Beds provide cardboard coffins and Natural Shrouds sell a 'bio-pod' coffin that breaks down quickly in soil.