Commit to Go Green

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Wisconsin State Journal

Daybreak Section

Commit…to go green

Say ‘I do’ to the environment with an eco-friendly wedding

By Chris Martell

608-252-6179

When Rebecca Grossberg was planning her wedding to Mark Harvey last summer, she made a point of not looking at any of the Bridezilla magazines – the guides that help American couples spend an average of about $27,000 on their weddings.

“We wanted our wedding to be personal, and a reflection of who we are,” she says.

Rebecca and Mark are, among other things, ardent environmentalists. They decided to make their wedding as “green” as possible. And they are among a growing numbers of couples who are rebelling against the waste and extravagance that characterize most traditional weddings. And for them, there’s also a growing number of businesses selling wedding products and services that are friendly to the environment. One such place is Henk Newenhouse’s 477 acre farm in Lone Rock, in Richland County, where the Harvey’s and many other couples had their weddings and receptions.

Newenhouse, who got a certificate to officiate weddings on the Internet about seven years ago, has performed about 500 weddings since then at the farm he owns with his wife, Linda. About half of them have been “green” to varying degrees.

The Harvey family flew in from the East Coast, while the Grossbergs came from California. The 85 guests had received invitations of handmade recycled paper embedded with wildflower seeds, so they could be planted instead of discarded.

Because Lone Rock is an hour from Madison, the couple hired a Van Galder bus to take their guests out to the farm.

“They’d already paid for plane tickets and hotels, so we didn’t want them to have to rent cars,” said Rebecca. “It saved gas and emissions, but it also allowed the guests to mingle and get to know each other on the bus, and they didn’t have to worry about driving or directions. It was so great seeing everyone get off the bus together in one big group.”

Quite a site

The Newenhouses’ Merry Farm has a pond, a gazebo and more than nine acres of professionally tended flowers, mostly perennials. In addition to those flowers, the Harveys also arranged to buy flowers from Bill Zimmerman, who sells at the Dane County Farmer’s Market. Rebecca wanted a sunflower theme. About a week ahead of the Aug. 5 wedding, they went to his farm to choose the flowers for the bouquets and vases, and for Rebecca’s hair. On the big day, while Rebecca was getting her hair done at an Atwood Avenue Salon, friends went to the farm to get the flowers and take them in buckets out to the farm.

Underground Catering had prepared a wedding dinner with local, organic and seasonal ingredients. There were two entrees, one vegetarian based on eggplant, and another pork, and the caterers brought grills, servers and bartenders. Eight types of heirloom tomatoes were served, and the wedding cake was topped with a coulis of blackberries. Prairie Fume, from nearby Wollersheim Winery, and kegs of Great Dane beer, were served.

The bride wore a silk dress sewn by her friend. Including the $100 spa gift certificate to thank her friend, the dress cost $200. A WORT radio disc jockey who plays pan-African and world music got everyone dancing under the stars on the patio outside the 1926 barn.

After seeing their guests on to the bus for the trip back to Madison, the Harveys spent their first night of marriage in the guest quarters in the renovated barn. Guests are welcome to camp on the farm ($10 a night, pitch your own tent) and in summer many of them do.

“It all fell in place so perfectly, and everyone seemed touched by our wedding,” said Rebecca, who now lives with Mark in Mississippi, where they both work as social scientists. “A lot of guests said ‘this wedding is so much you guys’ and several of them mentioned it again on their Christmas cards. It was formal, but warm and comfortable and natural.”

Different strokes

Former Madison residents Valerie Kozlovsky and Philip Anderson tied the knot in Newenhouse’s flower garden last May wearing overalls.

Both are retired (she was a teacher in the Wisconsin Heights district and he was a state employee), and Anderson said, “It seemed ridiculous, at our ages, and because we were both married before, to go through the whole wedding thing. We’re also cheapskates, so we also did this to protest the waste of the wedding industry. The average wedding is more than $25,000 and I think that, for young people, that money could be put to much greater use as a down payment on a home or to pay down student loans.”

Besides weddings, the Newenhouse farm has been the site for concerts, ballroom dances, and seminars on horticulture and the environment (daughter Sonya has an environmental consulting business in Madison and daughter Astrid is a UW horticulturist). They also hosted children from Chicago to give them a taste of life on the farm.

Most of the Newenhouse’s bridal couples are from Richland and Grant counties, with some from Madison. Many rent school buses, which can cost as little as $80 to just drop off the guests, or up to $300 “if the bus waits around to drive the drunken bride home,” Newenhouse said with a laugh.

To date, the Harvey wedding was the most “green” of our weddings Newenhouse has officiated. But he always looks for opportunities to nudge couples in that direction, sometimes using plastic flowers as a prop.

“I laugh at it and show them how ugly it is,” he says in a Flemish-Dutch accent. “I can’t tell them what to do because it’s their wedding and they’re my customers. But I love to encourage green weddings. I have no power to forbid things, but I do my best to discourage the use of paper plates and flowers.”

He recalls one wedding when the bride’s parents arrived with three garbage bags filled with plastic flowers, and began decorating. A short time later, the groom’s parents arrived with tropical flowers they’d had delivered to O’Hare International Airport. Wrangling ensued, especially after the bride’s mother sprayed the tropical flowers with artificial rose scent.

