Green Your Theme Seattle! A Carbon Neutral Event

By: Karin Bigelow

A case-study in action, great efforts towards maintaining a carbon-neutral level have gone in to Green Your Theme Seattle! The September 16, 2009, event began with choosing an eco friendly locale, Sodo Park. This venue takes the lead in implementing practices that leave the smallest carbon footprint on the environment.

Next, all vendors involved reflect practices in sustainability. For example, Appel Farms of Ferdale, WA, supplying fresh cheddar cheese curds apply a common sense approach including cover crops to prevent soil erosion and run-off of nutrients. They also have a waste management plan that includes soil testing and injection of composted manure directly into the ground. Injecting allows efficient use so less is needed.

A great deal of CO2 is emitted from paper decomposing in landfills. This event is paying special attention to reducing the amount of paper used, including a simple request to vendors: supply your info for inclusion in the Green Event Directory, a one-sheeter that lists ways to access the caterers, wineries, and event specialists involved in the Panel Discussion.

As the evening progresses, experts involved in the Panel Discussion share solutions they’ve incorporated during such events as Mariner’s Zero Waste Day this past Earth Day.

Recycling is reflected throughout the designs in the Eco-Fashion Show, beer cups are biodegradable, lanyards are reusable and the music for the LED lit dancefloor is digital. Throughout the event, networking will provoke conversations around developing new solutions that protect the natural world while growing the economy.

Finally, to offset the carbon emissions used, three tons of CO2 were permanently retired from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) program, the nation’s first multi-state effort to make measurable reductions in carbon emissions.

Sources:

http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/eco-calculator
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/agnic/agnic.htm#definition
http://adirondackcouncil.org/

Tips for a Green Wedding

By: Annika Hipple

We tend to associate weddings with the color white, but it’s time to shift perspective and start thinking of them in terms of the color green.

Starting with the wedding gown, consider the three R’s; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Does it really make sense to buy a brand-new dress for a single occasion? Greener alternatives include buying or renting a gently used gown, or borrowing one from a relative or friend. If a new dress is necessary, there’s a wide variety of wedding gowns available in earth friendly, organic fabrics. For inspiration, consider attending the eco-fashion show September 16 at Green Your Theme Seattle! After the wedding, many charities welcome donated gowns (and give a nice tax write-off for the good gesture).

Now, the guests. Some wedding planners suggest that couples utilize e-mail invitations to eliminate paper altogether. For traditional postal invitations, there are options of paper made from 100-percent recycled fibers and printed with natural soy ink. Another great idea is plantable invitations that guests can pop into the ground, where they’ll gradually biodegrade, leaving beautiful wildflowers to grow in their place. These specialty papers are also great for wedding programs, place cards, menus, and thank-you notes.

For bouquets and decorations, look for organic, locally grown flowers and greens. Decorative centerpieces made from recycled and renewable materials such as twigs, scrap metal, and recycled glass are also available. Simple baskets of colorful fruit, gourds, or greenery make great seasonal decorations.

Many couples are marrying with a good many possessions already. Rather than registering for gifts, some are choosing to request donations to a favorite charity or asking for experiential gifts such as dinners, theater tickets, weekend getaways. Wedding planners have a vast array of suggestions for these.

For additional resources and ideas on eco-fashion, local wedding resources, and sustainable gifts, make sure to come to Green Your Theme Seattle on this Wednesday, September 16, at the fabulous Sodo Park venue. The event will feature a panel discussion representing green event case studies presented by The Woodland Park Zoo and The Mariners; opportunities to network with event planners; an eco-fashion show; great tastings of food, beer, and wine; followed by music for the dance floor, provided by Seattle’s first Green DJ.

Check out the Green Event Directory!

An Eco-Bite of Seattle

A Loaf of Bread…
By: Karin Bigelow

It’s been a growth process, helping produce Green Your Theme Seattle! Gathering eco-friendly experts together for the Sept 16 event at Sodo Park meant working with those who’ve been dedicated to sustainable business practices. People who love their work. Willa Cather once said, “That is happiness: to be dissolved into something complete and great.”

What a perfect description of those involved with everything from the indoor venue to the local cream for the coffee. Essentials for a successful party have always included good food, and here it is front and center. The organic caterers, farms, chefs and venue owners contributing to this event have implemented ways to green their methods, from reducing miles of transported ingredients, to sustainable farming, to using organic resources. Included among the eco friendly local food suppliers:

• Herban Feast
• Madres Kitchen
• Ravishing Radish Catering
• Essential Baking
• Mt Townsend Creamery
• Cascadian Farm
• Appel Farms
• Honest Tea
• Twin Brook Creamery
• Caffe Vita

The tasty treats run from healthy granola bars for those daycation snacks, to delectable hors d’oeuvres, to the bread, another main ingredient in those three called for in the saying, “a loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou.”

