Step 10! Happily ever after...

So according to the Sierra Club, the 10th and final way to have a green wedding is to:

Begin your new life with a honeymoon that's light on the Earth. Consider:

~going somewhere local (you're going to be spending a lot of time in that hotel room anyway)
Ok, so...yeah, I am not going to do this one. I want to go somewhere that I would NEVER go unless I had a good excuse to take 2 weeks off from work. I am NOT going to the Poconos, people! And as for the "spending a lot of time in that hotel room..." sure, but let's face it, this isn't the 50's. We have been spending a lot of time in that room for the last three years together..I want to see the world with this man. We will be engaging in plenty of "post marital fun" for sure, but not so much that we won't notice that we are at Beautiful Mount Airy Lodge! So what is my next choice?

~engaging in ecotourism, which can be as rugged or luxurious as you want it to be (find listings that suit your style through Conservation International, National Geographic, Planeta.com, or ResponsibleTravel.com)
This I like...it seems like there might be a lot of interesting options. And as they say, it doesn't have to be in the mountains or something...you can go anywhere and be responsible. On ResponsibleTravel.com, they even have a section for Budget Ideas...check it out.

~taking a trip that benefits an environmental group; perhaps boating in Florida's Dry Tortugas, birding in Alaska, or walking the Italian Alps with Sierra Club Outings
This might be fun...I guess it depends on you as a couple, and what types of vacations seem fun to you...

~skipping the cruise and taking a relaxing, romantic train tripA CHOO CHOO HONEYMOON! This is so romantic and so old school! I love it! It reminds me of my parent's stories of Europe in the 60s. We were talking about this the other day, and are thinking very seriously about getting a Euro-Pass, and just tooling around in Spain or something. (I know that this will still include a trip on an air plane, but see below...)

~getting around at your destination by renting bikes or taking public transportation (the better to enjoy the sights instead of arguing about your spouse's driving habits)
Oh this is a definite! We are New Yorkers, so the public transportation is a no brainer for us. If you are not used to public transportation, I know that it might make you a bit nervous, but give it a chance. You don't know a country and it's people until you know the stink of their subways! (Believe me-I went to Italy in August one time...no air conditioning on those subways. Let's just say that I know Italy. ;-)

~staying in a family-run B&B or inn, a luxury teepee or yurt, or a green hotel that's working to save resources and reduce waste
I have been waiting ever since I first read this list to bust up laughing at this one. I love an Inn or a B & B-our families are staying in them in our hood for the wedding. I am all about a green hotel if you can find one. I am not really sure about the teepee idea-sounds like camping, and people...what in the name of all that is holy is a YURT!!?? ok...let's just figure it out together: according to freedictionary.com:

Noun

1.

yurt - a circular domed dwelling that is portable and self-supporting; originally used by nomadic Mongol and Turkic people of central Asia but now used as inexpensive alternative or temporary housing

oooooook. Now how might I be honeymooning in one of these, you ask? (and I ask?) Again, these are not for everyone, but for those of you who on the out doorsy side there are actually quite a few places where you can find a honeymoon yurt...check out this link for some ideas from the Travel Channel:

YURTS!

~offsetting your trip’s carbon dioxide emissions
This one is definite...as I have mentioned in earlier posts however, I have never done this before. When I do it, I will let you know how it goes...

Step 4-Keep the Debauchery Local

Plan bachelor and bachelorette parties that will keep the green theme going:

~Stay local (and spend more time with your friends, and less dealing with travel stress).

Or you can skip the whole thing. I have always thought the "Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties" are the silliest game in town. For so many reasons...(See Left) First of all, why is this the last fun night of my life? If I am marrying the right person, shouldn't the fun be ahead of me? Also-Let's just say for arguments sake that this is the last fun night of my life, I am totally miffed at the inequality of the expected ideas of a "good time." Men get strippers, steak dinners, and cigars...Women get salad, a cake in the shape of a penis, and a tee shirt covered in life savers with the words, "A Buck A Suck" written across the front! How is that fun? How is this fair? They get women covered in glitter that smell like Malibu Barbie, and I get a baseball hat with a white veil coming out the back like a red neck mullet,dirty scavenger hunt? No no no...this is not my idea of fun.

