InTents December2022/January 2023 - 28

As a result, she's able to refer brides
" INTEREST IN ECOFRIENDLY
WEDDINGS
SEEMS TO BE
INCREASING AS
PEOPLE BECOME MORE
EDUCATED ABOUT
GLOBAL WARMING,
ESPECIALLY AMONG
CLIENTS IN THEIR LATE
20S TO MID-30S. "
-PAIGE MCQUILLAN, PAIGE EVENTS
to wedding gown vendors that recycle
dresses; work with sustainable, locally
sourced, organic food vendors; promote
the use of recycled paper products for
announcements, invitations, programs,
menus, napkins and escort cards; and opt
for reusable cups, straws and lids. Her
number 1 rule? No single-use plastic. She
also offers options for loral decor.
" I can buy organic, locally grown
lowers that are free of pesticides and
loral foam, " she explains. " An alternative
is to use potted plants that can be given
to guests as favors-or just planted in
the clients' own backyards. "
McQuillan says interest in eco-friendly
weddings seems to be increasing as people
become more educated about global
warming, especially among clients in their
late 20s to mid-30s. And many are happy
to learn costs aren't signiicantly higher.
" It can be more expensive to source
food and lorals locally, but you have to
remember you're supporting the local
community and their families, " she says.
" You're cutting back on your carbon
emissions to get it all shipped here. They're
not smothered in pesticides. And you can
visit the farm your lorals or food came
from instead of having no idea where in
the world something was grown, or if it has
been in chemically polluted soil, or what
your chicken was eating for dinner. "
HOW HAS COVID AFFECTED GREEN PRACTICES
FOR EVENT PLANNERS AND VENDORS?
n the IBM survey, more than two
of three global respondents said
environmental issues have become
more important to them since COVID.
The vendors we interviewed said that
trend has driven demand for their ecofriendly
services. But Heidt noted that
some customer concerns since COVID
have been diffi cult to navigate due to
misinformation. For example, initially
many clients insisted on single-use
products like plastic water bottles due
to concerns about germ-spreading.
" That was counterproductive to
our previous efforts to produce more
environmentally friendly events
and came from an unfortunate lack
of knowledge ... on the safety and
sanitation methods rental companies
already had in place to ensure all
products were clean before being sent
I
out for the next rental, " Heidt says.
" Since summer of 2020, many in our
industry have realized the error in that
thinking and have begun again pushing
for more green practices, while also
being mindful of how that may affect
the spread of COVID and other viruses. "
McQuillan adds that COVID has
inspired a drive toward simplicity for
many of her clients.
" You don't need much to live a happy
and sustainable life, and people are
using that knowledge when dreaming
up their perfect wedding days, " she
says. " Guest counts have been much
lower, which defi nitely helps the overall
footprint of the event-from the carbon
emissions of traveling to get there, to
the food and beverages consumed, to
the amount of fast fashion worn. "
" WE LIKE TO THINK
WE'RE THE FOURTH 'R.' "
Peak Event Services in Woburn, Mass.,
rents tents, catering and kitchen
equipment, tabletop essentials and lounge
furniture for events of all kinds. And
that, says vice president of sales Tarryn
Prosper, is a green option in and of itself.
" We like to think we're the fourth
R-rental-after reduce, reuse and
recycle, " she notes. " All our products are
reusable, and by offering open windows
for delivery or pickup, we help limit fuel
consumption and vehicle use through
route utilization. "
Some of the irm's other green choices
include the use of eco-friendly cleaning
chemicals, the reuse of linen hangers,
and use of a custom bagging machine
that right-sizes linen wrappings.
Peak Event Services also works closely
with clients striving to uphold zero-waste
policies for their events; for example, it's
worked alongside nonproits to accept
unused food, ind places that recycle
used loor coverings and help clients
assess their overall carbon footprints
surrounding any given event.
" Some people roll their eyes in the
beginning because they can't see how we're
going to achieve zero waste, " she notes.
" Then they see the steps we can take and
realize we can actually achieve that goal. "
28 intents dec 2022-jan 2023
InTents December2022/January 2023

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