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.

Brickworks Culinary Wedding

An urban country wedding - thestar.com
[WE had been wondering  about  weddings at the Brickworks, as it's just down the hill from our house.. and lo, it's beginning.....]

".... Streiman, 30, and Epstein, 31, love food. There really is no overstating that. And so, their wedding is about fresh, local food, country living, family, and the Jewish faith, perfectly packaged together in an old industrial building at the Evergreen Brick Works, along the Don Valley.

Birds chirp and bees buzz at the old brickyard, which has been turned into a community environment centre but still has faded bricks and shattered windows. Fruits trees and tomato plants are tagged for sale nearby...(Guests) mingle over bread, cured beef and duck, sheep’s milk cheeses and fruit laid out on tables covered in burlap sacks. They sip beer and water out of mason jars that will later be used for canning... Last December, the couple bought a 40-hectare farm in Maple Valley, not far from renowned chef Michael Stadtlander’s Eigensinn Farm and the town of Creemore. They plan to open a bed and breakfast called Mad Maple Farm, with comfortable suites, farm-to-table brunches, cooking classes and foraging expeditions. Their urban wedding is the beginning of their foray into the country. Roughly 20 chefs are preparing an incredible meal at five stations set up in plain view of the guests.

These are rising stars in Toronto’s restaurant industry, and close friends of Streiman’s, who knows where every ingredient in this feast has come from. The fish was caught the day before the wedding, by Akiwenzie’s Fish & More, a small First Nations fishing company in Georgian Bay. The rainbow carrots, beets, salad greens, fennel, eggs and duck came from a co-op of 20 farms called the Kawartha Ecological Growers, as did the 128 chickens, raised just for today.

The fruit is from Niagara and the water, the Niagara escarpment. The artisanal breads were made at St. John’s bakery, part of St. John’s mission in Toronto. The cheese is from Monforte Dairy in Stratford. The beer from the Steam Whistle brewery. The list could go on. Luis Valenzuela, chef at Torito in Kensington market, admits he pulled an all-nighter because the fresh lamb and baby chickens arrived just before the wedding.

Conscious Food Festival Toronto

Conscious Food Festival Toronto's Blog |
This celebration of local food and sustainability will be held Saturday August 14th and Sunday August 15th, 2010, at Fort York National Historic Site, Toronto.

The Conscious Food Festival is the first ever Canadian collaborative event to help promote the growing sustainable food movement while introducing thousands of people to food that is local, natural, healthy and delicious. The Conscious Food Festival brings city dwellers, rural neighbours and visitors to Fort York National Historic Site to experience a range of activities such as tastings, exhibits, seminars, debates and an urban farm, that will connect local restaurants, local farms and local food suppliers to your table.
One speaker is Jeff Crump, Author of “Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm” as well as the Executive Chef at Ancaster Old Mill, Jeff is a Canadian Slow Food pioneer and an advocate of local, sustainable gastronomy. Jeff has developed his talents at a number of the world’s top restaurants: Lumeire in Vancouver, Chez Panisse in Berkeley California, and The Fat Duck in the UK.

Foodprint Offers Food for Civic Thought - cupcakes!

Foodprint Offers Food for Civic Thought - Torontoist

Interesting panel on the possibilities of changing urban food patterns ...

"you can trace the progress of gentrification in a city by mapping the spread of its cupcake shops."

Though looking at how cities work solely through their food may seem like an odd, overly specific approach, consider this: according to work done by a Rutgers University researcher, you can trace the progress of gentrification in a city by mapping the spread of its cupcake shops.
It was just that kind of unexpected insight on the relationship between what we eat and urban environments that characterized Foodprint Toronto, the second in an international series of conversations about food and the city. Organized by Nicola Twilley and Sarah Rich and held at the always-great Wychwood Barns, the day-long event was comprised of four panels, each of which gathered a variety of people, from policy makers and academics to writers and suppliers, to discuss how food shapes and influences our city.
What quickly became clear over the course of the day was that how to sustainably and responsibly feed Toronto over the coming years in the face of climate change, shifting market conditions, our diverse population, and sprawling suburbs will—to put it mildly—be a little complicated.

