This time of year conjures up visions of light, warmth, regrowth and regeneration on the planet. It is as if Mother Earth has forgiven the harshness winter inflicted upon her. Her blooming lushness brings heartwarming joy to all who observe this phenomenon; heightening the senses through the riotous colors and the perfumes of the greening plants and grasses. What a gift we are given when we are allowed to see, feel and experience the beauty and power that is the result of the nature of forgiveness.
Articles from: June 2016
Be Happy by Marie Vega-Byrne
Today is the future I created yesterday. Only I can determine the level of happiness that I allow into my life. Most of us have been so indoctrinated into believing that our happiness is attached to ideas such as how much money we have, how great our jobs are, the number of friends we have, the state of our marriage or relationships, our family connections or our appearance.
Love Is All You Need… For A Green And Good Wedding by Lynn Mehl
We each have many loves, those things that really send us to another level of joy and peace. Marrying the love of your life is one of the biggest loves, and planning the wedding brings out a whirl of ideas representing your own likes and loves. Whether in color, theme or style, green has many shades in our environment. A green wedding does not need to entail an added expense or create a difficult task, because we already are intrinsic environmentalists if we take the time to just reflect.
Be Inspired by Nature
Take a look at almost anyone’s personal computer screen, and even the techiest person will have a nature screensaver of some sort. When we vacation, we don’t make plans to stay indoors, we choose beautiful destinations for our getaways like the Adirondack Mountains, a Nantucket beach or a Maine lake. We are drawn to nature because we are connected with the environment in a very intimate way; we are part of the eco system of this planet. While we often may feel disconnected with our daily multitasking and indoor lifestyle, nature is always there, even if only in our dreams on a Wednesday afternoon at the office window.
John Lennon wrote that love is all we need; so when aspiring and planning for a green wedding, take the time to really think about your own love of the natural world. Incorporating more green into your wedding becomes amazingly simple when you contemplate nature and what you love about it. The bride and groom should sit down with a simple notepad and ponder what they each most love about nature. Is it long walks on the beach? Driving in the mountains? Perhaps it is a fresh baked pie with local apples from the Farmer’s Market, or hiking for that perfect wildlife photo or even tossing snowballs.
Create Your Own Green Wedding Ideas
Once you have some eco-minded ideas, it only takes a slight reconceptualization to transform them for your green wedding. Every action you take has a reaction somewhere, and somewhere is home to a species of flora and fauna or human. Think of that favorite mountain where you vacationed and how you would feel if next year you returned to find it clear cut, with those beautiful trees sent to the paper mill, quite possibly for your wedding invitations.
While there are a multitude of helpful websites and books with tips on having a green wedding; the first step is to tap into your own loves and decide how to implement them, because passion is the fuel of a green wedding. Seasonal foods are fresher and taste better. Wedding bands made of redesigned, vintage metals are one of a kind and yours alone. US grown flowers are more vibrant and last 3 times longer.
Here are some green wedding ideas to get you thinking:
• If you love that mountain and the smell of cedar; send recycled paper invitations to save the trees.
• If your favorite place is a beach, reduce energy pollution with a smaller, intimate wedding on the beach.
• If you have a room decorated with elephant figurines or a couch full of rescued greyhounds, you obviously love animals. Order donation card favors for an elephant sanctuary. And round up leftovers for the local animal shelter.
• If you treasure antiques, consider vintage anything and everything. Perhaps wear or rework your aunt’s veil instead of buying a new one. By upcycling with antiques you can bring a very special feel to the wedding.
• If you love farmers markets, then patronize them and keep the farms going by incorporating local or US grown and raised anything.
• If you love the holidays and envision a twinkling affair, use LED lights that last thousands of hours and reuse them every year on your new home at holiday time.
Feel Good About Your Green Wedding
You alone cannot save the world, but everyone can. Approximately 2.5 million weddings occur in the United States every year, each producing 500 pounds of garbage. The energy and fuel each wedding uses produces over 45 tons of carbon dioxide into the air.
Any environmentally-minded option you choose most definitely will make a difference no matter how simple, small or large, even one saved tree is a priceless gift. If every couple does just green act of their own passion, the savings to our planet is collectively huge. You may discover that one change is really not that difficult. And then implementing two or three more earth-minded, options actually may be quite simple. You then have the makings of both an environmentally friendly day and green wedding envy of all your friends and guests. And that is the start of a movement.
You can have your own special shade of a green wedding, personalized with your own loves… because love is all you really need.
Lynn Mehl is the founder of Good Old Days, the Eco-Florist™, located at 270 Walsh Ave. in New Windsor, the first green certified, florist offering earth-friendly designs, goods and local/US grown flowers. A green media/event consultant and educator, she welcomes your inquiries and can be reached at 562-2820 or GoodOldDaysFlorist.com.
Green Carpet Cleaning for Your Home
Oxi Fresh is a revolutionary carpet cleaning company that is committed to being green. Our carpet cleaning technology creates a powerful, oxygenated cleaning system that breaks down spots so that they can be effectively removed from the carpet pile. Plus, our green carpet cleaning is safe for children and pets, leaves no sticky residue, and has a fast one-hour dry time.
Slow Flower Bouquets for Your Eco-Wedding
Gloria Battista Collins is a slow flower designer and artist who specializes in creating beautiful flower arrangements for eco-weddings and eco-events.
Natural and Organic Make-up for Your Special Day
Facewear Makeup Studio owner Monika Boecker is passionate about makeup as well as providing and using the best possible products that are free from toxic ingredients and are natural and organic. “I've been working with brides for over 15 years. The experience has given me great insight into what makeup works well with photography, video and face-to-face. I enjoy doing natural makeup as much as I enjoy doing a glammed up look with shimmer and big lashes,” she shares.
Men and the Kung Fu of Wellness by Ed D’Urso
How do you manifest wellness? Wellness is not a constant state. It is a dynamic relationship with the ever changing conditions of life. It is a balance of acceptance and action. It is not a place of happiness that excludes sadness, nor is it positivity that excludes negativity. In order for the practice of wellness to be effective, it needs to accept the adversarial nature of life.
Using Technology to Make a Great Smile
Dr. Dwayne Bodie provides a comfortable, pleasant dental experience for all his patients utilizing the latest techniques and technology. He uses technology such as digital impressions which are much neater, easier and more accurate than previous techniques. Other technologies include digital x-rays which takes an image of teeth with significantly less radiation than a standard x-ray.
Is Marriage Really a Piece of Cake?
Whether traditional or non-traditional, The Little Bake Shop has built a business out of celebration, preparing cakes for weddings, bridal showers and then subsequent anniversaries, births, christenings, birthdays and more. And as your family grows so grows our customer base. “We believe that the key to a successful marriage is commitment, and dedication to that commitment. For over twenty years my wife and I have found common ground on which to build. It is that commitment which binds us with a commonality that endures,” shares owner Joseph Bases, who creates traditional as well as gluten-free and dairy-free desserts and baked goods.
A Journey of the Spirit by Carol Anne Laufenberg, artist
Recently I have taken to traveling to other countries for the purpose of raising my consciousness. My recent trip to Colombia, South America for a shamanic retreat was quite a journey. We did a lot of deep work done with plant medicines. There was a deep healing and a big shift in me. Everything at home feels a bit different now and I know there are more changes to come in the future. The experience surpassed anything I had thought would happen.