There will be wine tastings. And the “thou’s”  include all attendees, the wedding planners, the event coordinators, the meeting organizers, all those who love what they do. This event is aimed to those who are moving towards to a deeper shade of green awareness. At best, growing is a lifelong process. The gathering that highlights practices for keeping that growth process sustainable is Green Your Theme Seattle!

Taste, mingle and learn at this carbon neutral event, Sept 16, 2009.

6 Ways to Green Venue Events

By: Annika Hipple

If you’re a venue manager seeking to make your location as eco-friendly as possible, there are a lot of things you can do. For a comprehensive effort, you may want to consider going for certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings system, which deals with sustainable features of the physical structure, or programs like Green Globe or Green Seal, both of which focus on operations and business practices.

Even if you’re not ready to seek certification, there are still many steps you can take to make your venue more sustainable. Here are some simple actions to start with.

1. Go local and organic. Use local suppliers to avoid the environmental costs of transporting supplies over long distances. Look for organic and local food and work with sustainable caterers such as Seattle’s Herban Feast. For drinks, seek out certified sustainable wineries and local organic microbreweries, both of which abound in the Pacific Northwest.
2. Choose reusable supplies. Avoid bottled water in favor of water served from pitchers (into reusable cups, of course). Opt for reusable dinnerware and table linens, or at the very least compostable plates, napkins, utensils, and tablecloths. Of course, recycle any glass, aluminum, paper, plastic, and cardboard that you can’t reuse. Look for options to recycle cooking grease into fuel.
3. Use energy- and water-efficient appliances and fixtures. Install water-conserving sinks and toilets. Use light-emitting diode (LED) lighting displays rather than traditional bulbs. They burn brighter and longer than traditional bulbs but use only a fraction of the energy. Turn off lights in rooms when they are not being used.
4. Give away your leftovers. Donate leftover food to local food banks, homeless shelters, or other appropriate organizations. Compost what you can’t pass on.
5. Minimize paper usage. Go paperless wherever possible. Don’t make unnecessary printouts, and use paper with a high recycled content when you do need to print. For set-menu meals, consider displaying the menu on a chalkboard or by projection. In bathrooms, use toilet paper and hand towels with a high recycled-paper content.
6. Use environmentally friendly cleaning and paints. Many traditional cleaners and paints are high in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which release low-level toxic emissions into the air, often for long periods of time. Use natural, non-toxic cleaners for floors, carpets, kitchens, and bathrooms. Opt for low- or zero-VOC paints and finishes.

For more ways to go green, check out next week’s Green Your Theme Seattle event at Herban Feast’s sustainable SODO (indoor) venue. It’s an event filled with great green ideas, eco-friendly vendors, and plenty of good food and fun.

Green Your Theme Seattle! Press Release

For Immediate Release
Press Contact: Jessie Upp (jupp@GreenYourTheme.com), 206-841-9917, http://Seattle.GreenYourTheme.com

“Green Your Theme Seattle!”

Edutainment event featuring successful Green Event Planners, local wine tasting, regional food sampling, entertainment and green resources to reduce an event’s carbon footprint.

September 7, 2009 – Seattle, WA – Proving economy, class and a carbon neutral time can all come together, “Green Your Theme Seattle!” includes much beyond the usual ‘meet and greet’ networking opportunity. The event set for September 16 is a tandem effort between www.GreenYourTheme.com and the Association of Bridal Consultants. While connecting event planners with suppliers of resources to stimulate the new green economy, the event goal is to kick off necessary conversations to produce the greenest events in the United States.

With a standing capacity of 300 at Seattle’s eco-friendly indoor venue, Sodo Park, this soirée includes a panel discussion, food & wine tasting, eco fashion show and dancing.

The panel discussion will showcase best practices on creating sustainable events. Featured panelists include Jill Hashimoto, Mariners Director of Event Sales & Marketing: Heather Smith Teegarden, fundraiser for the Woodland Park Zoo: Gabriel Scheer of Seattle Green Drinks: Rachel Hall of Hollywood Lighting: Ms. Mike Thomas of Margo Wendorf & Associates and Nancy Skipton with Simply Celebrations & Events.

Additionally, Washington State and organic wineries are offering samples as caterers move through the crowd with trays of local food appetizers.