Jimmy can do what he wants, and I am pretty sure that it will be ugly. (lol) I only have one rule about it: Whoever plans the party, gets to clean up the puke.

All of this said, I do want to have a night of fun with my girlfriends. I will be giving them a secret gift (which is part of a secret outing...sneaky me! I will post about it when we do it this summer. :-) And then there will be a night on the town with those who can make it as planned by a few friends.

We are doing this in NYC...there will be a few travelers, and they will most likely bus or train. :-)

So-as per my cosmo quiz theme: CHECK! Keeping it local! Same for Jimbo-when you live in NYC, you don't go upstate for the naked ladies.

~Offset your trip if you choose a "destination" party.

They mention this a lot on green webistes, but do you know how to do it? I didn't. I found this webpage on the Travelocity site. It allows you to offset miles by donating to have trees planted.

~Travel by train (and start the party early in the bar car).

~Indulge in organic wine (or beer) tasting or an organic spa treatment.

I am always happy to do any of these. Most places are starting to have local beers and wines these days. Where I live there are so many fun ways to keep it local. In Brooklyn, we have:

The Brooklyn Brewery (start your party with a tour of the brewery in Red Hook. How cool is that?)

We even have a winery! Try Bridge Vinyards Urban Winery...I haven't been there, so I can't tell you if the wine is good, but it is certainly worth a look see, no? Check out their site:http://www.bridgevineyards.com They don't take reservations, but they do have Jazz music. Hmmm...Ok, I will take one for the team, and go here with Jimmy in the near future, and will give a full report.

And um, hi, organic spa? I am not usually cool enough to hang out in Williamsburg, but I will go there for the delightful green spa. http://www.greenspanewyork.com/

If you aren't sure where to find a spa in your area, check out spa finder...it is a super cool site where you can search for the spa that is the perfect fit for you.

~Take a class and learn to make your own wedding flowers or jewelry.

This is a cool idea, and it would save you money on your flowers, or jewelry....I dig this one.

~Do something low-impact and outdoorsy like a camping, surfing, sailing, kayaking, or fishing trip.

um, yeah...have fun with that. I will see you when you get back to Brooklyn.

Step 2: Oh, the places you'll go! (and how you'll get there...)

So the Sierra Club says that the next thing to do when going green is to think about your:

location:
Location:
LOCATION!!!!:

Your choice of venue sets the tone for your wedding day--and accounts for a big chunk of the money you'll be laying out. Spend it wisely! Consider:


~choosing a setting that's convenient to the most guests to minimize travel impacts

This we are sort of doing...about 50% of the guests are local.

~having the ceremony and the reception at the same place, or providing eco-friendly transportation between them

Ding Ding Ding! Except for some possibly very old guests...we are WALKING from the church to the reception! (I would say Check here...walking is a green as it gets!)

~picking a unique local spot--like an art gallery, nonprofit space, organic restaurant or farm, green hotel, botanical garden, or green-roofed building--that supports a cause you believe in.

We are having the reception at an old social club in Brooklyn called "The Montauk Club." www.montaukclub.com



I am not sure if it is an eco-friendly site, but I am looking into ways that we can repurpose most of our waste (more on that later). The cause that it is supporting for now is my love of the fact that it looks like Hogwarts, where Harry Potter went to school. Does that count?

~an outdoor setting that will infuse the whole event with a natural sensibility (and require less decorating too!)

~arriving at the ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage, cycle rickshaw, or hybrid car

ok, so we are also doing the cycle rickshaw for the wedding party (for the girls to the ceremony, and for everyone to the spot for photos, and back to the reception.) I was hoping to wow everyone here with this idea, but it seems that it has been done before. sigh...this will not be keeping me down, however, RICKSHAW!!!! CHECK!


This is me, gazing at Jimmy as he pedals a rickshaw cycle...I love to gaze at him...

offsetting your guests' travel (or asking them to do it as your wedding gift)

Sadly, I will not be asking for guests to do this as my gift. The idea of the donation gift is awesome, but here is the skinny: I need the gifts. We are not rich, and the wedding is not cheap. So bring on the gifts, yo! I am sure that mother earth will understand that I am doing a bunch of other things, won't she?



Mother Earth? E-hem...Mother? Mom? (She looks busy...I'll check back later.)