As an example, Barbara Emanuel, senior policy adviser at the City's Board of Health and part of Foodprint's first panel, spoke about how she tried to get the City to allocate 10% of its twenty million dollar food budget to local produce. Heading down to the Ontario Food Terminal, however, she discovered that in the face of the $300 million contracts between suppliers and distributor, her $2 million budget could do little to change where produce was sourced from....

Nonetheless, as anyone who has watched The Wire will tell you, cities are incredibly complex places, and although some in government fail to innovate, many others—including those at City Hall—are making things happen. Some of the best examples came from Darren O'Donnell, who has organized dinners between his arty "theatah" friends and recent arrivals to Canada, breaking down the barriers between groups using food. Similarly, Laurel Atkinson of Not Far From the Tree explained how her program gathers people to pick fruit on homeowners' land that would otherwise go to waste, usefully blurring the urban distinction between public and private—not to mention saving about nine thousand pounds of fruit last year.

Blog TO; The Best Green Wedding Services in Toronto

The Best Green Wedding Services in Toronto
They say:

"The best green wedding services in Toronto might soon have a little more competition. In a shaky economy and during a surge in environmental awareness, more couples are opting for sustainable and do-it-yourself celebrations. Let's face it - "green" is more than a passing craze ... Shops and services catering to eco-minded brides and grooms are popping up across the city faster than you can say, I do!"

Listed are dresses, caterers, event planner, Mill Street brewery, tux rentals, flowers and venues. Glad to see eco|stems - But would have liked to see a broader range of suppliers. The comments, as usual, offer some other ideas - like The Bride's Project, which we've discussed before, and a new 'locavore/guerilla organic' flower project: my lucious backyard, Etsy, but we would have liked to have seen more vintage, both grooms and brides, or the new or the new Green Wedding Boutique(recycled gowns), and more 'outside the box' ideas .

Also missing - vegan caterers, and lots more green wedding sites. Think I'll blog about that...

Gluten Free wedding cakes?

Wild Earth Bakery and Cafe offers "celebration cakes" - and they make extra efforts to avoid contamination:
Our unique line of gluten-free baking is made with non-wheat flours such as potato, tapioca, rice and coconut. Our exclusive line of baked goods is so delicious that you won’t even be able to tell the difference between our organic products and those that are gluten-free.

Cross contamination is a major concern for those that are Wheat intolerant or Celiac. We have taken every precaution possible to prevent this from happening. These steps include separate baking days, separate bakeware, keeping our flours separated and even separate tongs and utensils to ensure that anything that starts out gluten-free remains that way. We would be pleased to answer any questions that you might have about this issue.

Vintage Dresses in Toronto

VintageBride.ca is a tiny boutique tucked into Mirvish Village - an antique, artists and vintage shopping area in Toronto. Vintage is run by the theRefinery.com, a retro and vintage store across the street.

You can make an appointment to view their vintage dresses at vintagebride, or go chat with the lovely person who curates the collection over at The Refinery (where you can enjoy some of the fun things she brought back from Paris).
Be sure to browse bridesmaid dresses and accessories at Refinery - and also bring along your beau for vintage clothes for men - why limit yourself to the save old boring wedding + funeral suits! Linen jackets are so much classier :-)

Here's a post I wrote about Men and Wedding suits after a hot summer of red-faced grooms in black suits .

DIY: Sew your own accesories (or wedding dress!)

Here's The Workroom in Toronto. Bernina equipped, laser cutters, engravers, etc. They warn "You must know how to sew to use our equipment". But if you don't, then take a class! Buy organic fabric, make your dress, table runners, canopy, napkins -- learn something and have a blast!

Sustainable Wedding Florists

I spend most of my time between Toronto and Manhattan.  Its interesting to compare the two cities, and what type of green services are available.  Here is a great florist, located in a 'gentrifying' area of Toronto known as Corktown:

 Eco|Stems :

"We are an environmentally and socially sustainable flower shop located in downtown Toronto. Our award-winning designs use only local, organic, and fair trade flowers to create unique and beautiful floral arrangements that are available for delivery throughout Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.

