website launched

Hilary above and Stephanie below
Steve Byron



Prizes giveaway

Just a quick note to say we launched the website on Saturday evening. Mr Stephen Byron declared the website officially "launched" and much thanks to him for coming and being supportive of our venture.

We gave away some great prizes:
A $750 portrait voucher by me Hilary Wardhaugh Photography
A $80 lunch to the kitchen Cabinet October lunch
A $50 voucher to Mandala Minerals
A $650 soul coaching session

and Get Tanked gave away 2o Water audits!!

Here's a fe pics from the evening and thanks so much to all those who attended! Lovely to meet you all!

Hilary and Stephanie

going beyond neutral...even better!

The predicted consequences of accelerating climate change are devastating.

Time frames are shortening. The world is emitting faster than the worst case scenarios. Substantial reductions are required to achieve sustainability.

Greenhouse and sustainability are problems your customers want addressed; they will support your business if its products or services genuinely aids them to be a part of the solution.

Carbon neutrality is a race to zero; join Beyond Neutral® in the race to the top.


We are an innovative company focusing on three approaches to addressing greenhouse and sustainability:

* An effective response to climate change goes beyond compliance.
* Undertake actions that provide multiple benefits and improved sustainability.
* Moving past carbon neutrality is the ultimate step on the greenhouse pathway.

Throughout Australia and internationally, we provide our clients with specialist greenhouse, sustainability, energy and environment related services and products. Our clients include large corporations, public sector organisations and small to medium enterprises as well as all tiers of Government, in particular the Australian and local governments.

www.beyondneutral.com

The Green House Emporium

Eco-solutions today for a better tomorrow

A One stop shop for climate positive eco-solutions and consultancy services for the whole community, from home owners, renters and government organizations to business, building and design professionals.

In partnership Get Tanked water harvesting and plumbing services, The Green House Emporium will offer a select range of high quality products and services. In a relaxed and inspiring environment our informed staff and resources will be on hand to guide clients, in prioritizing their goals and choosing the best eco-solutions specific to their needs. All this under one roof, together with organic, fair-trade tea and coffee and tasty organic snacks and treats.

The store is due to open this spring (227 Canberra Avenue, Fyshwick, ACT 2609), simplifying eco-solutions offering real long-term savings for your pocket and the planet with superior service and customer satisfaction that exceeds expectations.

Office: 6280 8265

Website: www.gettanked.net.au

Weddings on location with a green tinge

The establishment of Kennards Events results from a partnership with the owners of Barlens Event Hire, which has more than 42 years experience in the event hire industry, and has been the market leader in the ACT, Southern Highlands and South Coast of NSW. Kennards Hire, which celebrates its 60th anniversary next year, is Australia's largest privately-owned hire company with more than 90 locations nation-wide. The combination of Kennards Hire and Barlens Event Hire presents a formidable new force in the Event Hire industry. You can be confident when you entrust your special event or function to Kennards Events you will be receiving the highest standard of event hire equipment and service available.

Throughout our website you will find many helpful links dedicated to organizing weddings, corporate functions, community & cultural events, audio visual production, lighting & sound, as well as many great party ideas. We have modeled our website on our existing showrooms with an emphasis on providing ideas to help make your event particularly special. You will find a feast of information on weddings, an area dedicated to corporate functions, a heap of great party ideas, a section focused on community & cultural events, and a section featuring audio visual & lighting.

Kennards Events has been helping all sorts of people with all sorts of events since 1965. We know that with special events you rarely get a second chance so everything must be right first time, every time. That is why so many people have come to depend on us.

www.kennardsevents.com.au

A Summary of Our Green Policy

Kennards Events recognizes that as a company, our work will have a direct and direct impact on the local, regional and global environment. We are committed to minimizing our negative impacts and acting in a sustainable way. We achieve this through initiatives in the following areas:

Waster reduction
Electronic Communications
Reusable Packaging
Purchasing
Vehicles
Exhibitions
Cleaning

Kennards Events acknowledges that there are future environmental initiatives that can be taken and are constantly looking at new ways to minimize the environmental impact of business operations.

green music! little by little...

