How to Go 'Eco' with Your Eats
Don’t want your I Do dinner to negatively impact the planet? “If every couple committed just half of their food and drink budget to buying local and organic products, it would generate an additional $15-billion worth of green business!” says Kate Harrison, author of “The Green Bride Guide: How to Plan an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget” (Sourcebooks, 2008), whose site GreenBrideGuide offers resources for finding a like minded caterer (Harrison also recommends looking at DineGreen.com and LocalHarvest.org).
Even if you can’t go 100-percent organic, using all or mostly in-season local or regional foods will decrease the carbon footprint of your meal while increasing the yum factor – think lobster or clam chowder in New England, or locally raised barbecue and fresh corn in the south.
When stocking a green bar, again, look to local spirit, wine and beer producers, or explore your organic options. For beer, Harrison recommends Wolaver’s Fine Organic Ales, Peak Organic Brewing Company (try the Nut Brown Ale!) and Fish Brewing Company, which provides links to fish-conservation groups on their website. For wine, she suggests looking to fair trade and/or organic boxed wines – there are now some really good ones available and they’re easier to recycle.
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