Tips for Throwing a 'Zero Waste' Wedding from RealSimple.com
*By Kate Gill*
Some millennials are vowing to protect the environment along with their relationships when they walk down the aisle ー with "zero waste" weddings.
Given the potential for waste ー discarded florals, trimmings, and food ー an eco-friendly wedding is a lofty goal, but it can be done, according to Rachel Sylvester, a lifestyle editor at RealSimple.com.
What constitutes "zero waste"? The goal, Sylvester said, is to orchestrate an event that doesn't produce any trash in a landfill. In other words, a wedding made from recyclable materials.
Sylvester shared her tips with Cheddar to execute a zero waste wedding:
**Communicate with Vendors:**
Be transparent with your vendors about your environmental needs.
"I think you just need to be very open with your vendors about zero waste," Sylvester said.
**Focus on Florals:**
Keep your floral arrangements simple.
"There's always a focus on florals, and there's this idea that you need to have a ton of them," Sylvester said. Simplifying your floral decorations will help cut back on waste.
Most importantly, she said, ask your florist to forgo using foam blocks to structure the centerpieces.
**Keep Your Guest List Short:**
Stick to close friends and family. (Don't tell your third cousins you're getting hitched.)
"One of the biggest things to keep in mind is you're able to achieve that goal of a zero-waste wedding if you kind of cut down on your guest list. If you get your guest list down to under 100, it is definitely doable."
**E-vites:**
Go paperless to save trees ー and time.
"I encourage you to embrace the e-vite. Paperless is more and more common and lot of people are taking that approach and ultimately it's easier to track your RSVPs."
**Shop Vintage:**
Go on a treasure hunt for a vintage dress.
"Check out your local consignment shops and ask around. Maybe your grandmother is just dying to have you kind of re-purpose her gown or your mother or even a best friend who says, 'Take my veil.'"
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/saying-i-do-with-sustainability-on-the-mind).
A recent study has found that young people's mental health worsens as they go through their teenage years, with the wellbeing of adolescent girls the most severely impacted. Simone Alicia, creator of The Self Esteem Doctor Academy, joins Cheddar News to discuss how to raise self esteem among this age group.
Cristyl Kimbrough, real estate attorney and star of 'Ladies Who List: Atlanta,' joins Cheddar News to discuss her new show on OWN and breaking into Atlanta's luxury real estate space.
Carl Tobias, professor of law at the University of Richmond, joins Cheddar News to talk about how Johnson & Johnson funded experiments on mostly Black men comparing the effects of talc and asbestos on their skin.
Amazon unveiled its new mobile app called Amp as a direct competitor to Clubhouse, allowing people to host live radio shows. Although it is still in beta, users can join the waitlist from the iOS store.
The war in Ukraine continues to reveal heartbreaking gut-wrenching stories. The war in itself is not only devastating but also expensive. Experts estimate that Russia is draining nearly $20 million dollars each day to continue occupying and invading Ukraine. All this could force the country to turn to cryptocurrencies. It's a major turn for the country that briefly considered outlined digital assets entirely, but it could also have serious implications for cryptos. Managing Director at Quantum Fintech Group, Harry Yeh, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
As Russia intensifies its war on Ukraine, President Biden announced a ban on oil imported from the aggressor nation. Critics of Russia have said this would be the best way to force Putin to pull back, but curbs on Russian oil exports are expected to send already skyrocketing oil and gas prices even higher, further impacting consumers, businesses, financial markets, and the global economy. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Energy Workforce and Technology Council, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "It's certainly going to increase pricing, but it is the right thing to do," she said. "The industry itself has already pulled out of the significant portion of its operations in Russia."
On International Women's Day, we should not only focus on the women who came before us but but also the women doing the work today for a better tomorrow. Ms. James, also known as @iamthatenglishteacher on TikTok, is an Arkansas teacher who took her talents to the video-sharing app to expand her classroom from four walls to the world! She joins Cheddar News to discuss her love for teaching.