Whilst we may not fit the category of a fully "green" business we are committed to being as green as we possibly can and are making steps right now towards this.
Our business situation is somewhat different to most (but like yours), as we use venues or private residences for the majority of our work, however, being a mobile DJ business, a large component of what we do involves travel by motor vehicle. We offset our emissions through Greenfleet for our vehicles.
We already have a green power component for our home and office. We already use energy saving lightbulbs in home and office and do our best to conserve energy generally. We use recycled paper wherever possible, reduce paper consumption where we can, and attempt to use the reduce, re-use, recycle philosophy in our day to day operations.

We are progressively replacing our old style professional lights with professional LED lights (these are fairly new to the industry), as replacement is required, and are enquiring as to the option of replacing our bulbs with LEDs in our existing lights, so that we can have them be more energy efficient as soon as possible.

www.ardanien.com.au

3 nights to go!!

With three nights to go we are frantically preparing for our www.green4life.com.au launch/ cocktail party. There is always so much to do last minute and we are hoping from a great start to Saturday night. Starting at 5pm with some giveaways and a couple of talks it should be a fun and informative evening. There are atill a few tickets so if you want to come and have a chance at winning some great prizes then please let us know.

Stephen Byron from the Capital Airport Group and Brindabella Business Park will launch the website and we also have the pleasure of Senator Christine Milne from the Greens coming along, too.

www.green4life.com.au

Sunday morning planting!

What fun great exercise and doing good is!

Planted about 50-60 trees and grasses near Pierce's creek this a.m replacing the pine plantations with natives of different species which is important for bio-diversity.

Met a few of the ACT regional Greening Australia crowd and I really wish I had been doing this before now...I'd always wanted to but never quite made it...Fresh air and committed people and loads of kids all helping...what a wonderful way to spend a foggy winter morning in Canberra! Looking forward to the next one on Father's Day in September!

Greening Australia-Our Partner!

Want to offset your your lives then please check out how below:

Breathe Easy is a premium carbon offset product from Greening Australia.


〈 Breathe Easy provides an inspiring 3-in-1 solution to global warming. More effective than monoculture planting schemes, where only one species is planted, Breathe Easy focuses on mass planting of a mix of native species to offer a combination of Carbon Offsets, Landscape Transformation and Nurtured Biodiversity.


〈 Through Breathe Easy, Greening Australia is tackling climate change by carrying out large scale tree planting in strategic areas to restore the Australian bush – an outcome that not only sequesters, or locks up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but helps our degraded landscapes to recover from years of abuse, and become more resilient in the face of climate change. It also helps to link together isolated areas of native vegetation to ensure our unique biodiversity has the best chance of survival.



〈 Naturally, the first logical step is to live more environmentally responsibly. It's always possible to reduce carbon emissions by changing the way we live. See the Breathe Easy website for some tips to help you reduce your impact on the planet: http://www.breatheeasynow.com.au/html/reduce/



〈 Some short-term tree planting solutions to sequestering carbon focus only on planting fast-growing, single species trees. While a cheap way to capture CO2, this method ignores many of the other environmental pressures our landscapes are facing. In fact, it may even cause more harm in the long-term by absorbing the runoff from rain before it enters nearby streams and creeks. Breathe Easy goes further than other monoculture planting schemes, by focusing on large-scale planting of a broad mix of local tree and shrub species. We use a combination of direct seed sowing and seedling planting in strategic areas chosen for their need for environmental repair. For maximum success our trees are only planted in the right season to ensure the best results.



〈 Greening Australia is the largest non-government environment organisation in Australia and is committed to providing practical solutions to Australia's environmental problems. It was established in 1982 to mark the Year of the Tree and since then has been using tree planting as a solution for critical issues like global climate change, salinity, declining water quality, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss. Over the last five years, no other organisation in the country has planted more trees for environmental repair.


