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FLORAL FOAM // It has been manufactured for around

FLORAL FOAM // It has been manufactured for around 60 years, but there is still much confusion about what floral foam is, how to dispose of it, and how it might impact the environment and those working with the product.

The Facts:
➡️ Floral foam is a single-use product made from plastic.
➡️ Floral foam, including ‘biodegradable’ foam, has no place in sustainable floral design.
➡️ A 2019 study showed that floral foam harms aquatic organisms.

The team at @sustainablefloristry have written a comprehensive guide to floral foam, answering the key questions:
❓What type of material is floral foam?
❓How does floral foam function?
❓Is floral foam biodegradable?
❓What is ‘bio floral foam’ or floral foam with ‘enhanced biodegradability”?
❓Why biodegradable plastic is not the answer to the world’s plastic problem
❓Is floral foam toxic?
❓How should users dispose of floral foam?

If you're working as a florist and want to work sustainably, or are an wedding venue, supplier or couple and want to learn more, head over to the Sustainable Floristry Network website.

#sustainablefloristry #sustainableflorist #ecoflorist #weddingflorist #seasonalfloweralliance #grownnotflown #gardengathered #flowerfarmer #autumnflowers #autumnbridalbouquet #gatherandcurate #seasonalfloralstyle #sustainablefloristry #nofloralfoam #thetimeisnow

WATER FACTS // It's a precious and vital natural r

WATER FACTS // It's a precious and vital natural resource... but due a growing population, changing weather patterns, hotter summers and drier winters, water is becoming increasingly vulnerable to scarcity, even in the UK.

"By 2040, we expect more than half of our summers to exceed 2003 temperatures. That will mean more water shortages: by 2050, the amount of water available could be reduced by 10-15%, with some rivers seeing 50%-80% less water during the summer months. It will mean higher drought risk, caused by the hotter drier summers and less predictable rainfall. On the present projections, many parts of our country will face significant water deficits by 2050, particularly in the south east where much of the UK population lives.” @jamesbevanea

🌍Although the Earth is often called the blue planet, out of all the water on the planet there is less than 1% accessible fresh water for us to use. The Antarctic ice sheet holds about 90 percent of the fresh water that exists on the Earth’s surface.

💦As well as the water that comes out of our taps and toilets, there is hidden water in the products we buy. For example, one cotton t-shirt has about 2,700 litres of water embedded in its production, which is around 49 baths full of water!

🚿The average water used per person per day is 143 litres in England and Wales, 165 litres in Scotland and 145 litres in Northern Ireland.

Facts above from @waterwiseuk

#watersworthsaving #watersaving #savewater #waterwise #reduceyourcarbonfootprint #conservewater #turnoffthetap #sustainablebusiness #consciousbusinesses #sustainableweddings #purposedriven #ethicalbusiness #sustinablemission #sustainablejourney #ecobusiness #ethicalbusiness #sustainableweddingindustry #sustainableweddingbusiness #sustainablebusinessowner #sustainablebusinesses #sustainablebusinessnetwork #weddingbusiness #sustainableweddingmovement #responsiblebusiness

TIME TO MEET // This Autumn and Winter we will be

TIME TO MEET // This Autumn and Winter we will be hosting a series of networking events for venues and suppliers across the wedding industry that are interested in becoming more sustainable. They're an opportunity for local suppliers to come together, network, learn from each other and meet the Sustainable Wedding Alliance team.

Being sustainable isn’t just about reducing waste or energy consumption, it flows through everything we do, in our businesses and in the weddings, we produce. The most common thing we hear when talking to business owners is that they want to be more sustainable, but just don’t know where to start. There is so much in the media about being green, but in reality, it can be a little overwhelming.

The Sustainable Wedding Alliance are here to support you, to help you to build a business that you’re proud of, one that has sustainability at its core and that balances people and planet.

Come along to one of the events and meet like minded supplier in your community that can help and support to you. 🤝

➡️ Oxfordshire | Wednesday 6th October 9 - 10:30am at @bodleianlibraryweddings Oxford

➡️ Wales | Thursday 11th November 10 - 11:30 at @venuewithaheart Cardiff

➡️ Kent | Tuesday 16th November 10 - 11:30 at @haynehouseweddingvenuekent Nr Hythe

You can book your tickets via our New & Events page on the website (link in bio).

If there isn't an event near you please get in touch, we'd be very happy to set one up.

#consciousconnections #joinacommunity #sustainablecommunity #sustainableweddingalliance #weddingnetworking #sustainablebusiness #consciousbusinesses #sustainableweddings #purposedriven #ethicalbusiness #sustinablemission #sustainablejourney #ecobusiness #ethicalbusiness #sustainableweddingindustry #sustainableweddingbusiness #sustainablebusinessowner #sustainablebusinesses #sustainablebusinessnetwork #weddingbusiness #sustainableweddingmovement #responsiblebusiness

NET ZERO // We're proud to be working alongside th

NET ZERO // We're proud to be working alongside the @SMEClimateHub helping businesses from across the wedding industry start their journey to net zero journey.

The first five steps to net zero are:

🔢 Measure
✍️ Set a strategy
💨 Reduce your emissions
🤝 Reduce your value chain emissions
📁 Track and communicate progress

The time to act is now! Join the hundreds of SMEs committing to halve their emissions by 2030.

