Wearing White & Giving Green

With the arrival of May comes the pastel colors of spring & the smell of summer just around the bend. It’s officially the busiest time of year for wedded bliss – and your weekends are packed.

Done are the days of traditional wedding gifts - fancy stemware & china you’ll never use just don’t have heart. And, for your eco-friendly couple, there are far more important things than a pair of sheets with a thread count in the thousands.

Let’s start giving gifts of love & memories. Of adventure and soul. Here are some of our top picks for the day they say “I do”:

1. A Culinary Treat: We love the idea of couples cooking classes… they’re a great way for newlyweds to spend time together post-wedding madness. No matter if your friends are advanced chefs or “I master the microwave” types, there’s always something new to learn. Check out local culinary schools, churches & gourmet stores for some of their latest offerings. Another option is to contact the couple’s most loved restaurants to see if the executive chef holds private classes. Food & love… you can’t go wrong.

2. Wine & Dine: For the wine-loving couple, a membership to the “Wine of the Month Club” is a no-brainer. Based in San Francisco, The Organic Wine Company offers a monthly membership for just $50, and all of their products are made from local & organic grapes. A lovely compliment to this gift is a wine rack made of salvaged wood – sure to be appreciated by your eco-friendly pair.

3. Farm Fresh: One of our favorite green gifts is a CSA farm share. It stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and through a local farm, your newlyweds will be showered with fresh veggies weekly throughout the growing season. Don’t know where to start? LocalHarvest.com is an amazing resource for learning more about CSAs and finding local farms that participate. If your couple wants to learn the garden-growing ropes, an Italian Herb Window set is just the thing. Complete with ceramic pots, organic soil & seeds to plant their favorite herbs…all that’s needed is a sunny spot & some TLC.  

4. Adventure Time: For the Mother Earth mavens, there’s nothing quite like The National Parks & Federal Recreation Lands Annual Pass. For just $80, the pass grants access to each of the 58 national parks and 74 national monuments across the country. Even better? It’s good for a whole year, and just one covers the happy couple in addition to two friends (hint, hint!). And, for when they get home, an artisan-made hammock will be just what the doctor ordered. 

Let's all give the gift of our thoughtful hearts to the ones we love most. Stand mixers are so overrated.

Margaritas & Mother Earth

Tangy margaritas, cheesy quesadillas & spicy salsa dishes… mmmm mmm, we can already taste Cinco de Mayo!

With the holiday just around the corner, there’s sure to be plenty of Mexican-inspired festivities over the next few days...and of course, we can’t let you forget about keeping it green! No, we’re not here to demand you buy all organic or use eco-friendly paper goods. You know the drill. Instead, we thought we’d share a couple of lesser-known tips on reducing your carbon footprint this weekend.

Let’s keep Mother Earth celebrating, too.

      1. Clean up the green way

Think those greasy Lays bags can’t be put to good use? Enter Terracycle: a super innovative green company that collects hard-to-recycle packaging and repurposes it (in really cool ways…i.e. a Doritos wrapper tote is already on our Christmas list). Since 2001, they’ve collected over $2 billion pieces of trash and donated almost $7 million to charity. So, post-party fun, gather up your empty chip bags, endless soda can tabs & capri sun packaging and send it off to Terracycle. Help save the environment, and get an awesome totebag while you’re at it. It’s a win-win.

      2. Take it outside

What better way to enjoy the new found spring days than to take your party outdoors? If you’re planning an afternoon fiesta, the sun is our favorite form of light: it’s natural, warm & best of all – free! A nighttime get together doesn’t need to suck up electricity, either. Just imagine your back patio filled with the aroma of eco-friendly, soy-based candles…cozy, cute and festive.

      3. Pick a potluck

Instead of spending hours in a hot kitchen (and racking up your electric bill), throw a Mexican-inspired potluck. If each guest brings his or her dish in a reusable container, there will be less waste, and less to clean up! In need of a little inspiration? Check out this list of Cinco de Mayo meal ideas (yes, yes those are South of the Border Chicken Tamales…). But, if you’re dead-set on doing all the cooking, a barbeque is the best choice – lump charcoal or propane utilizes the least amount of energy, and is best for the environment. 

And as they say - ¡Viva!