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SAVVYPLANNERS.COM SELECTED FOR INCLUSION IN GREENBRIDEGUIDE.COM’S NEW DIRECTORY OF GREEN WEDDING VENDORS

October 17, 2009 by savvyplanners.com 

GreenBrideGuide.com Launches the Largest and Most Comprehensive Directory of Credible & Vetted Products & Services in New “Yellow Pages” of Eco-Friendly Wedding Resources

NEW HAVEN, CT – It was announced today that savvyplanners.com from Edison, Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel from Weehawken, Special E from Edison and Alison Raffaele Cosmetics from Cliffside Park have been selected by the Green Bride Guide, the #1 green wedding website, for inclusion in their new Green Wedding Directory (www.greenbrideguide.com/directory) which launched in BETA today. The Green Bride Guide is the most comprehensive and credible green wedding resource online. The Directory is like a Yellow Pages for green weddings that provides a centralized resource of green wedding vendors, searchable by geographic area. To address consumer concerns about greenwashing, the Green Bride Guides screens all vendors in the directory and displays their green practices in their profiles.

The Green Wedding Directory allows couples to find green wedding service providers in their area, like restaurants that serve local, organic food and wedding planners that specialize in eco-friendly parties. The new directory includes vendors in every major wedding market in the United States as well as in Canada and the United Kingdom, with additional international expansion plans over time.

“I couldn’t be more happy about the inclusion,” said Senior Event Coordinator Marcinho Savant. “We’re honored and proud to be a leader in the act of creating events which honor the clients’ wishes and the planet at the same time.

“savvySustainability™ is our corporate formula and pledge to do all that we can to create events that are eco-healthy, environmentally responsible and with as little impact on the planet as possible— without sacrificing the client’s vision and while still bringing it to life.  Since our launch in 2004, savvyplanners.com has been extremely concerned about the effect our client’s events had on our environment.”

“When my husband Barry and I were planning our wedding in 2006-07, we were surprised by how little information was available to help us make eco-friendly choices. ‘The Green Bride Guide’ book was the first step in compiling the results from the hundreds of hours I spent researching online,” said Kate Harrison. “When I launched the Green Bride Guide website earlier this year, I was thrilled with the response from couples and vendors alike. In just a few months the site has become the most popular green wedding website and is growing quickly. The Green Bride Guide directory is the next step in the evolution of the company. I am hopeful that by making the experience easier, I will not only help brides connect with local green vendors, but I will make going green the easy, obvious choice.”

In a survey of brides-to-be:

• Almost 70% reported that they would like to buy more green products for their wedding but do not know where to look online.
• More than 60% said that green wedding products are too scattered and that it takes too long to track them down.

Moreover, brides-to-be are concerned about greenwashing, the passing off of non-green items as eco-friendly with:

• 85% worrying about claims that a product is eco-friendly when it is not and
• 90% believing that it is “very important” or “essential” for a green site to rate vendors and their products for their greenness to help guide purchases.

As a result, The Green Bride Guide addresses consumer confidence issues by only allowing eco-friendly products and services that meet published criteria to list on the site. Each vendor in the directory receives a “leaf” rating as well as user reviews. Companies can earn one leaf for each of the following:

1) Mission: The company has a mission statement that explicitly outlines their commitment to the environment.
2) Type: The company is a non-profit OR an independent artisan selling only handmade products.
3) Certifications: The company is certified by or is a member of one of the following trust providers (Green Hotels Association, Green Restaurant Association, BnBScape, Green Globe, Green Seal, Fair Trade Association, Co-op America, B-Corp).
4) Eco-Friendly: Products manufacturers and retailers can earn this leaf if they exclusively produce or carry eco-friendly products (a.k.a. only products that qualify for listing on the site based on the category criteria described on the site). Service providers can earn this leaf if they exclusively market themselves as green vendors and offer eco-friendly services (e.g. are an organic catering company or a dressmaker using sustainable materials like hemp and organic cotton).
5) Practices: The company incorporates at least five of the following at their place of business (recycling, composting, CFL lights, work in LEED certified building, 1% For the Planet, Energy Star Appliances, powered by alternative energy, carbon offsetting, recycled paper packaging, biodegradable cleaners, or recycled paper products.

The Green Bride Guide comes at a time when the green wedding business is growing exponentially.

• The Wedding Report estimates that the online wedding market was worth $16 billion dollars in 2009 and that it will grow to $23 billion by 2013.
• Customers can buy a green version of about one-third of all wedding items.
• A 2008 Mintel Report found that 35% of Internet users seek out green products all or most of the time.
• As a result, online green wedding sales could be almost $2 billion this year, and could grow to $3 billion in the next five years.

Green products use environmentally friendly materials (e.g. organic) and/or use production processes that reduce the impact on the environment (e.g. pesticide-free). Green services are traditional wedding service providers, such as catering companies and florists, who offer eco-friendly products (e.g. organic food or pesticide-free flowers) and perform eco-services (e.g. recycling and composting) as part of their business.

Weddings, in general, are a big business with a huge environmental impact. According to The Wedding Report, 2008 and the US Census Bureau 2009:

• There are more than 2.2 million weddings a year with approximately 160 guests in each. That’s almost 400 million people attending weddings each year

According to Brighter Planet and Kate’s interviews with green wedding planners, the average wedding produces 400 pounds of garbage and 63 tons of CO2.

The Green Bride Guide launched in February 2009 and covers all aspects of the big day and beyond including engagement, location, invitations, bridal party attire, flowers, the ceremony, the reception, gifts and the honeymoon. The site offers green products, like recycled paper invitations, along with pictures and stories from real green weddings, advice from industry experts and seasonal décor ideas.

Kate L. Harrison graduated with general and departmental honors from Vassar College in 2002 with an independent major in Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development. After school, she moved to Berkeley, CA where she worked in environmental education and outreach for several organizations including the East Bay Regional Park District, The Jane Goodall Institute, and Pesticide Watch. While in California, Kate wrote original curriculum and delivered slideshow
presentations to school children and community groups in the Bay Area on a wide variety of environmental topics. In 2004, she moved to Connecticut where she worked for the legislative Environment Committee in Hartford. She has also worked for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry in Washington DC. She holds a J.D. from Pace Law School and a Masters in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACT:

Marnie Black

Jenn Deguzman
MB Public Relations MB Public Relations
(917) 828-7308

(917) 224-5737

Marnie@TheGreenBrideGuide.com

Jenn@TheGreenBrideGuide.com

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