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Green Wedding Directory launches as new "Yellow Pages" of eco-friendly wedding resources
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Hoping to plan a green wedding but don’t know where to turn to for vendors who are as eco-conscious as you are?
Now you can simply let your fingers do the walking — and clicking — on the newly launched Green Wedding Directory.
The feature was released this week on the Green Bride Guide’s website, and is touted as the largest and most comprehensive eco-friendly wedding resource online with more than 250 vendors and growing.
“It’s really like a yellow pages for green weddings,” says Kate Harrison, creator of the Green Bride Guide book and website. A review of Harrison’s book was featured in this column in the July 16th article The Green Bride Guide Offers Sage Green Advice for Eco-friendly Weddings.
Harrison asserts that, “More than 50% of the wedding budget is spent on the local level, so we wanted to give couples easy access to green choices in their area, based on local services like caterers, photographers and florists.”
The directory has a number of categories to search including: green bakeries, hotels, recycling and donations, and travel and honeymoon services. Therefore, environmentally-minded couples can find everything from restaurants that serve local, organic food to limo companies using hybrid vehicles.
You can narrow down your search for green vendors not just by state, but also by distance from your home — from 25 to 500 miles from your zip code. The directory doesn’t just cover the United States, but also Canada and the United Kingdom, which are territories that have also seen exponential growth in green weddings recently.
A Tool for Supporting Your Local Green Economy
Harrison says making the directory searchable by radius is “important in helping to reduce the carbon footprint of a wedding” because couples are able to use services right in their own backyards, so to speak. She views at it as an essential tool for couples looking to support the local green economy
Those in the Bay Area may find a number of green services that they can choose from. This, however, is not the case in many places around the country. In a recent survey of brides-to-be in the United States, 65% say they have trouble locating green vendors in their locale. And, almost 70% report that they would like to buy more green products for their wedding but don't know where to look online. That’s why Harrison created the Green Wedding Directory.
Leaf Rating System
Harrison says all the vendors in the Green Wedding Directory database have to go through published screening criteria. The Green Bride Guide screens vendors using its own Five Leaf Rating System.
Green companies and service providers can earn a leaf for each of the following:
- Mission: a mission statement that outlines their commitment to the environment
- Type of company: a non-profit or independent artisan selling only handmade products
- Certifications: green certification or membership with certain “trust providers” like Green America or the Fair Trade Federation
- Eco-Friendly: exclusively producing or carrying eco-friendly products
- Practices: incorporating at least five of the following at their place of business — recycling, composting, CFL lights, work in LEED certified building, 1% For the Planet, Energy Star Appliances, powered by alternative energy, carbon offsetting, recycled paper packaging, biodegradable cleaners, or recycled paper products
Harrison says, although there are five leaves, it is rare that more than three will apply to any given vendor. The rating system was constructed to help couples understand what green business practices the vendors are employing.
The directory is set up so that vendors self-report on their practices. However, if the Green Bride Guide hears from couples who find that a vendor is not truthful — or greenwashing — it will immediately be pulled from the directory.
Other Features
Each search in the Green Wedding Directory utilizes Google Maps to show the locations of the vendors in the search results.
In addition to listing green practices and a statement of its green commitments, each vendor profile also provides basic contact information, websites and, of course, ratings and reviews.
Harrison says, "I am hopeful that by making the experience easier, I will not only help brides connect with local green vendors, but I will make going green the easy, obvious choice.” We hope so, too!
~ ~ Win a Signed Copy of the Green Bride Guide! ~ ~
Become a fan of Greener Ever After on Facebook and share why you're inspired by green weddings on our discussion board — and you could WIN A FREE, signed copy of Kate Harrison’s "Green Bride Guide." Click here to enter.
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