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when did you become aware of environmental issues and start to incorporate greener habits into your life and company focus?i have been an environmentalist my entire life. i've also been a vegetarian my entire life, and i think that's one of the biggest things you can do for the planet. growing up in the san francisco bay area, i've been connected to nature, and always been aware of recourses. water has always been an issue in california, so i grew up with lots of things like, 'if it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down.' [laughter.] i'm passionate and totally focused on how humans can make better choices in our lives so we have less impact on the planet for future generations. i started working in recycling and waste reduction in the 90s, then i went into outreach and education on cbs radio where i helped produce a show called trash talk. and then i started a website called greenbiz.com that is a resource center for business and the environment, and i ran that for five years. now, after getting an mba in sustainable management, i was able to create a business that reflects who i am in the world, and that's what vibrant events is.what does "green" mean to you?that's where the company name comes from. vibrant is what green means to me: a vibrant future for the sake of future generations. vibrant health, vibrant atmosphere, vibrant environment. and feeling vibrant and connected to the planet and the local community and your values.what is one recent green obsession that you just can't live without?i'm so obsessed with carbon offsets! i don't know if everyone quite knows the joy that offsetting your carbon emissions gives you. i'm a huge proponent of turning people onto the idea of going to third party organizations like liveneutral, terrapass, carbonfund, nativeenergy—all of these innovative organizations that are offering you the ability to calculate your personal carbon footprint on the planet and give you the power to offset that. it's an amazing feeling. it's similar to why people enjoy recycling, because it's an action that you can feel really good about taking.what do you say to the naysayers who think carbon offsets are just a way assuage guilty consciences?[laughter.] i say, yes! because we should all feel guilty about our impact on the planet. i don't know why anyone would be a naysayer about something really positive for the planet. it's not perfect—neither is recycling—but it is a move in the right direction. if you're a person of values, this offers you an opportunity to take action.are there any must-avoid products or services for a green bride- or groom-to-be?extravagance and excess! anything that falls into those categories, like a stretch hummer limo! why do you even need a limo? or having a dessert buffet and a cake—it's a bit much. to me, that's about show, it's not about who you are and what you really care about. also, lots of gifts on registries. it's really hard to not go with the big-name companies when registering, but if the couple has everything they need, why not ask for gift donations to the honeymoon or organizations that they care about? that will reduce the packaging of all the gifts. there's a lot of waste there.any advice that might surprise those hoping to throw a green wedding?just that you can green any part of your wedding. from the lingerie you wear to the shoes on your feet to the food and the flowers and the gifts that you get and give.what was your most memorable wedding eco-challenge?finding an organic wedding cake that met my client's expectations. she had a very refined palate. she absolutely wanted an amazing, extraordinary wedding cake. it meant so much to her. and to find an organic cake that met her expectations in taste and texture and flavor and color and design was really hard, but we were able to find her the best organic wedding cake ever! this cake is so good, but the vendor didn't advertise it as being organic or green, so it took some time to find her.what cost-saving tips do you have for those hoping go green with their wedding plans?a big one is no party favors. that's a great way to save money. and you can save a lot of money if you buy a used gown. you'll also save a lot of money if you go seasonal and local with your flowers. there's a cost to the planet and your pocketbook if you're flying roses all the way from ecuador just for your wedding. there are cost savings in keeping things really simple with your design, not getting too over-the-top with lots of elements. if you like modern or minimalist design, that's a great way to save money—just go really clean and modern. have one beautiful flower in a vase instead of ten or 20. and then there are things like organic vintners that have amazing biodynamic and organic wines that are very cheap. some people think organic wines cost a lot of money, but wholesalers have amazing bulk packages. you can also save money by buying antique wedding rings. a couple i worked with gathered gold jewelry from both families that they weren't using anymore and melted them down to make new wedding rings. so it was at minimal cost and yet their wedding rings are infused with both sides of the family coming together. something like that is so symbolic but also saves money and stops companies from plundering and mining for more metal and stones.is there one easy thing anyone could do to make his or her wedding greener?absolutely: offsetting the carbon emissions of the travel of the guests to your wedding. you have 170 guests on average traveling from all across the country to the event—driving, flying, staying in hotels. the average amount of carbon output from a wedding is 40 tons. if you offset that, it's the equivalent of taking seven cars off the road for a year. it's a powerful way to green your wedding. with global warming as the number one issue we're facing, it's imperative that people start to take responsibility for their events.have you had any green bridezillas?believe it or not, i have! bridezillas happen because people are stressed out, and it can be a groom or a bride. weddings are an extremely emotional experience and there are so many details and a lot of people to please. if you're a person with deep values and you integrate that into the planning of this experience and you're not able to align those values with your products and service choices, you might be really disappointed. and there are many reasons why you can't align them: the product or service doesn't exist, or it's too late and you don't have enough time to get it or you just don't have the money for it. that's my experience with a bridezilla, just the disappointment of not being able to find that product that met her expectations, her values and her budget.are you willing to share that organic cake vendor?yeah! it's edith meyer. she's been written up a lot in wedding magazines, but not for her green values. she has solar panels on her house! her personal values are really connected to sustainability. she works with local, organic farmers to support them. she integrates the cost of organic ingredients into her offer, so she's a little more expensive, but that's because she sourcing organic flour and sugar, which are really hard to find.any green honeymoon tips?obviously, there are eco-resorts. there's also adventure travel. but remember to offset your carbon emissions! it would be really fun to do a bicycle tour of farms in your local community. see and experience the community in your own backyard. i had one couple just take themselves offline for a week in san francisco and bicycle around the city.you see a lot of green-tinted love in your business. would you date or be with someone who isn't green?never!