We strive to minimize our impact on the environment.  We limit our water use, reduce emissions from cars by delivering by bicycle, reduce energy consumption, and use green electricity.  We reuse and repurpose floral containers and materials, and we buy used before new.  Our packaging is biodegradable, made from recycled materials and is recyclable.  Finally, we donate old flowers so they don't go to waste."

Lovely website, and their comprehensive approach to sustainability is impressive - because it also includes fair trade flowers - and here is an essay from the website discussing labour exploitation and other issues:

eco|stems offers local, organic and fair trade flowers, plants and accessories because we know the truth about the cut-flower industry. The majority of cut flowers bought in Canada are grown overseas, usually in Columbia or Ecuador. Workplace legislation in these countries offers little protection for workers. In the cut-flower industry, workers are paid less than a living wage, forced to work overtime without pay, exposed to hundreds of toxic chemicals, deprived of the right to unionize, and subject to harassment and violence.

Environmental issues also abound. The cut-flower industries in these countries use toxic chemicals that have been banned in North America. Some of these chemicals leech off of the flowers and contaminate the subsoil and water table where they are grown, but some remains on the flowers and end up in your home. The cut-flower industry also contributes to water and soil depletion by placing unsustainable demands on the local biosphere. When the flowers are fully grown and ready to be sent to Canada for you to enjoy, they are flown. Emitting 1.48 tons of carbon dioxide and contributing to global warming.

These are a few of the reasons why eco|stems chooses local, organic and fair trade flowers. To learn more about the cut-flower industry, please visit the International Labour Rights Forum's Fairness in Flowers campaign website.

Checklist for a green wedding from the Toronto Botanical Garden

I found this nice green wedding article on the frugalbride.com. It was written by Kristin Campbell at the Toronto Botanical Garden. Botanical Gardens are great location for weddings & receptions, if they have the facilities. It would be an interesting task to see if weddings at Botanical Gardens, or City or National Parks are actually -- GREEN! Take this list to YOUR Botanical Garden and see what they say...

Here are a few criteria: Facility on public transit. Bike racks! Green roofs, green cleaning products, WATERLESS URINALS (!), green caterers, local sourcing, no disposable items, etc.

Here's another post with even more ideas

WeddingCo. and the Wedding Crane Chandelier Project

The WeddingCo.com, based in Canada, is one of the sponsors of the BrooklynPopUp Wedding chapel They are creating the CRANE CHANDELIER PROJECT.

This is a "wonderful way for brides and grooms to become part of an international community that is fighting for cancer victims and research". The Crane Chandelier is being constructed with the cranes that you send in with you and your fiance's signature, where you're getting married, and your wedding date. For each crane that is sent in, The Wedding Company is donating $.50 for cancer research. Their goal is to reach 10,000 cranes that will be displayed on a chandelier which will not only serve as a representation of the fight against cancer, but you're also part of your own art installation. You can see their world map of where the cranes have 'flown in' from here. You can request a crane HERE, mail your own crane (they fold flat) to:

The Wedding Co.
110 Givins St.
Toronto, ON M6J 2X

Green Bride in Toronto

Here is a beautiful Toronto bride on her way to her wedding on Algonquin Island for a lovely outdoor wedding. My daughter alerted me to this week's article in the Toronto Globe and Mail on green and diy weddings, as she knew the lovely bride. Sarah mentioned in the paper's blog that they forgot to credit her photographer: Derek Wuenschirs, so please go look at his site!

There are some good links in the article, including TheWeddingCo.com, a Toronto-based group who are also a sponsor of the Martha Stewart PopUP Wedding Chapel in Brooklyn - where we're going to marry a few lucky couples at the end of June. The WeddingCo people are sponsoring a global DIY wedding project called The Crane Chandelier Project they are collecting 5000 origami cranes from engaged couples, and donating $.50 per crane to cancer research. More info soon.

I'll also add Winnipeg's BotanicalPaperworksto our paper suppliers, and some of the other links on this Globe article to our various categories.