〈 Greening Australia is an Australian Government approved Greenhouse Friendly abatement provider. Our methodology to establish and maintain biodiverse forest sinks for in excess of 100 years has been approved under Greenhouse Friendly by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change.

Makeup with a conscience!

Purity…..with a professional finish!
Introducing the most diverse, ethical and environmentally-responsible mineral make-up range ever! AND we’re Australian made and owned!
Over the last couple of years mineral make-up has firmly forged its place in the beauty and cosmetic industries as a high-performing and sought-after product. Everyone has heard of it, many have tried it and everyone raves about it!
So what’s the Mandala Mineral difference?
Mandala Mineral Cosmetics has made a commitment to providing consistently high quality, non-toxic, vegan and cruelty-free products. We are at the forefront of mineral science using the latest market research from both individual and industry sources that has led to the most diverse and exciting Australian-made mineral range.
Choosing ‘consciously’ created products, should not put you at a disadvantage for choice, colour, blend-ability and creative expression.
Mandala Mineral Cosmetics have made sure even the most die-hard make-up fanatic will be satisfied. Every need has been met - from everyday wear to the most glamorous, high end industry results. Our range is the most comprehensive mineral range ever! It’s purity, with a professional finish. Try it for yourself today, visit us at www.mandalaminerals.com.au

www.mandalminerals.com.au

La Bimbi Hair Salons

The very wonderful Gess and Peter Mazi have a wonderful business(es) here in Canberra and have a great dedication to being sustainable. We are very happy to have them associated with green4life!!

Here's a bit about them!

At La Bimbi Salons we believe that "we all need to celebrate who we are".

We provide stunning cuts and use only the finest colour, makeup, and hair
products that do not harm our staff, clients or the planet in which we live
in.

The salon name La Bimbi - means "the little ones" in italian and was
selected to honour our children - as such our priority was to operate a
business that minimises any harm that we do to their planet. From recycled
paper, green products, even jewellery that has been sourced in cooperation
with Tibetan tribes - the business since 2004 has adopted a holistic and
environmentally conscious approach.

The two product ranges that we use are La Biosthetique - of which La Bimbi
is the only salon in Canberra selected to use this product together with
Aveda.

Hilary Wardhaugh Photography green do's

Ok, I have posted other businesses and bits about what they do to be a bit more sustainable, so why not my turn...Here is a bit about me:


As a parent of a young son I have often worried about the world will be like when he is an adult.

Will there be regular rain?
Will we have enough whole foods?
Will we be all fat and immobile?
Will there be enough space to live?
Will the air be clean?


Our contribution to the earth’s environmental problems is vast and we all need to all do our little bit.

If all you can manage is to recycle your paper, plastic and tins well that is great, but it isn’t that hard to do a little bit more. Get a compost going, the worms love it!

I want to nurture my bit of world and if that means being a little more proactive at home and in my business so be it, its not that hard!.

I always try and reduce all my waste. I recycle everything I can.

Once I have gotten rid of my old plastic coated business cards I will only be using an environmentally friendly printer who specializes in recycled card and believe it or not they look and feel very groovey!

I keep my power usage to a minimum, especially my lights, and have recently changed to green power.

My office is fully insulated in the walls and the above the ceiling.

My windows have black-out blinds for heat/cool loss.

I have started using bamboo fine art paper for my art prints with less reliance on plastic coated prints and not all images are printed only the most special ones. All images are archived digitally.

My handmade books are printed and bound locally using recycled products and often hand made organic paper for the covers.

I am a member of greenfleet and offset my car travel and plane travel every year.

I aim to be more sustainable, but sustainable does not mean poor quality quite the contrary. The quality of all these wonderful products is exceptional and I know you’ll love them to. It makes me feel good that I am doing my little bit for the environment and at the same time producing images that your family and children will cherish for years to come.

18 more sleeps

We are madly trying to organise the last minute stuff you need when you are organising an event....and then my kid gets sick!

But, the good news is that Mr Stephen Byron, of Capital Airport Group and Brindabella Business Park has said he would launch our initiative.

