I’ve been doing more research for Your Green Wedding.  There’s a lot of  really useful information out there. Links to dress ideas, tutorials, planning tips. Today, I’ve got some blog links for you to peruse.

I found a website today 2000 Dollar Wedding. It’s written by a woman who shares how she and her fiance (now husband) were able to enjoy their wedding “in a budget-minded, hand-crafted, eco-friendly way.”  The couple lists their complete cost breakdown  - their wedding cost less than $2000 - and offers advice on how to plan your own celebration. Lots of links to tutorials, lots of photos - really a delightful blog.

Etsy Wedding shares “offbeat finds for the eclectic bride.”  Finding exactly what you are looking for at Etsy can be tricky.  New items are added constantly and sifting through what is offered can be time-consuming. Etsy Wedding takes all the work out of it for you. Find links to vintage dresses, jewelry and more.

If you’ve got the time and the inclination to do the work yourself, you might want to take a look at DIY Bride where they offer “crafty wedding goodness from scratch.”  Included are do-it-yourself projects for invitations, flowers, bath and body care, favors, and decorations. Plus tips on planning and registeries, recession-proofing your wedding.

Image credit: Chase Your Bliss Photography

Here are a couple more dresses for you to consider for your Green Wedding. They are both vintage dresses, from the Timeless Vixen Vintage shop, just like the dress that I shared with you the other day. 

Vintage dresses are a romantic touch, in addition to being green, because they represent the glamour of days gone by, perhaps a simpler time, and traditional values.  They are unique and while not cheap, they are priced well below the gowns that are produced today. That’s something to keep in mind when planning your overall wedding budget.

First up is a 1910’s Antique Vintage Breathtaking Edwardian Titanic White Mixed-Lace Couture Sheer Wedding Tea-Dress. The dress has lovely detailed lace and a matching camisole. It’s a tea-length dress. It is in excellent condition.

This next dress is incredible. 1930’s Antique Vintage Beaded Crepe Femme Fatale Bias-Cut Puff-Sleeve Wedding Gown Dress.  I would absolutely love to be married in this dress. The feminine cut of the dress, the bead work, the bodice with the darts…Oh, wow. What a dress. The back buttons and has a key-hole opening. It’s made of crepe and the beading is copper sequin and glass in the Art-Deco style. 

Image credit: Timeless Vixen Vintage’s shop at Etsy.com

Keds is going green!

Check out their cute new kicks for Earth-lovers here.

The new Keds Green Label Sneakers feature 100% Organic Cotton, non-toxic inks and dyes, recycled rubber, shoelaces that are free of PVC and made completely from recycled PET (water bottles), recycled insoles, and the shoe eyelets are free from nickel.  By using organic and recycled materials, Keds is able to reduce their carbon footprint.  Their mission is stylish sustainability.

The latest in sustainable footwear, the Keds Green Label sneakers come in classic white, black, and green. The Willow Lace Up is available in sizes 5-11 in a standard width.  Click herefor purchase information.  Keds offers free shipping on orders that are $75 and over.

In addition, Keds is working with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees in order to help offset carbon emissions.Keds will plant one tree for every pair of their new Green Label sneakers sold this year.  For more information, click here.

If you’d like to win a pair of Keds Green Label Willow Lace Ups of your own, then leave a comment on this post telling me what you like best about the new Green Label shoe. Fashion? Sustainability?  Both?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Personally, I’d say that any product that features recycled materials is exciting to me - especially when it makes use of plastic water bottles. I’m picking up a pair in black (watch for my review very soon). 

I’ll announce the shoe winner in a few days. Good luck!

*Please note that the Keds Green Label shoe giveaway is for residents of the United States.

Image credit: Keds.com

Going green might be the “in” thing to do these days, but in reality there’s real science to back up the “hype.”  With so many choices out there, we are no longer required to subject ourselves to harmful chemicals when it comes to taking care of our skin, hair, teeth, hygiene, or the makeup we use.

