1. The ring

Weddings begin with the ring. A green wedding is no different. Some of the alternative choices to consider when picking out the rings:

• Avoid “blood diamonds”; diamonds mined in war zones that help fund conflicts and oppression all over the world.
• Consider vintage rings: family heirlooms or antique rings. You can even recycle old gold by having it melted down and refashioned into rings.

2. The Location

The choice of venue sets the tone for entire wedding. Some things to consider:

• Choose a location that is convenient to the greatest number of guests. This will minimize travel impacts.
• Have the ceremony and the reception at the same location.
• Select a unique local spot, such as an art gallery, nonprofit space, organic restaurant or farm, or green hotel, which supports the same green causes you do.

3. The Invitations

Your invitation is the first impression guests will get of your green wedding. Look for:

• Recycled and/or handmade papers that are processed chlorine-free and printed with vegetable- or soy-based inks.
• Look for opportunities to reduce paper use, like a wedding blog to let people know about the bachelor/bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinner, and gift registry.
• Inform your guests about the eco-friendly hotels and transportation options in the area, such as where they can rent hybrid rental cars.

4. The final fling

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).
• Indulge in organic wine (or beer) tasting or an organic spa treatment.
• Do something low-impact and outdoorsy like a camping, surfing, sailing.

6. The wardrobe

When it comes to dressing the bridal party, there are a lot of green options. You can:

• Go “vintage” with a family heirloom dress then upgrade the look with tailoring and modern shoes and accessories.
• Pick clothes made from hemp and organic cotton or silk; or find a dressmaker who will make a one-of-a-kind item out of sustainable fabrics.
• Select men’s suits and shirts made with organic cotton or wool.
• Select bridesmaids’ dresses that are re-wearable.
• Use all-natural makeup.
• Donate the dresses to charity after the wedding.

7. The Ceremony

Add beauty to the ceremony, naturally. Here’s how:

• Opt for organic flowers.
• Find a florist will source locally raised flowers .
• Have bridesmaids carry silk bouquets instead of cut flowers.
• Throw biodegradable confetti or organic rose petals after the ceremony.
• Donate flowers to a hospital or retirement home afterwards.
• Use a photographer who takes digital photos to save paper and chemicals. Share the photos with all the guests online.

5. The Reception

Base your menu around local, organic, and seasonal foods. Some tips:

• Look for caterers and bakers that can do your event organically.
• Serve organic wine, beer, and spirits.
• Serve free-trade, shade-grown coffee and tea.
• Use a caterer that will pick the best seasonal selection.
• Consider using cruelty-free meats and wild, rather than farmed, fish.
• Make sure the venue offers comprehensive recycling facilities and composting.
• Have the cake decorated with organically grown flowers or other natural materials instead of plastic toppers.
• Make arrangements to have any leftover food donated to a local food bank or homeless shelter.

8. The gifts

For your gift registry, consider these green ideas:

• Ask your guests to donate to a favorite green cause or charity instead of material goods
• Registering for outdoor gear or contributions to an eco-friendly honeymoon
• Make a wish list of eco-friendly items such as:
• 1. fresh-produce subscription from a local farm
• 2. organic gardening supplies
• 3. organic towels and linens
• 4. park and museum passes
• 5. gift certificates to organic restaurants
• 6. subscriptions to green publications
• 7. memberships in green causes

For favors for your attendants give something green that they will use and enjoy. Some ideas:

• Gourmet organic chocolates.
• Reusable cloth tote bags.
• Natural soaps.
• Beeswax candles.
• A small charitable donation in each guest’s name.
• Gift baskets of organic skin-care products
• Recycled jewelry, wallets, handbags, or drinking glasses
• Selections of organic coffees, teas, and chocolates
• Recycled paper journals and stationery
• A bottle of organic wine

9. The Honeymoon

Consider a honeymoon that’s Earth- friendly. Consider:

• Going somewhere local.
• Taking an ecotourism trip.
• Staying in a family-run B&B or inn or a green hotel.
• Offsetting your trip’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Reusable Mug: Find a reusable coffee mug and make the investment. Not only is a reusable mug more enjoyable to drink from, but it will replace an untold number of disposable cups, plastic lids, and “coffee sleeves”.

