News
A Bay Area Certified Green Business
Gorgeous and Green Events is a certified green business!
It took a few months, well quite a few, mostly because I've been so busy. But we're certified. I hope to get the seal up on the blog and website soon. For information about Bay Area Green Certification go here: http://www.greenbiz.ca.gov/
Sustainable Arrangements for the Green Festival




Green and Sustainability at the SF Green Festival
Useful Vendor Connections and Mounds of Trash
This Weekend I participated in the Green Festival in San Francisco. I donated some local floral designs, bridal bouquets, attended the event and helped with cleanup. It was fun to meet local vendors and vendors from afar, as well as listen to guest speakers and artists and take part in the massive recycling and composting activities after the event.an arrangement I made (Gorgeous and Green Events) for a stage at the festival, I love the combination of red and lavendar

Righteously Raw: raw chocolate bars, super tasty!

a bouquet I made for the Hemp fashion show and Conscious Clothing,who also make cute lingerie beside their wedding gown collection

Lydia's: A local organic and raw food company, who also caters!

Table Nectar: an organic and raw catering company

Cafe Gratitude: A great organic and raw food restaurant in the Bay Area

A water station at the Green Festival, I loved that they actually showed you where the water we were using was coming from:

The Green Festival, San Francisco
Green Weddings and Green People in San Francisco
www.greenfestivals.org And no, we're not all eating granola. I like granola like everyone else, but I definitely don't see myself as "granola" just because I live green or sustainable. Besides, granola isn't a bad word these days. It actually is pretty tasty, especially homemade. Put it into a jar and you've got a great gift or "wedding favor" for your guests. Ok, so what will we be doing at this green festival? Well lots of talking, sharing and looking at new ideas and guest speakers. Check out the Schedule. Online you can download a guide to the festival that gives you all the cool info. It's huge and includes so many inspiring words, visuals and people. Here are just a few of the highlights:- 450+ exhibitors and organizations in the Green Marketplace
- 45 minutes presentations and speakers on the sustainable economy, ecological balance and social justice
- how-to workshops in the Green Buiding Pavilion
- Hemp fashion shows in the Hemp Pavilion
- Music acts
- Food Demonstrations in the Soul Kitchen
- Green Social Media Demonstrations
- Organic food and drink
- Concerts and dance parties after dark: greenbash.com
Here is the dress with all the layers, but you can unzip the last three and make it shorter.
I love the low back and silk ruffles of this dress.
So if your in or around the Bay, definitely come check out the SF Green Festival this coming weekend.
In Green and Health,
G&G
Biodegradable Floral Foam?
Non-toxic and Biodegradable Floral Foam, Where are You?
I wrote a post a few months ago about the toxins found in floral foam and that it's essentially made of plastic that isn't biodegradable. I've gotten so many hits on my blog about it, and yet, I still don't have much in the way of another option. Until I dug up this information from Stanel Co, a bioplastics firm based in the United Kingdom. Here is an informational pdf about a new bioplastic technology that can allow someone to make biodegradable floral foam made from plants: www.stanelcoplc.com . This new polymer: bioplastic 2189 is both biodegradable and compostable! What a relief. Can you imagine? being able to throw the foam and the flowers into the compost bin? What's more, the bioplastic works in the same way as the fossil fuel plastic, so it can be switched out and used in the very same factories and machinery as the other stuff. I can't wait to go order this foam... But wait, who's making it? Well apparently one floral foam specialist company is using this polymer to make biodegradable funeral foams: www.valspicer.co.uk . They have wonderful foam shapes and molds, but I don't see any biodegradable options on their site. I've contacted them and hope to find out what they have available! I will share any updates as soon as I can. I would also urge you to write a letter or email to floral foam manufacturers suggesting they make a switch to nontoxic and biodegradable. Here's a couple of the top manufacturers: Smithers Oasis, Ultra Floral Foam. In the mean time, I totally avoid the stuff, and find creative and fun ways to display flowers without foam. Take a look at how Gorgeous and Green tries to stay sustainable: G&G Services. I know it means more work sometimes and possibly more cost, but to me it's worth it. And it's worth it to a lot of customers to, not to mention to the planet. Check out these two designs from Gorgeous and Green Events that are totally floral foam free: Courtesy of www.seandonnellyphotography.com In Green and Health, G&GVintage, Antique and Reused
Reusing Vintage Vases in Weddings and Events
I've started collecting vases for Gorgeous and Green customers interested in renting vintage collections of vases for their wedding or event. It takes some time and dedication, but so far I have almost two collections ready to go and a couple in progress. Here is my current collection of white milk glass vases:
There are some really cool designs. So far my favorite is the bubbled vase that actually doubles as a candle holder.


