Much like the rest of the “green” industry that sort of appeared overnight, the eco-friendly wedding planner industry jumped onto the scene. Along with that, and it seems to be a “which came first- the chicken or the egg” type of a question - the Green Event Planning Industry. Now, I must admit that at first I wondered how much of an event could actually be green, as opposed to the Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards or whatever event it was a few years back that “went green” by buying carbon credits that essentially paid for some trees to be planted somewhere in the underdeveloped world.

Unimpressive, nonetheless appreciated.

But after getting into the green event planning industry a bit more and going to a “green event” or two, I realized just how much more eco-friendly an event can be when someone with an eye and little bit of green event know-how organizes the event. For starters, call up Seventh Generation. Eco-friendly disposable spoons, plates, cleaners - you name it- they’ve got it. And that is officially the end of my green event expertise - from here I would recommend getting in touch with Susan Angel with Angel & Company. Her organization is based in the beautiful Boise, ID area and can walk you through how to make your tying-the-knot, or any other type of event, more eco-friendly and socially responsible.

Just what all goes into making an event green? Check out this PDF that Duke University uses called “Duke Green Event Planning Guide” - it is only 4 pages long but serves as a good starting point of things to consider to make your event more eco-friendly. Want to read a very interesting blog about green event planning? Check out greeneventshop.com and you can learn more about how the Democratics are trying to make composting a big part of making their upcoming party convention in Denver a Green event.