Go Organic: Coffee and tea that carry organic certification are more environmentally friendly. They are grown and processed without toxic chemicals, are cultivated and harvested in ways that protect sensitive ecosystems, and spare workers from exposure to harmful pesticides and herbicides. Using shade grown coffee helps preserve habitats for migratory birds and allows coffee beans mature slower, creating richer flavors.

Fair Trade Coffee: Drink only certified fair trade coffee and tea. It helps ensure living wages and safe working conditions for farmer workers who make their living growing and harvesting coffee.

Milk and Sugar: Most people put either milk or sugar (or both) in their coffee or tea. Avoid chemical and hormone-laden milk and sugar. Look for organic rice, soy, or almond milk and certified fair trade sugar.  

Compost: Tea leaves and coffee grounds make outstanding compost. Coffee is in high nitrogen content, which has made it a fertilizer of choice for centuries. Composting tea leaves and coffee grounds helps make great soil and helps keep organic waste out of landfills.

Gifts: Organic coffee and tea make superb gifts for friends and coworkers. It’s a great way to get people appreciating the many benefits of a “greener” coffee or tea habit.

Finally, if your local coffee shop doesn’t carry coffee and tea that meet your standards, ask that they start.

Before you go:

• Use electronic tickets when booking transportation or events. Electronic tickets generate less waste than paper and cost less to replace.
• Properly inflate your tires and tune your engine. Making sure that your vehicle is “road-ready” is not only a safety issue; it saves you gas and money.
• Contact your newspaper delivery person and stop your subscription while you’re away. Or donate the newspapers to schools or other organizations while you’re gone.
• When renting a car, ask about alternative fuel vehicles.

While on the road:

• Pack your drinks, sandwiches, and other snacks in reusable containers.
• If you dine at carry-out restaurants, take only the condiments, napkins, and utensils that you’ll need.
• If you are at a visitors’ center, take only the brochures you need and recycle any and all brochures that you don’t keep.
• It goes without saying: don’t litter. Carry your trash and recyclables with you until you find an appropriate waste or recycling container and can properly dispose of it.

When you get there:

• If your hotel has an electronic checkout program, use it. It reduces paper waste.
• If it’s not necessary for hotel housekeeping to change your sheets and towels every day, let the hotel know.
• Leave any unopened complimentary items such as shampoo and soap at the hotel; take only the partially used items with you when you check out.
• Turn off lights and adjust the heating and/or air conditioning when you leave the hotel room for any long periods of time.
• Walk, use the hotel’s transportation or share a taxi with other hotel guests when you’re traveling to well-known destinations.
• Make purchases from restaurants and stores that sell locally grown and/or locally made products.

Every municipality has different rules; so check with your local waste or sanitation department to find out the specifics for your area. In most cases, it’s easier to recycle these items than you might think.

• Phone books. If your city takes mixed paper, then phonebooks can usually be recycled. Just be sure to remove magnetic inserts or any other non-paper elements before you toss them. For many of us, the Internet has rendered the yellow pages obsolete. If that is the case in your home, you can choose to not have phone directories delivered to you or limit the number of directories that you receive.
• Aluminum foil. It is just as recyclable as aluminum cans, but it’s not accepted by all municipal waste recycling programs. Check with your local sanitation department before you throw foil in with your metals and make sure it’s clean first. If your municipality doesn’t accept foil, reuse it. Just wash foil off with soap and water and use it for storing food. Or you could crumple up some old foil and throw it into the clothes dryer to reduce static cling.
• Aerosol cans. You can include EMPTY aerosol cans with other metals. However, if there is any product in the can don’t toss it in your recycling bin. Some local recycling centers may accept partially filled cans, but ask first. If not you can take them to your local hazardous waste facility.
• Labels. Labels aren’t a problem on bottles and cans. Recycling facilities are already set up to handle them so no extra steps are needed. It’s also okay to throw dirty glass or plastic or metal containers into your bin. So that last bit of peanut butter should not stop you from tossing the container into your recycling bin.
• Metal clothes hangers. Some communities accept metal clothes hangers in curbside bins. If your town doesn’t, the probably have a recycling center where you can drop them off. But a better idea is to take them back to your local dry cleaner so they can be reused.