Fashion Show Organizer, Shyla Wilcynski of Consciously-Chic is presenting the Eco Fashion Show by Marge Design.

And then dancing to Bamboo Beats on an LED lit dance rounds up the evening for networking between event planners, vendors, sustainability experts, Corporate Responsibility Program Leaders and carbon neutral business neophytes.

“We recognize venues, vendors and product suppliers have made significant commitments to greening their offerings,” said Jessie Upp, Founder of GreenYourTheme.com. “Climate change has finally become a business imperative and this event goes hand-in-hand with educating and connecting planners with vendors to create green events. This is going to be proof that environmental responsibility can be a first class party!”

To balance out energy used, a Carbon Reduction Certificate from the Adirondack Council was donated which permanently retires Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) pollution allowances, representing the right to release three tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This helps reduce the amount of climate-altering carbon pollution in our atmosphere and protecting ecologically sensitive places like the Adirondack Park.

“This helps us leave less of a carbon footprint. More like a carbon toe print,“ laughs Karin Bigelow, Facilitator at GreenYourTheme.com. “We are located in the midst of some of the finest wineries right here in Washington State, we have easy access to excellent regional food products and the Pacific Northwest is home to a lively, aware population who want to know more. At the end of the evening, the crowd will walk, carpool and mass transit their way out of this gathering having learned, sampled, viewed eco friendly fashions and enjoyed dancing. What a great way to Go Green!”

Tickets are available for $40 online at Brown Paper Tickets, “The First and Only Fair Trade Ticketing Company”
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/73979
Tickets at the door will be available for $50.

For more information on this event, visit http://seattle.greenyourtheme.com

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16 Reasons to Attend Green Your Theme Seattle!

Did we hear you wanted 16 reasons to attend this September 16th B2B event? Your wish has been granted!! If you have more, please do comment below.

Who might you see at this unique event? Click here.

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1. Learn how other event producers have “greened” their events as our panelists present their concrete tips and local resources.
2. Help kick off the necessary conversations needed for Seattle to produce the greenest events in the United States.
3. Promote your green event expertise and/or offering with respect to the environment.
4. Taste delicious appetizers, guided by principles of sustainability.
5. Learn NEW ways to manage “Reduce-Reuse-Recycle” for your future events.
6. Learn about new eco-friendly resources in and around Seattle.
7. Share your own eco-tips, sources and future ideas on green events while you network.
8. Sample outstanding local and sustainable wines, beer and beverages.
9. Watch eco-fashion models strut down the runway, featuring local designer up-cycled clothing and accessories.
10. Increase your eco-community circle.
11. Learn new ways of reducing waste, water and energy at events, both large and small.
12. Tap into the local farming community for sourcing fresh and local eco-friendly ingredients.
13. Show your dance moves on the funky LED dance floor.
14. Connect with and learn how to source green event planners, vendors and venues on GreenYourTheme.com.
15. Learn how to measure and lower your event’s carbon footprint.
16. Last Reason: It’s on September 16th!

RSVP Today!

RSVP early to ensure listing in our printed directory for this B2B event.

<strong>Attend this B2B event to…</strong>

<ol>

<li>Help kick off the necessary conversations needed for Seattle to produce the <strong>greenest events</strong> in the United   States.</li>

<li>Promote your green event expertise and/or offering with respect to the environment.</li>

<li>Taste delicious appetizers, guided by principles of sustainability.</li>

<li>Learn NEW ways to manage “Reduce-Reuse-Recycle” for your future events.</li>

<li>Learn about new eco-friendly resources in and around Seattle.</li>

<li>Share your own eco-tips, sources and future ideas on green events.</li>

<li>Sample outstanding local and sustainable wines, beer and beverages.</li>

<li>Watch eco-fashion strut down the runway, featuring local designer up-cycled clothing.</li>

<li>Increase your eco-community circle.</li>

<li>Learn new ways of reducing waste, water and energy at events, both large and small.</li>

<li>Connect in-person with the exhibitors found on GreenYourTheme.com</li>

<li>Tap into the local farming community for sourcing fresh and local eco-friendly ingredients.</li>

<li>Show your dance moves on the funky LED dance floor.</li>

<li>Learn how to source green event planners, vendors and venues on GreenYourTheme.com.</li>

<li>Learn how to measure and lower your event’s carbon footprint.</li>

<li>Last Reason: It’s on September 16th!</li>

</ol>

<strong><a href=”http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/73979&#8243; target=”_blank”>RSVP Today!</a></strong>

<em>RSVP early to ensure listing in our printed directory for this B2B event.</em>