This collection is actually two-toned, a slightly brighter kelly green and a darker grass green.
My favorite is the long stemmed dish on the right, so delicate.
Getting Good Gas Mileage, or none at all
Driving a Floral Business in Sustainable Vehicles
My small business philosophy is centered on sustainability, green ethics and eco friendly options. So what do I drive? Well, for a while there, it changed from week to week. I was using City Car Share, to get myself around town for meetings, small pickups, deliveries and non-business needs. One of my favorite cars to rent was the plug-in hybrid in Civic Center, SF.





A Rav4 all electic car on the streets of San Francisco.
IKEA is earth friendly, right?
Sustainable or Not: IKEA (the big blue box)
Now, I love the idea of affordable household goods, tools, dishware, furniture and plants all in one big store. I especially like to hear when big stores are selling items that are made from sustainable resources. But, you have to dig a little deeper than the tags on that couch to find out if it's really a sustainable purchase. Or maybe not, as in the case of the IKEA item of the month below. First off, if you've already got a couch, cups, plates, rugs, sheets, frames, etc. in your home, you probably don't need to go to Ikea. That is the first step is acting sustainably when it comes to shopping. Second, if you do need something, you probably don't need to buy the plastic candle holders and the cute scented candles that smell like fake gardenias. This step requires the most strict determination to avoid putting unnecessary items into your cart. This is probably the wisest of steps. Third, if you just want to see what Ikea has, because you're thinking of putting bamboo floors in your house, due to the fact that your current floors have either 1: completely disappeared beneath your feet, 2: have a complete termite infestation, or 3: the carpet has completely gone bald and you are mad that you still call it a shag rug from when it was first put in, in 1969. Then, don't bring your wallet. See above. The problem with IKEA, is that they sell a lot of items you would need when first starting up your home collection. Necessary and well priced stuff, that can be sustainable (see glass food containers and low-wattage lamps). But it also has a ton of stuff you don't need. Let's face it. You don't need a large stuffed snake made of plastic or a paper box to hide your overgrowth of office junk. Just recycle it already. Want to see some specific examples of what you don't need? Take the following items for example:These, are plants. Plastic plants. Sure, they don't need water, but they are also made entirely of petroleum and probably led to chemical pollution where they were made, where they will hang for a few years and where they will be thrown away. Pretty much defeats the purpose. It's almost like the ironic opposite of an oxygen producing and air purifying, real live plant.
And get this:

A few plants here and there
Growing Flowers for Sustainable Weddings
part deux
So, I love gardening. So much so, I've been gardening both at my house and at my good friend's house in Richmond, because she has a big backyard. I mentioned in an earlier post that I would be planting at her house after we cleared her wilderness of a backyard. So far, I've only gotten to the clearing stage, but in the meantime, I've planted a little more at my own house.On one side of the house, I cleared some space for some ferns and larger leaf plants. Mostly because it's a moist area and doesn't get as much sun as other parts of our lot.
Here are some of what I planted:
And this little guy, I didn't plant, but is a byproduct of our bird feeder. More sunflower seeds to come for the neighborhood birds.
I also planted a few other plants elsewhere in my garden, with the specific idea of using their leaves and flowers for green and sustainable flower design:
A gardenia plant
Jasmine
A small lemon tree
Lavender
Mint
Rosemary
When we moved in to our house, it happened to come with 6 green hydrangea plants. They are so great for floral decor and I just love their light green/chartreuse color. They are just starting to come back this spring/summer, and are looking great so far. Last year we had a little bug issue, maybe some caterpillars eating the leaves, I'm hoping they'll satiate their bellies with just the low leaves, and leave the flowers and top leaves alone. Otherwise, I'll be looking into some pesticide-free methods of dealing with them. I'll let you know how that goes.
I'm excited to watch all these plants grow over the next year, and of course to start using their beautiful leaves and flowers for floral designs. I have to say, it's been so great having fresh flowers to cut and display in my own house. It adds so much joy and seems too easy. I definitely suggest growing your own plants and flowers, (pesticide free of course) not just for the benefit of the planet and the health of our atmosphere, but also for your emotional health.
In Green and Health,
G&G
Earth Day Everyday
Why not make the earth a part of your day, everyday, while you jet around town?
In the life of a green and eco-conscious business woman, I have become more and more conscious of the small and big things I can do to support local communities, reduce my impact on the earth and share knowledge so that others can be more conscious and act sustainably as well. Over the weekend, I decided to buy an electric bike. My previous bike had been stolen and I was looking for something I could ride around town without having to use our bio-diesel wagon or a hybrid City Car Share, especially for short local trips. Both our recycled bio-diesel wagon that's fueled with diesel from biofuel oasis and the city car share are often great options, because of the reduced emissions and sustainability factor. But, I was looking for something a little more convenient. So here I am with my new electric bike (which looks like a vintage scooter).