Green Drinks members get together each month to drink to the environment and network with other eco-conscious individuals; sharing fun, contacts, info, gossip, inspiration, business and pleasure. Meetings are self-organizing and evolve with each gathering - as everyone brings new people to each event. Everyone is welcome and there is never a cost to participate (cash drinks and food are available).

Attendees should feel free to invite friends, family and colleagues.  Everyone is welcome to bring business cards, brochures, and other eco-resources that they’d like to share with like-minded folk! There will be a small area to display these items. Those attending are encouraged to use of carpools, public transportation, bicycles and feet to join in a “green drink” to help spread sustainability throughout Utah!

• Rescuing a dog or cat from a shelter gives an existing animal a good home and the possibility of a happy life. And it helps control the pet population.
• Have your dog or cat spayed or neutered. Spaying and neutering pets is an effective way to curb the population of undesired animals. The fact is that euthanasia ends the lives of more dogs and cats in this country than any disease. Each year humane organizations euthanize up to 10 million cats and dogs — and that number doesn’t include animals “put to sleep” by veterinarians or other individuals.
• Your pet’s diet has an impact on our world. But diet is crucial to your pet’s health, and can be very pet specific. Always check with your vet before adjusting your pet’s diet. That being said, one of the fastest growing niches in the pet industry is organic, humane, and sustainably-produced pet foods now available in many stores and online.
• Pick up your dog’s waste with biodegradable bags or consider composting it. The generally accepted wisdom is not to compost dog waste, but that rule is only for compost used on edible plants, such as vegetable. Using compost that includes dog waste for general landscaping is completely safe. If you have a cat, avoid using clay-based kitty litter. The clay is strip-mined, and the dust from the clay can irritate your cat’s lungs. There are now many environmentally-friendly, scoop-able wheat-based kitty litters available.
• When accidents happen (and they are inevitable) and your pet leaves you a present on the carpet, use one of the many eco-friendly pet-odor eliminators currently on the market.
• Choose green pet toys and other items for your dog or cat. Most stores now carry more sustainable varieties of scratching post, leashes, collars and toys.

But donating used computer equipment is not is not as simple as putting it in the nearest Goodwill donation box. Here are some tips to show you the best way to donate your used equipment.

• Determine if your old computer can be reused. If you have a computer that is less than five years old, chances are that it can be used someone else. You may want to consider sending equipment to a non-profit refurbisher. The refurbisher will wipe your hard drive clean, ensure that equipment works well and runs legal copies of software. The refurbisher will then pass the computer on to a charity or other nonprofit. If the computer is not re-usable the refurbisher will make sure it is properly disposed of properly. If you clear your computer of personal information yourself, use disk-cleaning software.
• Any equipment that is not working or is more than five years old should be recycled. A computer recycler will salvage useful computer parts while removing hazardous materials in the process. (Note: some recyclers may charge a fee.)
• Remember the accessories, including the keyboard, mouse, printer, modem, packaged software, or any other accessories with the computer. Schools, churches and nonprofits can almost always put them to good use.
• Keep the operating system intact. The license for preinstalled operating systems is usually only valid when used with the machine on which it was originally installed. Most charitable organizations cannot afford to purchase and license new operating system, so a legal transfer (whereby the computer and operating system stay together) is always preferable. To ensure that the software transfer is legal, pass along the original disks, media, user manual, and other documentation that came with the equipment.
• Keep a list of what you donated. You are eligible for a tax deduction if you donate to a school, charity or other nonprofit and most will provide a tax receipt upon request.
• Plan for future donations by storing all documentation that came with your new computer in one easy to retrieve place. That way, when the time comes to donate it, you’ll have everything in one place.

The typical advantages of a living trust are as follows:

1. Flexibility in replacing trustee(s) when the trustor(s) are unable to function.

2. Imposition of fiduciary duties upon the trustee(s) to fully and faithfully perform their duties as provided in the trust instrument and according to state law.

3. Commercial acceptance by insurance companies, government, security firms and other financial service organizations.

4. Clear instructions on the management and control of all or select assets.

5. Prompt disposition of assets on death outside of the judicial system.

6. Privacy of estate composition and management.

7. Resolution of issues relating to property ownership, control and valuation prior to the trustor(s) death.