Updated: May 5, 2020
Align your wedding with your values
How? By understanding how to minimize the environmental impact your wedding will have. Considering that there are 2.4 million weddings in the United States every year collectively costing $72 billion, trying to reduce the carbon footprint for your own wedding can help lessen the environmental impact of your big day.
The average wedding produces 400 pounds of garbage and 62 tons of CO2
In just day, a wedding produces the equivalent emissions it would take 4 to 5 people to produce in one year
There are a range of ways you can reduce your impact on the environment – from sending out e-Invitations (to save the trees), decorating with solar lights and candles, buying a “new-to-you” wedding dress at a consignment store to planting trees to commemorate your wedding. But, do not overlook the environmental impact of food you serve to your guests.
Keep sustainability in mind when selecting a wedding caterer
Once you have decided that your wedding should be aligned with your own social values, one of the most important decisions you can make during your wedding planning process is to serve only sustainable food to your guests. Sustainable food isn’t just about the food itself, it’s a combination of factors including how it’s produced, how it’s distributed and how it’s consumed. Sustainable eating is about choosing foods that are healthful to our environment and our bodies.
There are many excellent reasons to ensure that your food and foodservice contributes to the overall sustainability of your wedding. Here are a few:
1. Serving locally sourced food reduces greenhouse gas emissions
While it may be temping to serve avocado toast as an appetizer at your winter wedding, consider where that avocado has to travel from before it arrives on your guests’ plates. On average, American meals travel about 1,500 miles from their origin to your table. This number is even higher when food has to travel by ship, train or plane from other countries. The bottom line is that local food often retains more nutrients. Local produce, for example. is allowed to ripen naturally, while food that travels long distances is often picked before it’s ripe.
By working with a caterer that only uses in-season local and/or organic foods that are produced nearby, you not only reduce transport-related emissions and fuel consumption, but you also support local farmers. The payoff to your guests is that they enjoy food that is fresh, delicious and nutritious.