Everyone wound up wearing two corsages – one plastic and one real. On the tables were vases of both fake and real flowers. And the bridal couple had to pose for pictures under two arbors – a plastic one bedecked with fake flowers, the other made of willow with real flowers.

That skirmish could have been avoided, though, since Newenhouse allows couples to pick flowers from gardens or from the edge of the woods.

He also encourages couples to organize organic potlucks.

“Often, I am somewhat successful, sometimes nobody listens,” he says. “Once in a while, they follow my suggestions to the letter. Gradually, people are starting to show a real interest in this type of wedding.”

TIPS FOR A GREEN WEDDING

Instead of using cut flowers that are sprayed with pesticides, use organic flowers grown locally. Hire a local florist or ask a talented friend to make bouquets and arrangements. If the flowers are not in bloom at the time of your wedding, consider using dried flowers such as statice. Most cut flowers sold in the U.S. are grown in Latin American greenhouses and heavily sprayed with toxins and carcinogens that are banned or unregistered in the U.S.
For centerpieces, fill shallow glass bowls with votive candles, ivy or water lilies. Drill holes in driftwood, and fill them with wildflowers. Use potted flowering plants, which guests can take home.
Consult a seasonal food calendar when planning your menu so you can buy locally. Emphasize foods lower on the food chain. Avoid fish and seafood that are in the “red zone” on the Seafood Watch List: www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp.
Instead of buying a bridal or bridesmaid dress made of synthetic fabric, find one made of a natural hemp-silk blend, which drapes softly. Samples of fabric are at Hempen Goods, in Madison, or go to: www.organicweddings.com/wedding_dress/index.html; http://getconscious.com; www.greeneleganceweddings.com. Consider vintage dresses, or rentals. The Bridal Garden is a nonprofit that sells donated couture and designer dresses for 50 to 75 percent off, some of them never worn. Go to: http://bridalgarden.org. Another charity is Brides Against Breast Cancer, www.makingmemories.org/brides_against_breast_cancer.html. For veils, natural silk organza trumps nylon tulle.
It is estimated that up to 5 percent of the retail diamonds were mined in Africa to finance wars, and some are known to finance terrorist organizations. It’s also hard to learn the true provenance of diamonds, and some practices of mining stones or gold are devastating to the environment. Consider cultured diamonds (learn more at www.gemesis.com or www.apollodiamond.com), buying recycled or vintage wedding rings locally or go to: www.greenkarat.com. Eco-friendly groomsmen’s gifts could be something like cufflinks made of old typewriter keys in the men’s initials.
Decorate with boughs from nearby land that’s being cleared. To minimize the need for decoration have the reception at a museum, historical site, botanical garden, nonprofit organization’s retreat or camps where guests can spend the night. In Madison, many people get married in the Capitol, then hold the reception in one of the many restaurants that are within walking distance. In California, lavender farms in full bloom are used for ceremonies and receptions.
Instead of electricity, use soy or beeswax candles. Avoid cheap candles that are petroleum-based and artificially scented candles that often have wicks that release lead into the air.
Unplugged music saves electricity. Young harpists, string quartets or youth orchestras are often easy on the budget.
Transport guests to and from the reception to save gasoline, by bus, trolley, canoe, rowboat, whatever.
Digital photography is preferable to film, because chemicals are not used for processing.
When planning a honeymoon, consider eco-tourism, since $5 billion a year is spent on honeymoon travel. Most cruise ships are notorious for leaving behind nasty debris. Visit www.greeenmap.org.
Less food is wasted when it’s served buffet or family style. Arrange for leftovers to be taken to homeless shelters.
Don’t use disposable products, especially plastics. Rent linens, silverware, glasses, and dishes if the caterer doesn’t provide them. Biodegradable dishes and silverware are also available.
Set tables with vintage linens and vases made of recycled glass; beautiful vases can also be found at thrift shops.
Have the wedding cake made with organic ingredients and flowers.
Set up a Web site for your wedding, to minimize communication on paper.
Use recycled paper for invitations, programs, thank-you notes and place cards. Invitations made of homemade paper embedded with wildflower seeds can be planted, instead of thrown away. Go to www.greenfieldpaper.com.
Give saplings tied with ribbons as favors to guests.
Stock baskets in restrooms at the reception with products like Tom’s of Maine toothpaste, natural mints, Burt’s Bees Lotion, organic cotton personal products.
Register for gifts at local, sustainable businesses, or at fair trade organizations such as Madison-based “A Greater Gift” or 10,000 Villages.
Instead of using wrapping paper, use recycled gift bags or wrap presents in cloth, which can be sewn together in a quilt as a wedding memento.
Rather than using a guest book that will end up in the attic, have guests sign a large acid-free recycled paper panel that can be framed. Put an easy-to-use digital camera there so those attending can photograph themselves.
Serve organic wine and locally made organic beer. Ask bartenders to serve tap water or fountain drinks rather than bottled waters or sodas.

- Compiled by Chris Martell; sources include: “Organic Weddings: Balancing Ecology, Style and Tradition, by Michelle Kozin (New Society Publishers)