when did you become aware of environmental issues and start to incorporate greener habits into your life and company focus?i have been an environmentalist my entire life. i've also been a vegetarian my entire life, and i think that's one of the biggest things you can do for the planet. growing up in the san francisco bay area, i've been connected to nature, and always been aware of recourses. water has always been an issue in california, so i grew up with lots of things like, 'if it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down.' [laughter.] i'm passionate and totally focused on how humans can make better choices in our lives so we have less impact on the planet for future generations. i started working in recycling and waste reduction in the 90s, then i went into outreach and education on cbs radio where i helped produce a show called trash talk. and then i started a website called greenbiz.com that is a resource center for business and the environment, and i ran that for five years. now, after getting an mba in sustainable management, i was able to create a business that reflects who i am in the world, and that's what vibrant events is.what does "green" mean to you?that's where the company name comes from. vibrant is what green means to me: a vibrant future for the sake of future generations. vibrant health, vibrant atmosphere, vibrant environment. and feeling vibrant and connected to the planet and the local community and your values.what is one recent green obsession that you just can't live without?i'm so obsessed with carbon offsets! i don't know if everyone quite knows the joy that offsetting your carbon emissions gives you. i'm a huge proponent of turning people onto the idea of going to third party organizations like liveneutral, terrapass, carbonfund, nativeenergy—all of these innovative organizations that are offering you the ability to calculate your personal carbon footprint on the planet and give you the power to offset that. it's an amazing feeling. it's similar to why people enjoy recycling, because it's an action that you can feel really good about taking.what do you say to the naysayers who think carbon offsets are just a way assuage guilty consciences?[laughter.] i say, yes! because we should all feel guilty about our impact on the planet. i don't know why anyone would be a naysayer about something really positive for the planet. it's not perfect—neither is recycling—but it is a move in the right direction. if you're a person of values, this offers you an opportunity to take action.are there any must-avoid products or services for a green bride- or groom-to-be?extravagance and excess! anything that falls into those categories, like a stretch hummer limo! why do you even need a limo? or having a dessert buffet and a cake—it's a bit much. to me, that's about show, it's not about who you are and what you really care about. also, lots of gifts on registries. it's really hard to not go with the big-name companies when registering, but if the couple has everything they need, why not ask for gift donations to the honeymoon or organizations that they care about? that will reduce the packaging of all the gifts. there's a lot of waste there.any advice that might surprise those hoping to throw a green wedding?just that you can green any part of your wedding. from the lingerie you wear to the shoes on your feet to the food and the flowers and the gifts that you get and give.what was your most memorable wedding eco-challenge?finding an organic wedding cake that met my client's expectations. she had a very refined palate. she absolutely wanted an amazing, extraordinary wedding cake. it meant so much to her. and to find an organic cake that met her expectations in taste and texture and flavor and color and design was really hard, but we were able to find her the best organic wedding cake ever! this cake is so good, but the vendor didn't advertise it as being organic or green, so it took some time to find her.what cost-saving tips do you have for those hoping go green with their wedding plans?a big one is no party favors. that's a great way to save money. and you can save a lot of money if you buy a used gown. you'll also save a lot of money if you go seasonal and local with your flowers. there's a cost to the planet and your pocketbook if you're flying roses all the way from ecuador just for your wedding. there are cost savings in keeping things really simple with your design, not getting too over-the-top with lots of elements. if you like modern or minimalist design, that's a great way to save money—just go really clean and modern. have one beautiful flower in a vase instead of ten or 20. and then there are things like organic vintners that have amazing biodynamic and organic wines that are very cheap. some people think organic wines cost a lot of money, but wholesalers have amazing bulk packages. you can also save money by buying antique wedding rings. a couple i worked with gathered gold jewelry from both families that they weren't using anymore and melted them down to make new wedding rings. so it was at minimal cost and yet their wedding rings are infused with both sides of the family coming together. something like that is so symbolic but also saves money and stops companies from plundering and mining for more metal and stones.is there one easy thing anyone could do to make his or her wedding greener?absolutely: offsetting the carbon emissions of the travel of the guests to your wedding. you have 170 guests on average traveling from all across the country to the event—driving, flying, staying in hotels. the average amount of carbon output from a wedding is 40 tons. if you offset that, it's the equivalent of taking seven cars off the road for a year. it's a powerful way to green your wedding. with global warming as the number one issue we're facing, it's imperative that people start to take responsibility for their events.have you had any green bridezillas?believe it or not, i have! bridezillas happen because people are stressed out, and it can be a groom or a bride. weddings are an extremely emotional experience and there are so many details and a lot of people to please. if you're a person with deep values and you integrate that into the planning of this experience and you're not able to align those values with your products and service choices, you might be really disappointed. and there are many reasons why you can't align them: the product or service doesn't exist, or it's too late and you don't have enough time to get it or you just don't have the money for it. that's my experience with a bridezilla, just the disappointment of not being able to find that product that met her expectations, her values and her budget.are you willing to share that organic cake vendor?yeah! it's edith meyer. she's been written up a lot in wedding magazines, but not for her green values. she has solar panels on her house! her personal values are really connected to sustainability. she works with local, organic farmers to support them. she integrates the cost of organic ingredients into her offer, so she's a little more expensive, but that's because she sourcing organic flour and sugar, which are really hard to find.any green honeymoon tips?obviously, there are eco-resorts. there's also adventure travel. but remember to offset your carbon emissions! it would be really fun to do a bicycle tour of farms in your local community. see and experience the community in your own backyard. i had one couple just take themselves offline for a week in san francisco and bicycle around the city.you see a lot of green-tinted love in your business. would you date or be with someone who isn't green?never!