In the spirit of this month’s feature on having a “green” wedding, here are some simple ways to reduce waste and increase your eco-friendliness.

1. Skip the unnecessary/non-meaningful stuff. Not only will it help your budget not purchasing/making things that you really don’t want or need is an excellent way to reduce the waste you (and your guests) output.

2. Go seasonal. Using seasonal decor, flowers, and food is a beautiful way to reduce your impact. By using in-season flowers and produce, you’ll support local growers who are not wasting fuel and resources to fly or ship goods to the US (or wherever you live).

3. Go local. Related to #2 above, use local resources whenever you can. Not only are you boosting your local economy, by not shipping in (or traveling to) supplies from out of area, you’re reducing fuel consumption.

4. Shop independent retailers. Not every indie retailer is green, of course. However, there are an abundance of retailers who specialize in eco-friendly products or who are committed to operating a green business. Some of the big box retailers are among the world’s worst polluters (either through their own waste or through the waste their 3rd world suppliers produce).

5. Use recycled paper for your stationery. It’s easy to find quality, recycled papers and cardstock and using it (recycled paper) impacts the Earth in a meaningful way. Did you know:

[quote]1 Ton of 100% Recycled Paper Saves:

  • 17 trees
  • 7000 gallons of water
  • 4100 kwh of energy, enough to power the average home for 6 months
  • 60 pounds of air pollution
  • 2.5 cubic yards of landfill space[/quote]

6. Use other recycled materials. Have you ever wondered what other brides do with those 17 fishbowls they bought for their centerpieces? How about decorations? Couture wedding gowns? Books and magazines? You can get a lot the pre-loved wedding goods for free or on the cheap. Check out: Freecycle.org, craigslist.org, and eBay.com for freebies/deals. Or drop into the forums at DIY Bride and post your freebies or search for used items.

7. Something borrowed. Don’t spend cash in tools, gadgets, or other wedding stuff that you won’t use after the wedding. Instead, borrow! You’re not only saving money and reducing waste, you’re creating tradition and heirlooms. Recently married friends and family probably have things you can borrow like veils, tiaras, jewelry, ring pillows, cufflinks. Your crafty pals may have things like paper cutters, a good printer, rubber stamps, paper punches and other craft tools.

8. Give earth-friendly favors and gifts. If you’re set on giving favors, use recycled packaging and give things that support being green. Donations to conservation agencies are awesome. Planting a tree in your guests’ names is a beautiful gesture.

9. Reduce the amount of travel you and your guests must do. Hold your ceremony and reception at the same venue or in places that are close by. Keep your venue(s) near the hotels your out-of-town guests will be staying at. Provide transportation to and from the wedding for groups of guests (carpool!). Let guests know how to get to your wedding via public transportation.

10. Go paperless! Not only is the world wide interweb an excellent tool for finding great resources, it’s a convenient and eco-friendly way to communicate with your guests and vendors. Send save-the-dates via email, have your guests RSVP online instead of sending snail mail cards back to you, have your vendors send contracts and materials as PDF forms, and create virtual wedding newsletters for your wedding party.

Got more tips and ideas? Please share!