Lovely Earth Hour wedding, Veggie/sustainable Caterer at the Market Kitchen

We had a lovely sunset wedding at the Market Kitchen at the St Lawrence Market, and turned out the lights for Earth Hour.  The caterers were LOIC GOURMET, not far away, @ 722 Queen Street East.  The food was thoughtful and lovely, both vegan, vegetarian and/or sustainable - butterfish on rice cakes for one appetizer, and they used biodegradable service, eco cleaners, etc.  See them at LoicGourmet.ca

NOW Magazine: Fair Trade Jewellery Co.

NOW Magazine: Store of the Week: Fair Trade Jewellery Co.

Fair Trade JewelleryCo. "FTJCo are proud to be North America's first registered Operator for Fairtrade Fairmined Gold & Platinum, crafting stunning jewellery that matters. Certified by Fairtrade International and the Alliance for Responsible Mining, the metal in our rings supports communities employing artisanal mining processes and contributes to preserving the ecology of Colombia's priceless Chocó rainforest". (from their website)
"Owner and designer Ryan Taylor works with 18 karat gold and platinum to create a collection of rings and custom pieces that range from classic to contemporary. Ethics and eco-friendliness aside, Taylor wants FTJ to be known for its sense of style and craftsmanship, as in the smithing skills required to forge a new grouping of tricky tension-set rings.  Taylor encourages clients to think about using vintage or inherited stones in custom settings. (CBC also recently mentioned) A documentary on FTJ’s website about Taylor’s 2008 visit to the Chocó rainforest in Colombia where the fair trade metals are mined."

ChocoSol - fair trade and environmental bliss

ChocoSol - chocolate bliss
The enterprise was born out of Michael Sacco's experiences in Mexico. There he learned about the qualities of various native cacao beans and traditional processes of grinding and preparation. ChocoSol uses those same methods, including stone-grinding its fair trade beans, at its Yonge and Wellesley kitchen. ..ChocoSol's chocolate bars and sipping chocolate are available for purchase right from their kitchen, though it does much of its selling at local farmer's markets. (And Brickworks - see comments)
The team tries to use as little packaging as possible, and while the kitchen does have some hemp bags and other products in which you can take home your chocolate ($20 minimum purchase) they encourage you to bring your own Tupperware or some other reusable container.
"We want this to be as environmentally friendly as possible," McFadden tells me. Actually, the team is in the midst of creating what they hope will be Toronto's greenest kitchen. The zero-waste kitchen, which would also produce other products such as tortillas, granola, and pie, would rely on petal, solar, and other renewable sources of power, as well as serve as a community hub and learning environment. Though McFadden says the location is "top-secret," he hopes it will be up and running in time for summer solstice.

Growing With the Grain: Sustainable Wood Choices for Your Home

Growing With the Grain: Sustainable Wood Choices for Your Home
[note: this is an article from GreenBride. I'm not sure I agree with all these choices - especially because of the import footprint and labour concerns - m]
Wood is a prized material for home goods, furniture and décor because it is versatile, durable and gorgeous. Finely crafted wooded pieces can be handed down through generations, and are full of natural irregularities that enhance their finishes. Like all natural resources, timber supplies have been stretched thin, and it is more important than ever to support sustainably harvested and renewable sources. Luckily, there are many to choose from! Here are some stunning, eco-friendly choices options to consider:

Mango
The mango tree bears fruit for about 40 years, and is then cut down by farmers to make room for new seedlings. Many times, local artisans use the wood of these felled trees to carve one-of-a-kind pieces.
Mango wood has a diverse range of color in its grains, revealed best by carving and cutting pieces by hand. And, because mango is the fastest growing hard wood used for furniture production, it is often less costly than other options. The sale of these goods supports the local economies they come from and the sustainable production of the mango fruit.
Acacia
The acacia tree, native to Asia, is prized for its rich brown and gold lumber. Local artisans used the wood of the acacia trees to hand carve unique products, as it also has a diverse range of colors in its grains. The acacia family provides a fast-growing renewable wood source.  
Teak

So often logging practices are incredibly harmful to the local ecology, disrupting and loosening soil, altering flooding patterns and decreasing diversity of habitat. However, as the demand for teak wood rises, so does the occurance of sustainably managed plantation teak. The teak wood used in manufacturing often becomes available as a result of the thinning process necessary to maintain the health of the teak plantation. The use of reclaimed wood decreases the pressure on virgin forests.

