Want to Go Green? 

How to reduce your carbon footprint as a wedding pro

As a business owner, making sure you are efficient with your time, money, and resources has likely been on your radar a time or two. Because, when it comes to some of the choices you have to make, you are often tasked with making decisions that impact not just your bottom line but the environment as well. Should I buy the plastic or biodegradable option? Can I start using chicken wire over floral foam? But, the truth is, the seemingly small and mundane choices you make everyday add up, and in a time where the conversations around sustainability aren’t limited to political policy, it is important for everyone to look at ways they can use their resources not just more efficiently but most. So, if learning how to reduce your carbon footprint has ever made its way onto your list of things to do, this piece is for you! Read on for ideas to help your wedding business go green. 

How wedding venues can go green

There are lots of opportunities for wedding pros to run their businesses more sustainably but especially wedding venues! Not because venue owners are doing a terrible job; rather because there are so many ways to transform a physical space into one that is more environmentally friendly. Here are a few ideas on where you can start as a venue:

• Provide recycling bins for clients at their weddings and events (it’s hard for everyone else to recycle if there is not a separate bin for it)
• Use natural light where possible—your local photographers will also thank you for this 
• Installing programmable thermostats to help you save on heating or cooling costs
• Install lighting sensors to reduce electricity use 
• Rethink or redesign some of your landscaping with drought-resistant plants
• Consider using pervious concrete to reduce storm runoff (a major contributor to water pollution after a rain)

How caterers can be more eco-friendly

Catering companies have a unique opportunity to incorporate eco-friendly practices into how they serve clients because of their relationship to food sources. Agriculture has a tremendous impact on the environment and there are big and small ways caterers can go green: 

• Build relationships with local farmers and source product close to home
  • Present vegan or vegetarian meal options to all clients
  • Go organic and seasonal when possible
• Compost food scraps from your prep
• Purchase and use biodegradable serveware
• Invest in energy and water efficient equipment for your kitchen

How wedding planners can plan green weddings

Wedding planners touch almost every aspect of a wedding and, therefore, can have a lot of influence over how green a wedding might be. And, in addition to recommending vendors who are also making sustainable choices and presenting clients with greener choices, planners can also:

• Help couples find a venue that can accommodate both the ceremony and reception to reduce travel
• Budget for and arrange shuttle services for guests when possible
• Encourage couples to rent decor over buying it to reduce waste

How florists can go-green

Similar to caterers, florists operate near the world of agriculture and have both big and everyday ways they can make their operations more eco-friendly. Here are a few ideas about what you can do as a florist:

• Compost your floral scraps as well as old arrangements
• Encourage your couples to use seasonal flowers in their designs
• Source locally grown flowers when possible to reduce how far they have to be transported from the farm
• Reduce or eliminate your use of floral foam
• Think about purchasing electric or hybrid vehicles for your business

How stationery designers can be more eco-friendly

When it comes to wedding pros who can live the “recycle” part of reduce, reuse, and recycle, stationery designers have lots of ways to reduce their carbon footprint! 

• Encourage couples to reduce how much paper they need to use with digital save the dates, digital RSVPs, and even double-sided printing
• Find and purchase recycled paper when appropriate
• Trade or sell blank overs from projects instead of throwing them away
• Work with a printing partner who prioritizes the environment

Ways all wedding pros can reduce their carbon footprint

Regardless of how you help couples plan their big day, there are ways that every wedding pro can make their business more sustainable! Here are some easy to implement ideas to get you started:

• Go paperless whenever possible
• When you do need paper, get post-consumer recycled paper
• Swap out the light bulbs in your office or studio from incandescent to compact fluorescent
• Stock the kitchen with reusable glasses, plates, utensils to reduce single-use products
• Get a reusable water filter instead of stocking the refrigerator with bottled water
• Use eco-friendly cleaning products that don’t use harsh chemicals
• Make the effort to properly dispose of electronic waste
• Put a recycle bin in multiple areas to make recycling easy

Being more sustainable starts with small changes and we hope you’re ready to implement some of these ideas yourself! Want to hear about ways other wedding pros are working with couples to plan eco-friendly weddings? Be sure to check out this article about how to plan a green wedding!

Photo Credit: Maksym Fesenko/Shutterstock.com