Eco only gifts please...

Instead of spending money on gifts that we really don’t need we want all our guests to give us an “eco-gift”. An eco-gift can be anything that helps reduce our overall footprint on our beloved planet earth. It’s a gift to our world per say, but remember your current eco friendly habits don’t count... only new and fresh eco-gifts are acceptable. Creative gifts that require more thought are favored over stereotypical donation type gifts but certainly anything and everything helps.

This is going to get interactive...

We would like to add each and every eco-gift to our website well in advance of our wedding date (but procrastinators won’t be turned away). This will serve two key functions. One, it will help to show everyone what our awesome guests are capable of, and two, it will create of pool of eco ideas that others can implement in the future in addition to their existing eco-gifts. In addition to Brock building everyone a page within our website, our MC for the wedding (George Pololos) will be sharing the most creative eco-gift ideas during the reception.

Below is a list of eco-gift ideas to help spark your imagination...

1.  Go carbon neutral! Neutralize your annual driving emissions as well as all the traveling you do! For more information see the section of our site called Carbon Neutral.

2.  Start composting. Did you know that you don’t need a yard to do this? If you live in an apartment it still can be done by worm bin composting.

3.  Use wind-power or solar panels for your home as an energy alternative.

4.  Replace your vehicle with a hybrid or diesel car. Diesel cars can be fueled with biodiesel.  Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. It is made by chemically combining any natural oil or fat with an alcohol such as methanol or ethanol.

5.  Make your home eco/power-smart by purchasing energy-efficient appliances, and/or implement a list such as the one below.

6.  Start a sustainability committee at your workplace.   Decide what you need to change and implement it immediately. Some ideas are efficient recycling, office composting, using eco-friendly cleaning products,  using fabric hand towels instead of paper ones, paper-free communication, replacing your appliances and light bulbs with energy-efficient ones.

7.  Create a sustainable neighborhood committee.  Get your neighbors on board with having power-smart homes, pesticide-free gardens, recycling, composting,  and offsetting their emissions.

An example of a sustainable To-Do list: (Doing this would be considered an "Eco Gift")

• Recycle everything possible (paper hole punch bits of paper, tags off clothing – everything!)Visit your local recycling depot website to find out how to get started. Almost all packaging to items we buy these days is recyclable.
• Use earth-friendly cleaning products, including laundry soap, dish soap, and household cleaners (bring your old cleaning products to your local recycling depot)
• Use earth-friendly body products and cosmetics, including toothpaste! (donate your old ones to a women’s shelter)
• Shop for groceries with re-usable shopping bags
• Replace all the light bulbs in your home with energy-saving CFLs. They are more costly up front but will save you a ton of money in the long run.
• Buy local and organic foods as often as possible. Every little bit counts.
• It’s hard to remember this one but bring your own coffee mug to fill up when you go out for coffee.  It saves cups!

Get Started Early