Since rings are often one of the first things purchased, I thought I’d begin my “Green Weddings” series with them. I have recently learned a lot about various options for going green with your ring, and I thought I’d pass the information along. But first, this is in no way meant to make anyone feel guilty about the ring they already have, or guilty about the one you want to buy! My own rings are not eco-friendly (as far as I know), so I’m in no place to point fingers. I just want to help inform those who really are trying to go all out green, and perhaps give a push to those who are considering it as an option.

Because your rings are going to be such precious symbols of your commitment to one another, you will likely put a good deal of thought into your choices. And surprisingly, there are a number of ways to be green, or eco-friendly, with your ring purchase! By going green you can help cut back on damage done to the earth through gold and diamond mining, and you can add your voice to that of others in protest of civil wars in Africa (and thus, loss of life) due to exploitation of the diamond trade. (If you want to know more about these things, do a quick Google search on gold mining and “blood” or “conflict” diamonds.)

Following are several suggestions for getting your rings from ethical and environmentally responsible sources. I really love some of this stuff and wish I had known about it back when Rich and I were purchasing our rings. Hindsight is always 20/20, eh?

My favorite suggestion by far is to look for an antique ring! There are a lot of gorgeous, previously loved rings on the market! I’m not a huge fan of eBay, mainly because good deals seem few and far between, but you could start your search there. You could also check out local estate sales; you can really hit the jackpot at one of those! Of course, searching estate sales for the perfect ring can be extremely time-consuming. So why not let someone do it for you! There are a number of people who make a business out of finding antique jewelry, polishing it up, and selling it. Check out Doyle & Doyle, one place that I have fallen in love with! They have some really beautiful, very unique rings, most of which are antique or estate pieces. Most of the diamonds in their rings are old cut stones. This means they were mined, cut, and originally sold in the 1940s or earlier, so you can be assured that your purchase is not going to fund any current conflict.

If you don’t like the idea of a previously owned ring, then why not look for a jeweler who uses recycled metals and either conflict-free diamonds or synthetic diamonds? Many jewelers take old metals and refashion them into beautiful new settings. You’d NEVER know the difference!! And many of these same jewelers offer diamonds guaranteed to be mined, cut, and polished with socially and environmentally responsible practices. Two such jewelers are Brilliant Earth and Leber Jeweler.

If you want to avoid mined diamonds of all kinds, consider lab created synthetic diamonds. These diamonds are chemically, optically and physically the same as diamonds made by nature; these created stones are, in fact, real diamonds! And the fact that testing laboratories must use sophisticated equipment to determine if a diamond is nature-made or lab-grown suggests that these stones are indistinguishable to the average person. Two places you can look for synthetically created stones are greenKarat and Apollo Diamond.

Finally, an idea that I am very intrigued by is a wooden wedding ring. Simply Wood Rings creates their rings out of salvaged lumber. But don’t let the word “lumber” fool you. This wood, as they note on their website, might come from anywhere….such as “the elegant neck of a violin….or the wood from the baseball bat of a mother’s young son.” To that I say SWEET!!! But wait! There’s even more. You aren’t limited to rings made of only one type of wood, though they are available in abundance. You also have the option of combining wood with recycled silver or bronze, jade, turquoise, stone, SAND from the SAHARAH DESERT(!!!) or another type of wood! They can even mount a diamond on a wooden band!! The options are pretty much limitless. I love it!

As you can see, there are MANY options out there for the eco-conscience bride and groom. And you don’t have to sacrifice beauty, uniqueness, or quality to incorporate your rings into your green wedding. The more I research planning green weddings, the more I wish I had done this for my own wedding! However, I do believe we’ve gotten a second chance with at least one ring! Rich lost his wedding band only five months after we were married, and it never has been replaced. I’m thinking he might be really happy with a wooden one! And that would make me pretty happy too.

So, consider this the first installment in a series on “greening” up your life, and more specifically, Green Weddings!! I thought I would begin by sharing how Rich and I try to live a bit greener in our personal lives. In preparation, I gave myself an assignment! I made a list of all the ways Rich and I live earth-friendly, and then I phogographed some of the more tangible things.

The biggest thing we do is buy primarily organic foods. By doing so, not only are we supporting those who don’t spread harmful chemicals around or inject animals with needless drugs, but we are supporting our own health too! I do all of my own grocery shopping, but if I didn’t, I would use Greenling, a company that delivers local, organic foods right to your door! We are also careful about the cleaning agents we use. Rather than using harsh chemicals, we go the natural route. Seventh Generation is a brand of products that we really like, and they have everything!! Another brand we use is Method. Though both of these earth-conscience companies make fabulous products, what I REALLY want to do is start making my own cleaners. I actually think it would be fun! So if anyone has some good “recipes” for detergents or other cleaners, send then my way!!

Something that I really LOVE doing is using reusable bags when I shop. There are so many benefits to using these bags! Many of them are made from recycled products (such as water bottles), I don’t have mounds of plastic bags taking over my home, they are stronger and hold about twice what a plastic grocery store bag will hold, and I get to carry fun, cute bags when I shop! My favorites are from Whole Foods Market and Central Market. Every time they come out with a new design, I want it! But I don’t limit myself to using these only when I’m grocery shopping. I use them for everything!

Rich and I also love clothes and shoes made from earth-friendly and/or recycled products. Clothing (and even sheets and towels) made from bamboo is phenomenal!! It is extremely soft and comfortable, and even better, it is made from a renewable resource!! Organic cotton is another material we love. You can find some great clothing at Whole Foods Market (they have a clothing aisle!), Whole Earth Provision (Texas stores only) or online at Gaiam and The Green Loop. Great shoes made from recycled materials can be had from Rafters and Terra Plana. Something else to consider is the factories that produce your clothing (or anything else you buy). The type of material used is only a part of the equation. What kind of energy do companies use to make the things you purchase? There are some businesses that rely on wind or solar energy, an abundant resource most don’t take advantage of. Also, do they do things to preserve the environment around them, or do they continuously harm it? These are not factors I usually consider when I make a purchase, but I’m going to make a more conscience effort to pay attention to these things.

Finally, Rich and I have shared a single car for two years. Has it been hard and inconvenient? Heck yeah! But, we realized that we didn’t really NEED two cars, and that the benefits might outweigh the inconveniences. So, we sold my little Toyota Corolla and kept the Honda Accord. The benefits, you might ask? Well, we save on gas, maintenance, and car insurance! We are also contributing less pollutants to the air. Oh, and our Honda has some sort of gadget (no idea what it is exactly) that allows us to use Ethanol (E85), a corn-based alternative to gasoline, which is a renewable resource, biodegradable, low in toxicity, and causes little environmental pollution as it burns. But the jury is out on whether we get the same gas-mileage using E85.

While we would never win the Mr. and Mrs. Green Award, we do try to do our part. Things that we still need to do include recycling on a consistent basis, buying and using a rain barrel and composting bin, and harvesting wind and solar energy for our own use at home. Some of these things will simply take time (and money!), but they have a firm place on the must-do list.

Feel free to share any new ways/ideas you implement green living in your own life. I’m always up for suggestions! And keep your eyes open as I begin discussing how to plan and execute a Green Wedding. Right now my plan is to discuss the dress, the rings, the invitations, the favors, the cake/food, and the decorations. Is there anything else you’d like to hear about? If so, let me know and I’ll research it!