Last week was Eco conference week for me. I attended both Climate + Sustainability: Moving by Degrees, hosted by Marketplace at KPPC (Southern California Public Radio).

Moving By Degrees Conference Hosted by Marketplace

and Women of the Green Generation, held at Leeds luscious EVO-South downtown LA on Saturday:

Evo-South Leeds silver certified gorgeous Apt. Development

Hey — can we say what a profound difference between the two conferences?? (other than rooms of complimentary massage and spa treatments at Green Women ) Both were full of media: NY Times writers and NPR reporters filled the Moving by Degrees Symposium and all the well known eco bloggers showed up for Green Generation. (Green Girl LA, Eco Diva, Eco Stiletto, Jennifer Grayson)

Ok – one was filled with mostly nerdy guys … and women — and one was filled with glamorous eco babes — you can guess which was which. But, mostly there was a profound difference in spirit and sense of , well, optimism.  I’m not even sure both groups are even on the same page: the climate change and sustainable future page.

One conference was all gray and black;  the other, chuck full of color and individuality.

One was filled with policy wonks, scientists, classically trained journalists, and some lobbyists. The other was filled with spirited entrepreneurs and designers.

The reporters at the NPR conference were asking, where are the stories?? Women of the Green Generation was bursting with stories.

The Women of Green conference was a tad light on the science and somewhat decorated in newbie fluff. But, the Heart is always new and the Brain mulls over past mistakes…

It is like the green movement has some kind of personality disorder: the heart and mind are not quite connected yet.

In celebration of Earth Day 2010, we propose that Gracious Green Weddings guide sustainable wedding planning.

Graciousness: characterized by charm, good taste, generosity of spirit, and the tasteful leisure of wealth and good breeding. So says Merriam Webster’s Dictionary. (leisure of wealth is a bit of a throwback and what exactly does good breeding mean ???)

The best wedding celebrations brim over with charm and generosity of spirit.

After 15 years of working with amazingly considerate and inventive  eco couples, we have witnessed countless examples of graciousness in practice.

In 2007,  Green Weddings went main stream media: articles full of facile, bullet point advice culled together by journalists on deadline. All the articles repeat the same bullet point advice: blah blah blah blah. Most advice is obvious, some advice is misguided, some downright inaccurate.

Bloggers and couples, thankfully, ignore them and continue along their joyful, inventive,  Gracious + Green ways.

Happy Earth Day, everyone. And thank you for being you.

Helen + Scott

Our Eco Pals at  Green Diva — where you can find gorgeous recycled and fair trade wedding jewelry for yourself, your bridesmaids, and your groom — is holding a  “Customer’s Always Right” contest in which one lucky bride will walk away with $250 in luxury eco bridal jewelry.

Yoshino Pearl and Topaz Necklace : Fair Trade + Recycled Silver

From now until March 31st, brides can enter the contest by visiting the contest page and answering 5 quick and easy questions about what it is they want from their eco wedding accessories.  The top two suggestions or ideas shared by the brides will determine the winner and the runner up.  The winner of the contest will receive a $250 credit toward the purchase of Green Diva eco-conscious bridal jewelry.  The runner up will win a signed copy of The Green Bride Guide book by Kate Harrison (another fabulous person and Eco Pal).

Square Fresh Water Pearls and Black Pearls

Green Diva jewelry creates handmade jewelry by designer Katherine DalPra using recycled metals, Fair Trade gems and pearls and vintage materials.  Each piece of Green Diva bridal jewelry comes safely packed in a special jewelry pouch crafted locally by hand from reclaimed, secondhand wedding gowns.  Green Diva plants a tree for every piece of jewelry sold and donates more than 1% of sales to environmental projects through One Percent for the Planet.

Katherine works hard to express the individuality of the wearer —  these amazing earrings for example:

Blue Atlas: Pearls and Aquamarine Clusters

Green Diva is the first bridal jewelry and accessories boutique to be 100% environmentally conscious and is proud to source its materials only from suppliers committed to Fair Trade.

Oh boy – non-soy vegan pure love. LA local event people be on the lookout.  Our friends at Figueroa Produce in Eagle Rock/Highland Park, are well on the way to converting most of their store to organic. Organic, local and grass fed meats, for the non-veggies. Figueroa is stocking these great raw cashew based products: dips and AMAZING cashew ice cream. Weyu Le (which means “this is our sun OR “this is the way” in the language of the Garifuna of Central America) the company that makes these amazing foods, is local too, and buys ingredients from local farmers.  Some of the base ingredients: raw organic cashews, agave, organic coconut oil, Himalayan salt.

Weyu Le Vegan and Raw Ice Cream

Really yummy and PERFECT for Bridal Showers and other parties surrounding Green Weddings. No sugars or milk products, so everyone’s sugar levels stay nice and even through the event.

Feb 2009 Issue Common Ground SF Mag

Thanks Common Ground San Francisco for including us in your Green Wedding Issue. Love their cover: colors are just fabulouso.  Great ideas, too. Love this non-profit Sustainable Vashon, you can borrow mismatched dishware for events. (I stockpile glassware for our parties. Real glass and real china makes the simplest  gathering  special.)

Full article here:

http://commongroundmag.com/2009/02/ecoweddings0902.html

Hotel Chesterfield

Invitesite will be exhibiting this weekend, May 2nd, at Connecticut’s EcoChic Wedding and Home Show.   All indications tell us this should be a fabulous and spirited event:  live jazz from the Pierce Campbell Jazz Duo, lots of local organic food and wine tastings, eco goodie bags, great people. Who can ask for more?  Sailboats on the nearby Long Island Sound?

The venue is the  gorgeous Hotel Chesterfield, Shippan Point, near the water in Stamford, CT. Time:  from noon to 4.

Environmentalists Heather Burns-Demelo and Kate L. Harrison are capably heading the event, so great info and great fun should be had by all.

Green Bride Guide

Kate is author of The Green Bride Guide – a must read for anyone planning a green wedding.

There will be eco experts, fabulous green vendors and the atmosphere should be friendly and relaxed.

The beautiful Alexandra McKinney will be representing us.  All of our 100% treefree and postconsumer recycled wedding invitations will be on display.

Tell Alexandra you saw this post, and she’ll take your name for a little gift from us.

See you there!

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