The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances, by Julie Gabriel, a registered nutritional expert, explains how the products we use on our body are really no different from the food we eat. If we are uncomfortable with the idea of ingesting chemicals, why are we okay with putting them on our skin or on the skin of our family members?

The Green Beauty Guide advises which ingredients to avoid, how to shop for green beauty products without going broke, how to make natural beauty products of your own, as well as what is meant by words like “natural,” “organic,” “biodynamic,” and “hypoallergenic.” 

Stop wasting your money on products that don’t work or can ultimately harm you.  Use Julie Gabriel’s Green Beauty Guide to focus your search on only the products you truly need and will use.

If you’d like the chance to read this book for yourself, then you are in luck because I’ve got 5 copies available for giveaway. 

To enter, please leave a comment sharing what you do in terms of your own green beauty regime.  I’ll chose random commenters and announce the winners in a few days.

Good Luck!

*The Green Beauty book giveaway is open to residents of the United States only.

Image credit: Barnes and Noble.com

Chic: This cute reusable gift wrap set has pretty reversible prints with attached ribbons. They fit a bunch of box sizes, too. The set has tree coordinating wraps.

Green: Instead of wasting trees on something you’ll crumple up and throw away, you’re buying gift wrap that you can really use forever.

Buy:Plum Creek Mercantile-, $32

According to TreeHugger:

The global Make Cars Green campaign is an ambitious 10-point plan to steer drivers towards more environmentally-friendly habits, including checking tyre pressure regularly and reduce loads. The campaign builds on the principles by the FIA Make Cars Green declaration, together with Bridgestone, and outlines how policy makers, industry and consumers can all play a constructive role in the future.

But with the current economic downturn, isn’t it too little too late? Many of the concepts are obvious to anyone reading Treehugger, but hopefully, they will use clever PR strategies to quickly get everyone else onboard as well.

Here’s the deal. Automakers aren’t doing so well. They’re doing pretty terribly in fact. But as far as I can tell, the green movement is almost strengthened by the economy. Green is also a way to save money.

And like I said last week, any effort is somewhat worthwhile, I think the burden on big companies is heavier than the everyday person.

On one hand, anyone that has seen Who Killed the Electric Car knows about the failure of automakers in being green, but on the other hand, I’m happy they try at all.

My question is: Can green save carmakers? With the New Green Deal from President-elect Obama, do we all believe that eco-friendly can save the economy?

(I decided to start facilitating a little conversation on top of all the good green goods. Every Friday I’ll try to think up something good for us to debate. Let’s hope I don’t run out of ideas.)

I caught Supper Club on Planet Green for the first time tonight. It’s a pretty interesting show. You have some celebs and green gurus show up and some chef. Have the chef make dinner and talk about green topics in between.

During the episode I saw, the conversation turned to something interesting. They were talking about being perfectly green and how that is impossible. Al Gore was given as an example. He preaches green, yet flies on a private jet. Not so green. Is it fair for him to preach sacrifice?

On top of that, they argued about what really makes a difference. Yes, it’s great to buy an organic sweater or a reusable grocery bag, but our bigger problem is energy and figuring out how to switch to green power. The larger sacrifice must be made in order for the smaller things — CFLs and organic clothing — to make a difference. Essentially, changing one small thing in your lifestyle isn’t going to cut it.

Do you agree? Are small changes not enough to get us out of this mess?

Ever since I started recycling, I’ve wondered about exactly how it works.

Ah, thanks Low Impact Living and Popular Mechanics! Now I know.

Learn the truth behind recycling myths.

This post is not so much about this very cute tee from Patagonia as it is about voting in general.

Green issues are very close to my heart. But so is a sense of civic duty. I believe that everyone should vote and be a part of the process. It’s one of the greatest things that we can do. It’s one of the things that makes America great.

It doesn’t matter who you vote for. It just matters that you vote.

Please.

Get the Patagonia Women’s Vote the Environment T-Shirt

Remember when Radiohead said “pay whatever you can for our album.”

Well, Good Magazine, an awesome read, is saying the same thing about subscriptions. As long as it’s over $1, you can get Good. All the money goes to the charity of your choice.

Find out more about Good’s new campaign