When you see and read what environmental commitment Brindabella Business park has made it is inspiring and we can all take a little away from what they are doing and adapt it to our own lives and homes.

Janet Jeffs, from Ginger Catering will also be saying a few words.

We will be posting some new exhibitors on the blog very soon and in the directory also. If you'd like to come to this very special launch, then give us a call.
Hilary Wardhaugh 0418255416
Stephanie Allen 0428217098

a bit of reading!

I have been searching for some eco-fashion labels that are not just all hemp, you know, something hip and mod...I came across these labels and thought WOW! how fantastic that they are Australian and their designs are great...

www.bassike.com

www.cylk.com

www.gorman.ws

www.skinnynelson.com.au

I also came across a few Canberra based blogs with heaps of information about a more sustainable life

www.act-opshopping.blogspot.com

www.consumption-rebellion.blogspot.com which links to

www.simple-green-frugal-co-op.blogspot.com

all very interesting to read....

green4life.com.au LAUNCH

In just less than 4 weeks we will be launching green4life in Canberra.

Thanks to those exhibitors who have paid their deposits and to those who have expressed an interest in becoming involved.

We have heard recently that the public are becoming green fatigued with so many issues in the public arena about environmental concerns. What we aim to do here at green4life is make it easy...

...Easy to find like minded individuals and businesses who can help and show you the way to lead a healthier life for you but also the planet, its not that hard, really!

Want to come to the launch and have the chance to win the following:

A water audit from Get Tanked
A $750 engagement portrait (or if you have a family then wonderful!)
A $650 Soul Coaching program
A $400 credit with Brindabella Baby
A $50 Kitchen Cabinet voucher
and we are working on more...

$49 will get you in the door to sample some of Ginger Catering canapes and some wine, to hear some great music and hear about some great options in sustainable living...

Call/Email us now as we are limited with numbers..Saturday 8th August 5-7pm at Old Parliament House, Canberra....more details are on our website www.green4life.com.au
info@green4life.com.au

love the feelin'....

The very gorgeous Michelle of the soulcoach has signed up with green4life and we love her!!
Michelle has graciously donated a wonderful prize for the green4life launch ( Saturday the 8th, not long now!!).

Here is her wonderful prize and also a little about her business.Soul Coaching - 4 week program

Soul Coaching® is a rewarding four-week journey of cleansing and reinvigorating your life. Be gently guided and supported to connect with the elements of Air, Water, Fire and Earth, and detox mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.

The package includes:
Coaching... support throughout your journey
200+ page workbook to guide you, with daily inspirational activities
Vision quest... your own sacred quest, to unify and complete the process.
Weekly soul journey sessions, to enhance inner clarity.
30 days of free follow up support by phone and email after completing the program.
Valued at $650.

The aim of Soul Coaching is to align your inner spiritual life with your outer life. It's a system that helps to clear away mental, emotional and physical clutter so you can hear the messages from within. It also helps you discover your purpose so you can design a life that supports that mission. Soul Coaching's primary aim is to clear away inner debris, so you can discover your own inner-wisdom. Rediscover the everyday experience of spirit and a connection to the inner states of intuition, mystery, and wonder.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend....

It is amazing when researching how to live a more sustainable life what you come across. Diamonds are the usual symbol of love in an engagement ring but if you knew how they were mined maybe you would have second thoughts about where you purchased your diamond and if the jeweler didn't know where or how the stones were mined

Have a look at the website link here:

www.diamondfacts.org to get all you need to know about where your gorgeous stone (s) came from. It really gets you thinking!

Ben from Utopian Creations is the only jeweler so far that I have come across who is thinking about his stones and where his precious metals are coming from....are there no others??

natural weddings info and gift registry

Our Natural Weddings website is for couples concerned about our planet, social responsibility and sustainability, where we offer a knowledgeable and resourceful website to help you plan your wedding in eco friendly style. Our guiding principle is simply to make a commitment to consider the environmental impacts of each decision you make. We encourage you not to aim for a "pristine green" celebration without compromise. Rather, to consciously make the best choices you can. From a tiny seed a mighty Eucalypt grows...

