ecotip
Green Wedding Eco-Style the Momentous Event
It’s summer wedding planning season, and couples can save money and conserve natural resources by planning a simpler, more ecological event. Instead of hosting the reception at a pricey hotel or restaurant, consider moving the ceremony and reception to a serene location like a beach, park or nature center. Local park and recreation departments may collaborate on making arrangements at public facilities, and nominal fees help support their ongoing operations. A natural setting at an eco-conscious hotel is equally well suited to serving healthy, organic food from a local or on-site health food restaurant, caterer or specialty grocer. Here are some more tips. Purchase organic fl owers to avoid pesticides and artifi cial fragrances often containing toxic chemicals. Buying from local growers cuts transportation costs. Choose a wedding gown made of organic and sustainable fi bers.
ChasingGreen.org points out that organic farming reduces atmospheric carbon dioxide by using 37 percent fewer fossil fuels than conventional methods. While releasing butterfl ies or doves may constitute a symbol of love, it can be fatal, especially for the birds, which possess no survival skills in the wild. Also, tossing birdseed over the happy couple, for a time viewed as an improvement on throwing rice, is just as wasteful and messy. Instead, greet the newly hitched lovers by blowing bubbles—it’s inexpensive, childhood fun that won’t harm clothes, animals or the environment. Guests can recycle the wands and bottles, which are available in small sizes for weddings. Show care for other animals by abstaining from balloons. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notes that balloons that end up in nearby waters or landfi lls can be mistaken for food and cause stomach blockages for whales, dolphins, turtles and birds.
Rather than pay big bucks for a band that consumes electricity, go with one or two local, unplugged musicians such as an acoustic guitar player and fl utist. Guests will relish hearing moving, personal renditions of love songs instead of clichéd tunes.
16 Central Florida natural awakenings
globalbriefs
News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefi ts all.
Noisy Humans Man-Made Clatter Muffl es Nature’s Chorus
Kurt Fristrup, a senior scientist at the U.S. National Park Service, states that noise pollution is becoming so pervasive that people are tuning out the natural sounds around them. According to new research, when we leave home, we’re more likely to try ignoring man-made sounds than enjoying Mother Nature’s chorus. Fristrup observes, “We are conditioning ourselves to ignore the information coming into our ears.” The real loss, he believes, is for future generations. “If fi nding peace and quiet becomes diffi cult enough, many children will grow up without the experience, and I think it’s a very real problem.” He and National Park Service colleagues have monitored sound
levels at more than 600 sites over the past 10 years and found that none were free of human noise pollution. The team’s model of merging data from more remote regions with urban areas gave them an overall sense of the noise pollution across the U.S. Based on their fi ndings, the researchers believe that noise pollution will grow faster than the population, doubling every 30 years.
View a map of sound pollution at
Tinyurl.com/ SmithsonianSoundMap.
Mm-mm Good Campbell’s Endorses GMO Labeling
Campbell Soup Company recently became the fi rst major food corporation to support the mandatory labeling of genetically modifi ed ingredients and will support the enactment of federal legislation to establish a single mandatory labeling standard for foods derived from genetically modifi ed organisms (GMO). A company spokesperson says, “With 92 percent of Americans supporting the labeling of GMO foods, Campbell believes now is the time for the federal government to act quickly to implement a federal solution.” The company says that if a federal solution is not reached, it is prepared to label all of its U.S. products for the presence of ingredients derived from GMOs and seek guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and approval by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The company also has pledged to remove artifi cial colors and fl avors from nearly all of its North American products by July 2018. For more information, visit
WhatsInMyFood.com.
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