#netzero #smeclimatehub #fivesteps #setastrategy #reduceemissions #reducevaluechainemissions #trackprogress #thetimetoactisnow #actnow #climateaction #consciousbusiness #consciousbusinessleaders #consciousbusinesses #consciousbusinessowner #sustainablebusinessowner #sustainablebusiness #sustainablebusinesses #sustainablebusiness #sustainabilitymatters #sustainableweddingmovement #weddingbusiness #sustainableweddingalliance

READY TO REWILD // If you run a venue, or have a s

READY TO REWILD // If you run a venue, or have a substantial amount of land, have you considered rewilding it? Have you heard of the Rewilding Britain's Incubator Fund, introduced to foster the scale and ambition of rewilding projects? 💚

“We want to see rewilding flourishing across Britain. We’re trialing a new Incubator Fund to help remove barriers to rewilding projects, particularly those that are in the early stages and are taking an innovative approach to land and marine management. Projects anywhere in Britain working to rewilding principles and part of the Rewilding Network can apply — we will award the funds to those with potential for the highest impact for people and nature.”

➡️ The first round of the Incubator Fund is open until 30 September 2021. Although this application process is a pilot, they hope to open a second round of funding in early 2022. So if you're not quite ready to apply yet, check out the application process, and get yourself ready by the end of the year.

➡️ The pilot stage of the funding is available to projects who are rewilding more than 100 acres of land as well as marine projects of any size.

➡️ If you are rewilding less than 100 acres you can still be eligible to apply for funding. We encourage smallholdings projects to connect with others to form a group or cluster with a shared vision to apply. All smallholding projects must join the network to be eligible, and you must provide information about your shared vision and how you plan to work together.

➡️ You need to be part of the rewilding network, but it's free to apply to join, and if you're already rewilding or thinking about it, then we would suggest getting involved as it's an excellent way to connect with others and share knowledge.

You can find out more about the fund and it's eligibility criteria on their website (link in bio).

Image from @sheepdrove a Sustainable Wedding Alliance partner who have several successful rewinding projects running on the estate.

#rewilding #rewildingbritain #rewildbritain #ukecology #sustainableweddingvenue #rewildthings #outdoorweddingvenue #sustainableweddingbusiness

TO PLANT OR NOT TO PLANT // We plant trees, for us

TO PLANT OR NOT TO PLANT // We plant trees, for us, for our members and for couples, but is tree planting actually helping to combat climate change?

The short answer is yes, planting trees has been used for years as a way to combat climate change. Trees absorb CO2 removing it from the air and storing it whilst releasing oxygen. 🌳As well as this they are...

✅ An effective way to offset emissions
✅ Low cost
✅ Sequester carbon (for those that haven't heard the term Sequester before, it means the long-term storage of carbon dioxide)

but sadly there are some negatives too...
❎ Can be used by businesses as a green washing tactic
❎ If they planted in the wrong ecosystem, trees can increase the global temperature
❎ Plenty of tree planting schemes don’t monitor the trees once planted, which means that many don't survive. Maximum carbon capture happens when a tree is around 10 years old, so if they don't survive that long they aren't able to do their job
❎ Saplings are often planted with plastic protective tubes which results in plastic filling our countryside

➡️In summary, planting trees is a great way of tackling the climate crisis, but in order for it to be effective it must be done in the right way and managed long term.

#responsibletogether #reforestation #treeplanting #climateaction #timetoplantatree #offsetting #climatecrisis #carbonemissions #CO2reduction #carbonreduction #biodiversity #climateimpact #supportingreforestation #generationrestoration #greenbusiness #climatechangesolution #collectiveaction #consciousbusiness #consciousbusinessleaders #consciousbusinesses #consciousbusinessowner #sustainablebusinessowner #sustainablebusiness #sustainablebusinesses #sustainablebusiness #sustainabilitymatters #sustainableweddingmovement #weddingbusiness #sustainableweddingalliance

WEBSITE CARBON CALCULATOR // The internet consumes

WEBSITE CARBON CALCULATOR // The internet consumes a lot of electricity. ⚡️416.2TWh per year to be precise. To give you some perspective, that’s more than the entire United Kingdom.

From data centres to transmission networks to the devices that we hold in our hands, it is all consuming electricity, and in turn producing carbon emissions.

The average web page tested produces 1.76 grams CO2 per page view. For a website with 10,000 monthly page views, that's 211 kg CO2 per year!

➡️ Test your website and find out (link on image).

All the stats above are taken from the Website Carbon Calculator, created by super talented team at @eatwholegrain

Once you know your website emissions, you can factor them into your carbon reduction plan. Members can find out more about how they can reduce their website emissions by watching the 'Reducing your Digital Carbon Footprint' training in the Members Area.

CONSULTANT OR CALCULATOR // So you're ready to mea

CONSULTANT OR CALCULATOR // So you're ready to measure, reduce and track your carbon emissions... but what's the best way to do it? Should you use on online business calculator or talk to a consultant?

Consultants offer bespoke and tailored approach, assisting you with all aspects of your carbon measurement and reduction. 🤝 They understand the process, it's something they do day in day out, so can advise you on the best way forward.

Not only will they work with you to measure your footprint, but more than that, they will help you to understand which business emissions you need to reduce, set realistic targets and break them down into achievable goals.

Carbon Calculators
On the plus side, calculators are low cost, and some, depending on the size of your business, free. 🧮 You can also get started straight away!

On the down side... there are a lot of calculators to choose from, and it's difficult to know which one would is best for you. The is no support or expert guidance to help you through the process or work out what you need to include.

In summary, we'd always suggest working with a consultant that can help you to understand your current carbon footprint, set targets, work out a reduction plan and ways to track and measure your progress.

For members, check out the member's area for details on carbon consultants and suggested carbon calculators.

#carboncalculator #carbonconsultant #carbonsavings #CO2reduction #carbonsequestration #climateaction #generationrestoration #carbonemissions #healthyplanet #carbonfootprint #carbonremoval #bemoresustainable #sustainablebusiness #ethicalbusiness #businessthatcares #consciousbusiness #sustainableweddingalliance #sustainablebusinesspractices #sustainablejourney #progressnotperfection #beaconsciousbusinessowner #goldstandard

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