Green lifestyle enthusiast Tracey Bailey had been assisting engaged couples with Green Wedding advice through the Biome eco-store. Combining her passion for the planet and style with a conscience, Tracey can help you with everything you need to know about planning a greener celebration. Our planning guide will help you incorporate whatever sustainable choices you are able to. A thoughtful gift registry will help you create your harmonious, healthy home together. For an "Eco Friendly Gift Registry" filled with gifts that come from the heart visit us at www.biome.com.au PH: 1 300 301 767

green4life.com.au is now live

Our website is finally live and yes its small, at the moment, but we will be continually adding to it over the next few weeks but also over the next 9 months prior to our inaugural "green4life style and wedding" expo in March 2010.

The directory will be much more comprehensive with logos, links, business details and a few words about each of our wonderful exhibitors and directory listed businesses.

The next few weeks we will be uploading all those businesses who have contacted us so far.
We'd love it if you can link back to us as that is what seems to make the world go 'round!

www.green4life.com.au

"Your Commitment, Our World" TM

RTM design, Our friends!

Richard, Rachel and team are a design team with a similiar ethos as green4life and we are very happy to be working with them. Here's a few words from them and we are very happy to be working with them!

RTM Design has long appreciated the impact that business people and we as design
practitioners have on the environment. Since our beginning in 1989 we have consistently
applied an environmental consciousness to our studio and the items we produce.
We do this by analysing your design requirement and presenting the best environmental
solutions for your project. We determine if a printed document is appropriate or if an online
alternative would be suitable. We consider how we can most effectively help you to reach
your audience and minimise waste and save money. We suggest innovative paper sizes and
layouts to reduce waste and maximise return from a printed sheet. We encourage the use of
vegetable based inks and water wise printing practices. We promote the use of recycled paper
from genuinely renewable resources. We use suppliers and services that share our
environmental principals.
Core to our thinking is to limit the environmental effect of our design solution throughout its
entire life cycle. RTM Design supports and actively promotes sustainable design.

Exhibitors and directory

Its growing and there is only 6 weeks left until we launch. Thanks to www.utopiancreations.com.au & www.biome.com.au who have registered and we have a couple more in the wings, that we will tell you about as sooin as finalised!! Will be posting some info about our recent acceptances early next week! Its filling up so don't miss your opportunity to be part of the revolution! We are VERY excited!!

Wow! we are excited!!

Stephanie and I emailed as many "green" suppliers we could think of last night with expressions of interest and we have had a fabulous response all today with businesses wanting to display their wonderful "green" products and services either at the green4life expo and/or the directory on the website....

We only have 27 spaces for the expo and already we have filled 6 of them since last night...If you want to promote yourself and your "green wedding, family and home" product then contact us very soon!

The cocktail party on the 8th August should be wonderful if it keeps up like this!

Matt is preserving our planet's ecology!

Matt from Envirocentral runs an amazing landscaping and permaculture business showing us how to live more sustainably and its not that hard, check out what he does!

www.envirocentral.com.au

Living a sustainable existence is imperative to the preservation of our planet’s ecology. Enviro Central is at the forefront of the Green Revolution, specialising in designing completely edible landscapes, land conservation and restoration, biological farming and school education programs.

Only 7 weeks to go...

The green4life.com.au website is almost ready. Its amazing that such things can take so long to get organised. Its been a huge learning curve, especially as we want all our exhibitors and visitors to be able to register and pay online, so technically that is whay the website isn't quite ready yet. So far tho it looks great!! We have had great interest so far from businesses wanting to be a part of this fantastic initiative and seeing as there are only 27 spaces it will be an exclusive club!

If you run your business in an eco-ethical manner and have gorgeous products that the public cannot do without then please contact Stephanie or Hilary.

We will be launching this venture with bells and whistles, some bubbly and some great local food from Janet and her team at Ginger Catering at the Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House on Saturday the 8th August.

The expo now being the 28th march 2010.

