Introducing Ananda, Our New Green Bride Blogger

I’ve always been known as that outspoken obnoxious friend who will return from your bathroom with a guilt trip about wiping your bum with paper from ancient forests and products full of parabens, dyes and perfumes. I was born with a deep connection to nature and have always been drawn to activism, so it is very exciting to see that people in general are beginning to awaken to the fact that we must make our environment a priority.

When I met my fiancé we bonded very quickly because of that fact. While he is less outspoken and is not an activist, he feels very strongly about our species’ environmental footprint. He recommended I read Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, which would articulate everything I was feeling and more.That book is now my all time favorite piece of literature, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who cares deeply about our impact on this planet, and the important part we are to play in shaping our future here.

We are a couple that considers the environment and our impact upon it every day: in the products we buy, the companies we support, our method of travel, the energy we use, and the messages we send our friends, family and children. We are still far from our goal of living off the grid with little to no impact, but we make every effort we can to tread as lightly as possible. I wouldn’t say that we made a choice to have a green wedding; we made a choice to lead green lives, therefore our wedding shall be.

Our philosophy will be put to use during the planning of our ceremony, starting with keeping the gathering very intimate with a small guest list. Here are some of our other plans for our green wedding:

• We intend to create all of the décor ourselves from gathered materials, up-cycling and utilizing gifts of nature.
• We felt that while supporting businesses that make options like recycled paper and soy based inks available to their customers is highly important it would be ‘greener’ to make our own cards by hand and to send them out to our limited guest list.
• We are also requesting that our guests RSVP by telephone, email or website.
• We absolutely adore Etsy, and will utilize this great resource to find up-cycled and eco-friendly items for the gathering and gifts.
• It is also our intention to do some, if not all, of the catering for the ceremony and will buy local and organic when doing so.
• The bridal party will wear beautiful clothing from an artist on Etsy who uses eco-friendly fair trade sourced silks and organic cottons.
• We will also be going to an Aveda salon prior to the ceremony. Aveda is an AMAZING company who uses plant based products and has developed with the planet as a priority. Aveda also purchases Windsource from Xcel energy to offset 100% of the energy used to manufacture their products at their headquarters and institute. Aveda uses responsible packaging for their products and they have really great quality artists in their salons. I have never been unhappy after a trip to Aveda.

We want to enjoy the time we are going to be sharing with our loved ones. It will feel wonderful to know that in every element of the celebration the planet and its delicate ecosystem will have been carefully considered. Our love for each other is deeply linked to our love for Earth!

Bio: Ananda is a yoga addict who dwells 9,000 feet above sea level in the Rocky Mountains. The air might be thinner up there, but she makes sure to take time to 'breathe.' Ananda has been a dedicated emergency services worker for 7 years, but is an artist at heart. She enjoys crafting, creating, upcycling and occasionally sells her artwork on etsy.

Ananda is passionate about health, human rights, and environmental issues. She is a tremendous organic vegetarian chef and has had offers to leave her career behind to cook professionally! Ananda's fiance' Quinn enjoys nature as much as she does. They hope to some day purchase land in the Pacific Northwest where they can build an earthship commune and eco-resort. They wish to create a relaxing vacation space for people to learn about sustainability, clean energy, and to escape into meditation, enjoying yoga, and farm to table organic dining.