Often times, tree stumps are left behind by logging operations, the removal of which allows faster re-growth of newly planted seedlings. This provides another source of reclaimed wood that can be transformed into unique pieces. Root wood items showcase the wild grain patterns and natural shapes of their root stock.

Forest Stewardship Council Certified
Though some varieties of trees are naturally more renewable than others, any forest can be managed sustainably to produce lumber in an environmentally responsible way. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world's forests. FSC certified products assure customers that they come from forests that meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.

Green Wedding, Green Valentine's Day

Here is a checklist from Environment Canada originally designed for Ecologically Friendly Valentines Day gifts. But the advice works just as well for weddings - when buying the following items, think about these guidelines:

Chocolate
Chocolate has traveled long distances before it is conveniently available in most stores. Also, pesticides are widely used to grow conventional cocoa beans. In fact, according to Pesticide Awareness Network, the amount of pesticide used to grow cocoa is second only to cotton. Not to mention the extravagant packaging!

Environmentally conscious chocolate: buying local is not an option. However, you can look for items that have little packaging and are Fair Trade certified, organic and shade grown. Tip: If you purchase Fair Trade certified chocolate, there are pretty good chances it will also be organic and/or shade grown.

Flowers
Conventional flowers are grown in foreign countries and travel long distances to get here. Environmental standards a less stringent in some of these countries which can result in heavy use of pesticides, harming the environment, the workers’ health and your own.

Environmentally conscious flowers: To reduce the environmental impact, you can purchase organic, locally grown flowers this Holiday. Better yet, why not offer your loved one a potted plant for a longer lasting gift? If local flowers are not available, you can always purchase Fair Trade certified flowers.

Wine
Depending on the wine you choose, it may have traveled long distances to get to your local liquor store and pesticides may also have been used during production.

Environmentally conscious wine: To reduce the environmental impact, choose a local wine. Consult the Wines of Canada website for a list of wines available in your province. Buy organic wines; Wines of Canada also lists the organic options available in different provinces. If the selection of local wine is not to your liking, you can always purchase Fair Trade certified wine.

An interesting debate on wine packaging is currently taking place… On one hand, bag-in-box wine seems to be the best choice since the packaging takes less energy to produce and transport which results in a much smaller carbon footprint. On the other hand, end-of-life recycling options for bottled wine seem to be the better of the two. When in doubt, buy local!

Candles
Conventional candles are made with paraffin wax which is a petroleum by-product, and is therefore non-renewable. Furthermore, these candles produce black soot when they burn which affects the air quality in your home. Depending on where your candle was produced, some candles may have a lead wick that further decreases indoor air quality.

Environmentally conscious candles: Soy bean candles and beeswax candles are made with renewable resources and they burn cleaner and longer. Many stores offer alternative candles produced in Canada.

Jewelry
Why buy new jewelry, when you can choose pre-owned jewelry from a vintage shop? Another option is to buy recycled jewelry, such as jewelry made from post-consumer gold. (see nodirtygold.com)

lab-grown gem uses engaged couple's locks in eco-friendly ring

lab-grown gem uses engaged couple's locks in eco-friendly ring
(posted for interest, not verified in any way)
the DNA2Diamond uses the hair of the betrothed couple as a carbon source to make an eco-friendly, lab-created diamond in just 70 days, according to PR-inside.com. Aimed at "green" brides and grooms, it does not negatively impact the environment the way mined diamonds do.

Typically, diamond mines remove some 275 tons of ore in order to make a one-carat, gem-quality polished diamond, says PR-inside.com. But lab-grown diamonds rely on the lovely locks of the couple.

"Laboratory grown diamonds do not come from a mine," DNA2Diamonds president Tom Bischoff said. "That simple fact is of growing importance to more environmentally and socially aware brides making DNA2Diamonds the 'green' bride's choice."

His gems can be made in a variety of cuts and colors, including red, warm cognac and dazzling blue. And they come in sizes ranging from 0.25 carats to 2.0 carats. Best of all for cash-strapped grooms, they cost a fraction of what a mined diamond does.