If you would like to advertise your business in our website directory we want as many local green businesses as possible. There are three categories

WEDDING
FAMILY
HOME

So don't miss out!!

Weddings at Old Parliament House

A Ginger Catering wedding

A wedding is when everyone's thoughts are for the future. This is one of the
reasons Ginger Catering is dedicated to ensuring your wedding shows you
care.

Green wedding design is about making your wedding as fresh and memorable in
the future as on the day of your marriage. We plan not just for the day, but
so the setting and service we provide is about sustainability. After all,
the environment, like your wedding, connects all of us, the generations past
with those of the future.

On your wedding day, our present is for ever.

Starting a family....things to consider to be sustainable

Brindabella Baby is all about a better world for babies. Everything in our Lonsdale Street store is eco-friendly and fair trade. We have the widest range of modern cloth nappies in Canberra, as well as biodegradable and flushable disposables. We also have Canberra's best range of quality baby carriers and slings, with demonstration models to try on. Plus fair trade baby clothing, toys, and books by local authors. With nine month no-deposit lay-buy, and gift registry for baby showers, it's easy to make ethical and sustainable choices.
Six month old Billy wearing a green Bumwear nappy - reusable and made
under ethically fair working conditions.

Emma Davidson
02 6176 1400
0411 449 524
www.brindabellababy.com.au

A bit of brain food

It seems that there are many shades of green when it comes to establishing a green policy, but it has its benefits, and its not all about the environment!

Every little bit helps...Whilst searching the internet we came across many ways to help the environment but we love simplicity so here's a few to think about:


Refuse (consumerism)
Reduce
Re-use
Repair
Recycle

Now even Bob the Builder uses eat least 3 of those!

Seriously, though if you are considering changing the way your live and work then maybe consider the following:

Environmental Management System (EMS)

What is ISO, ISO 14000 and ISO 14001?

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer and publisher of International Standards.

ISO 14000 is a series of international standards that have been developed to incorporate environmental aspects into business operations and product standards.

ISO 14001 is a specific international standard for a management system designed to minimise an organisation’s impact on the environment.

The ISO 14001 methodology is a systematic approach for continually improving environmental management through identification and evaluation of aspects and impacts, development of objectives and measurable targets, implementation of programs, and on-going monitoring and review.

What are the Benefits of Implementing an Environmental Management System?

1. Pollution prevention and waste reduction opportunities.
2. Profit in market for "Green Products”
3. Reduced consumption of natural resources and energy
4. Minimisation of environmental liability and risk
5. Systemised approach to compliance with environmental regulations
   
6. Commitment to social responsibility

...and it makes you feel good! :)

Ginger Catering-Our Major Partner

Janet Jeffs owner of Ginger Catering is an inspiration, not only in the kitchen but behind the scenes also. She and her team have developed an extensive green policy for all operations including the Cafe in the House, The Ginger Room fine dining restaurant, The Kitchen Cabinet produce store, and all catering including their new Gingerbread offsite catering service. Below is an abstract of the Ginger Catering Green Policy and their commitment to environmental sustainability and innovation.





Ginger Catering at Old Parliament House serves in a single year approximately 150,000 customers across all outlets. This presents a need to develop practical ideas for improving sustainability.
Our firm commitment to developing sustainable business practices means that we consistently assess ways to reduce our impact on the environment. We are also aware that our staff are learning with us.
The restrictions necessarily imposed in a heritage listed building are offset by the opportunities this high-profile location gives us. Located in the heart of the national capital, we see ourselves as responsible for adopting and modelling best practices in sustainability.
Ginger Catering has registered to become a Green Table Australia certified business under the recently launched Restaurant & Catering Australia accreditation scheme. The Green Table scheme is designed as an add-on to the restaurant accreditation scheme and is intended to recognise restaurants and catering businesses that are reducing their CO2 emissions.
Our present focus is on three main areas of environmental impact:
Energy and water conservation

