Kermit said it so it must be true...

It’s not easy being green… but it is possible. Your conscience can get the better of you as you lean in to toss that plastic water bottle into the trash and you put it into the recycling box instead. There is a report out there somewhere (wish I could remember where I read this, anybody have a source?) that only 2 out of every 10 plastic water bottles makes it to be recycled. That floors me. I tend to drink tap water and use bottled water only when I am travelling. I have been refilling the bottles and freezing them for the hot summer months for several years now. But I am not going to lie; I have thrown out my share. So what does recycling water bottles have to do with greening your wedding? Well, it is just one more way to reduce your impact.

There are ways to include eco-friendly elements into your wedding day from the very start. These days engagement rings are usually diamonds. In the past, most people didn’t even give or receive engagement rings! But with diamonds being such a popular symbol of the pending nuptials, being green about them only makes sense.

Many of you may be aware of what is known as “Blood Diamonds” from the movie that starred Leonardo DiCaprio and came out in 2006. Also known as ‘Conflict Diamonds,’ they are often credited with funding and continuing violence, slavery, death, and wars in several African countries. The U.N. initiated and maintains the ‘Kimberly Process.’ This procedure requires each nation to certify that all rough diamond exports are produced through legitimate mining and sales activity. All rough diamonds from these nations are to be accompanied by certificates stating that the diamonds were produced, sold and exported through legitimate channels. You should insist upon a sales receipt that documents that the diamond originated from a conflict free source.

The really nice thing about the Kimberly Process is just how much is being done as a result of increased legitimate profits from the diamond industry. It is reported that diamond revenues enable every child in Botswana to receive free education up to the age of 13; revenue from diamonds is instrumental in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic; conflict diamonds have been reduced from approximately 4% to considerably less than 1% since the implementation of the Kimberley Process in 2003 and Sierra Leone is now at peace and exported approximately $125 million diamonds in 2006. For more information on the Kimberly Process and the participating countries, go to www.kimberlyprocess.com.

Most diamonds are mined in strip mines so even though they may be morally correct they may not be earth friendly. The mining process is and has been very destructive to the earth. There are a few mines that are reducing the ecological impact on the earth through innovative techniques that take into account not only the type of mining but the impact of the mining on the animals and environs of the area. Most of the diamonds from Canada are mined in earth friendly mines. Even DeBeers, one of the most offensive mining companies as well as THE most influential one, has come around to low-impact diamond mining… at least in their Canadian mines. So look for Kimberly Process certification and where the diamond came from to ensure a ‘green’ engagement ring!