In the spirit of re-use what would be greener: A) to let go of the white tradition and buy a gorgeous gown, maybe this bottle green vintage beauty you always wanted ? And use it to the Oscar's next year? Or B) rent a bridal gown? The easy answer is of course: the rental. But a rental, really? Doesn’t that make the wedding feel borrowed? Or worse, like being on stage, a theater act? There are limits to everything and renting a dress for the best day of our lives is too much for most girls.
Consignment stores are the next step on the green ladder down to sinful waste. They often have many great designers and the latest trends. And then there is Eco-couture, often an amazing mix of sustainable fabrics (see below) and vintage silk, saris and lace.
What materials are used?
Soy: is a sustainable textile fiber made from renewable and biodegradable resources (the by-product of soybean oil production). In other words, no petrochemicals.
Bamboo: is processed with little or no environmental damage and no chemicals are needed; the fiber comes 100% from bamboo pulp. Bamboo fabric breathes easily and is naturally antibacterial.
Organic Cotton is grown without the use of toxic chemicals. Organic cottons are grown using biologically based and sustainable methods.

Organic Glamazon shares beauty secrets. It's worth to check out their "organic glamazon" blog with useful tips like these:
"100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Gloss: Call it mission impossible but trying to find a natural lip gloss that lives up to its' namesake has been like trying to find the Holy Grail. This one from 100% Pure gives you all the gloss of MAC & Stila but without the sticky. It stays put, the colors are great, it's made of 83% Vitamin E and the colors are all derived from patented fruit pigments. Nothing artificial or chemical, it tastes great and smells fantastic. Simply the best out there.
Pomega5 Healing Cream:
We just reviewed this but on a personal level, this is one of my all time beauty picks. I have combination skin and am concerned with aging, radiance, keeping my skin supple and functioning properly. My skin has never felt so soft, balanced, calm, plump and 'fed' as it has since using this cream. It's very rich but absorbs beautifully and I'm completely addicted to the difference it's made in my skin. I've used it to heal wounds and lessen scars as well as on my face. What can I say ... it's a miracle in a bottle."

Ashley Hilton creates his own metals in New Zealand. He uses new gold from a small mine he discovered and adds your old jewelry pieces to the mix. His innovative designs are one of a kind gorgeous.
He describes small scale alluvial black sand gold mining in a small mine on the West Coast of the South Island, New Zealand.
"Southwest beach gold: east facing beach: A small pond is made with water from a nearby reservoir. The water is pumped in under pressure to create a slurry of black sand containing millions of tiny flecks of gold.
This slurry is then sucked up and pumped over mats where the heavier gold is trapped and most of the sand and water flows back onto the beach from where it came.
As the mats fill with the tiny gold flecks they are vacuumed up along with some sand and water.
Later, the sand and gold are separated leaving pure West Coast gold.
This area was mined in the late 1800's and it is only the remnants of gold missed by the old timers that are found today. As a "by-catch" the operation also removes other metals from the environment such as mercury."

We were the first in the wedding world to focus on eco-friendly weddings in 2005 and have lovingly pushed the beige envelope ever since. Our lush and colorful weddings become more innovative every day as every new challenge of our multitude of receptions creates new amazing ideas. We have greened every step of the wedding process and love our smart and savvy vendors. Re-use is big for us from our eco friendly office to favors and decorations. As important: to playfully stay at the trend setting front and make wedding planning a fun trip for our amazing couples. Call us at 323.953.0453 for wedding planning or send an info request via Angelicaweihsevents.com

Are you one of the amazing couples who chose eco-friendly ideas for their wedding?
E-mail angelicasevents@gmail.com to share pictures, stories and advice from your big day!

Ecco Ultra Lounge. 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles. 323.464.2065

How, where? Email:Caroline@idausa.org

Burros are amazing, wild and free, funny, smart and have their own head. They are like the rebel in the aristocratic family of expensive race horses. Visit: Wild Burro Rescue and Preservation Project in Olancha, CA DREAMCATCHER WILD HORSE AND BURRO SANCTUARY, Ravendale,CA 96123

Viva Polar bears: The English don't like to be lied at by a company that finances disputes of global warming. Eugene Shandu in Daily Green reports: "The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has made a ruling against an ExxonMobil television ad that uses imagery that relates their carbon-emitting power source to wind and solar power and suggests liquefied natural gas (LNG) is super clean." The discussion is putting big bad Exxon in the news again, the heat is on. Who will win? The rise of consciousness we hope. Of course then came BP and spilled, baby, spilled! Following the rig explosion on April 20 BP said about 1,000 barrels of oil a day were leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, an estimate the Coast Guard later raised to 5,000 barrels a day. Oceanographer Ian MacDonald, from Florida State University, told the New York Times that he his analysis showed that the daily spillage could "easily be four or five times" the government's estimate -- or 25,000 barrels.

Creative vegan and vegetarian chefs are the highlights of cuisine, if they feel and live gourmet. Especially if they have been "traditional" before and know the lust of lobster feasts and the sin of sizzling steaks, what's not to look forward to? If any of the following sounds interesting to you come back soon for the compassionate chef links.
Black Bean Chili-Topped Baked Sweet Potatoes
"Cheese" Quesadillas w/ Berry and Peach Fruit Salsa
Curried Grilled Tofu Cutlets
Curried Vegetable Kebabs
Fettuccine in the Raw w/ Basil-Parsley Pesto Sauce

Amy has cool tips for the aspiring vegetarian and yes, recipes like
Sesame-Shiitake Green Beans
1 lb. green beans, washed, trimmed, and halved
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 onion, thinly sliced
Sesame-Shiitake Green Beans
5 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Salt and pepper, to taste
•Steam the green beans for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just tender. Set aside.
•In a large skillet or frying pan, add the vegetable oil and bring to medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for an additional minute.
•Add the green beans, sesame oil, red pepper, and sesame seeds, then toss to coat.
•Season with salt and pepper.

http://blog.vegcooking.com/

Linda Long's book "Great Chefs Cook Vegan" portrays gourmet vegan chefs. If their food taste like the photos look, forget the real chicken!

Rebecca Mead, a staff writer for the New Yorker, examines the ways the wedding industry is making couples hunt for bigger and better receptions and how smart their creation of Bridezilla really is. She looks at how the importance of marriage has changed in our modern culture and what wedding traditions should and could mean to us. The book has great pointers for the bride who doubts the "necessary" wedding craze and for couples who don't feel the need to conform.