• An upgrade of the commercial kitchen equipment was done in April 2008 significantly lowering energy consumption and improving water efficiency
• A commercial conveyer belt dishwasher was installed to the main function / production kitchen to reduce water and energy consumption and to achieve recycling of the majority of the water.
• The use of natural gas for heating and cooking, rather than electricity
• All non-essential power, including lights, is turned off when not needed as a routine practice

Waste management and recycling
• Glass recycling
• Plastic recycling
• Cardboard/paper recycling
• Used cooking oil recycling for bio diesel
• Green waste recycling for composting
• Redirecting waste from landfill
• recycling of toner cartridges
• Disposal of Styrofoam boxes
• Disposal of scrap metal
• Disposal of fluorescent light tubes
• Use of environmentally sensitive products
• Recycling of unused fresh food – we are keen participants in the local charity food recovery program Oz Harvest.

Environmentally sensitive procedures
Ginger Catering casual as well as fulltime staff are trained to be conscientious in their handling of chemicals and to implement carefully our firm policies and procedures for the use, storage and disposal of all chemicals required in operating a food handling business. Material safety data sheets are prominently displayed for all chemicals used within the business. Every effort has been made to minimise the use of any bleach or caustic based chemicals in the work place, to minimise harmful products entering our waterways. We are currently investigating alternative cleaning products as part of our regular products assessments.

Old Parliament House, King George Terrace, Parkes ACT 2600 Australia Bookings 02 6273 4366 Email info@gingercatering.com.au

Barefoot weddings- A new product from Hilary Wardhaugh

You recycle and compost everything you can. You walk when you could drive – and you are thinking of investing in solar panels.

So why blow you carbon budget during your wedding?

Canberra’s leading wedding photographer Hilary Wardhaugh has just introduced an eco-friendly alternative to capturing your special day.

"Barefoot Weddings" is a photography package developed over the past 18 months to reduce the carbon footprint by developing alternatives to display wedding images other than the normal plastic coated prints and huge albums…??

The couple will receive images in digital format with special prints done on beautiful fine art cotton rag paper and framed using ash from renewable forests only. Everything is crafted locally saving on carbon miles and in turn helping a little towards keeping business local.

“Barefoot Weddings will suit the couple wanting something different, something brave and something which still produces a wonderful artistic representation of their very special day,” Hilary Wardhaugh says. “Barefoot Weddings are captured discreetly by two accredited AIPP photographers in such a way that is completely unobtrusive allowing couples to be the centre of their day without being directed. The style is mainly documentary, reportage or candid with only a few semi-posed images. It is not a style for everyone but the images will reveal more than just how couples look on the day. They will show how they feel”.

It is the perfect way to capture that moment while retaining your respect to the environment and being conscious of your contribution to Climate Change.

“I think we can all make an effort to change the way we live and operate our businesses and this is my little bit for the earth.” says Hilary.

Hilary Wardhaugh is a Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) Double Master Photographer who has just won ACT AIPP Wedding Photographer of the Year for the 5th time.

First post for our new venture

Green4life is an expo to be held at Old Parliament House on 28th march 2010 but the launch is happening on the 8th August 2009

Website almost ready!!

www.green4life.com.au (TM)

" Your commitment Our world" (TM)

The Green4Life wedding and Lifestyle expo is all about promoting green and ethical weddings & living.

DATES: Cocktail VIP/exhibitors party 6pm Saturday 8th August

EXPO Sunday 28th March 2010 10am-4pm

Weddings, though wonderful, can be extremely wasteful, when really it the marriage that counts! We hope with the green4life initiative that the general public can see that it is easy to live more sustainably from their wedding day onwards...

Saturday night will be a cocktail party in King's Hall catered by Ginger Catering, who have an extension green policy and are a major sponsor. Sunday will be the expo 10-4 with about 28 businesses hopefully.

We know that when it comes to eco-friendly and ethical businesses, there are many shades of green. We will ask that all exhibitors meet certain green and ethical quality standards in one or more key business areas. If you are unsure, please get in touch with one of the organisers to discuss your green credentials.

We hope this will be an annual event and that it really enables the general public to see how easy it is being "green".

Stephanie Allen & Hilary Wardhaugh