Ashley’s Monthly Post for ABG
Hi All!
Check out my July 2011 post for Ashley’s Bride Guide and get great catering options for your next event or wedding. Local food + local businesses…what can beat that!
Until next time…
Plates That Make A Statement
Well, I recently ran across several dinnerware lines that will take your next event or wedding up a notch. I have also thrown in a couple of oldies that I love, also. Each selection is either made from reclaimed or upcycled glass, sustainable raw material or recycled material. If you love simple, natural, eye catching items then these plates are right up your alley.
Photo by Viva Terra
These plates are brilliantly designed with great bright hues of color. Any event you have will be forced to make these plates the focal point. Made from bamboo the poster child for renewable resources. These plates are available at Viva Terra.
Photo by Susty Party
These naturally colored plates provide can provide a simple, but stylish feel to your upcoming event. Made from tapioca, potatoes and a hint of grass with ingredients that sound like they belong on a seasonal cafe menu. These plates are made right here in the good ole USA and provide the same durability as the squeaky white plates aka foam.
Photo by iHospitality
Areca Palm Tree, sounds pretty fancy but the leaves from this tree actually make for great plates. Once leaves have fallen from the tree, they are collected and with a heat only application molded into dinnerware. These plates are reusable and can easily intertwine into any event or wedding decor. Who says you need china on your big day?
Photo by Branch
Talk about cool, WASARA is a japanese inspired disposable dinnerware line like no other. Made from sugar, yes sugar…these plates are molded and sculpted just like art work. Fully compostable and or recyclable, but would definitely bring a tear to me eye if I had to toss these into the compost pile during clean up.
Photo by Viva Terra
I think the picture says it all, but these plates scream summer party. The vibrant hues are courtesy of reclaimed glass & wine bottles allowing for a huge decrease in air & water pollution. Thank goodness there is an extra large increase in style for these plates.
Do you need these plates in your life? Stay tuned to learn how you can incorporate many of these dinnerware lines into your next big event as we countdown the unveiling of Nashville’s new green venue…The Brandau Estates. I certainly can’t wait!
Until next time…
Green Inspired: A Summer Dinner Party
I ran across a great linen runner and thought I would create this board for a great summer inspired dinner party. All items are made from a sustainable or upcycled material. I included a seasonal menu of locally sourced ingredients you could easily get at this time of year, whether your local farmer’s market or neighbors backyard. Remember you can always work with us to create your own green inspired event.
Your Centerpiece: Wheatgrass & Wooden Box, Your Dinnerware: Palm Leave Plates, Your Tablecloth: Eco-friendly linen with soy based ink & organic thread, Your Glassware: Recycled Glass, Your Invitation: 80% Recycled Matte Paper
Please note: vendors used for this board are available upon request.
Until next time…
Papers, Planning + A Little Green
Hey All!
Check out my June post for Ashley’s Bride Guide. Had a blast finding a great new eco-friendly stationary & invitation company in Music City plus learned paper cranes are a pretty awesome addition to any decor.
Until next time…
My Green Recap: Food Summit 2011
I attended Food Summit 2011 at The Maxwell House on Saturday, May 7, 2011. It was the first one since 2008 and hosted by Community Food Advocates, a local non-profit dedicated to ending hunger and creating a healthy, just, and sustainable food system in Middle TN. Of course, my eyes are always wide open to the green components within any event whether sustainable or not. The first thing that stuck out to me, was the label networking. There were printed Avery labels provided at registration check-in to substitute business cards. I thought this was a great way to alleviate paper being tossed, as the label could be attached to your program or any other item you had.
There were water stations & pitchers along with a nice, healthy food spread. Plastic cups & utensils were on hand, but no worries that is just where iHospitality can come in for future events to make sure waste is properly recycled (shameless plug, I know:). There were a great group of speakers who really shed light on several neat projects I did not know were in play here in Nashville. The Veggie Project was a pretty cool one that promotes healthy eating in youth & their family through kid run markets each week. These kids are actually managing these markets, determining the produce available and setting the prices. Definitely, a great way to connect local farmers to the community while bringing in healthy food alternatives. I was also introduced to Intergenerational Gardening. The concept is all about connecting our elders to the younger generation through gardening. It allows the elders to teach youth about their gardening knowledge while keeping them active. You can learn more and find a participating garden in the Nashville area by visiting Earth Matters TN.
(left photo: courtesy of The Veggie Project, right photo: courtesy of Earth Matters TN)
I also took away a great acronym called GRACE, quoted by Sizwe Herring. It stands for:
Gardening · Recycling · Action · Composting · Education
This was my first Food Summit, but it definitely left me wanting to evolve my own GRACE. Gardening here I come!
Until next time….
Green Weddings & iHospitality….
I am officially a blogger or at least I kind of feel like one with my new guest blogging spot at Ashley’s Bride Guide, the go to Nashville wedding resource for brides & grooms. I will begin writing a monthly post on the green wedding scene & vendors in Nashville. I am super excited, as this fits into the new look and services iHospitality has moved towards. I have always made it a point to know who, what & where the green minded vendors were in Nashville, so it is pretty cool that now I can share my findings through Ashley’s Bride Guide. Owner Ashley King, is always wanting to keep her brides & grooms informed of all the great resources available around town and felt it would be a great addition to highlight the green side of Nashville weddings.
You can check out my first blog post by clicking the pic below:
Until next time….
It’s International Compost Awareness Week (May 1 -7, 2011)
Yep, that’s right the annual International Compost Awareness Week is in full effect. The US Composting Council sets out to encourage everyone to try composting during this week. This is the 13th year for this event to help make more people aware of composting and how much food waste they actually create. If you are like many other people, composting is not second nature to you. No worries, I have included a couple of places you can visit to help make the most of your Compost Awareness Week in Nashville, TN.
Metro Nashville’s Backyard Composting Demonstration Site: you can view a variety of home composters at the Omohundro Location. Please note this is a self-guided tour, as master composter classes will not be available until later this fall.
Omohundro Convenience Center
1019 Omohundro Drive, Nashville, TN 37210.
Regular Hours: Tues. – Sat., 8:30am – 4:30p.m
Edgehill Community Gardens
14th Ave. S & Horton Ave. 37212
Contact: Brenda Morrow, 615 256-4617 or edgehill2@bellsouth.net
Nashville Urban Harvest: you can bring your compost for processing on Saturday mornings
1211 57th Ave North, Nashville, TN 37209
(behind the Standard Motor building)
(photo via Nashville Urban Harvest website)
Old Hickory Village Community Garden: great community effort and you can currently sign up for the 2011 growing season now
1105 Hadley Ave, Old Hickory, TN 37138
(photo via Old Hickory Community Garden website)
Earth Day in Nashville!
Nashville was definitely in full swing for this year’s Earth Day. I was on hand exhibiting iHospitality at the Living Well Marketplace on April 22nd & 23rd. This was one of the first ever events of its kind here in Nashville, focusing on all sustainable minded businesses. The show provided an arena for businesses to showcase and sell their merchandise. Tracy Martin & Shonda Alexander was the brains behind the Living Well Marketplace and bringing it to Nashville this year. There were several familiar vendor faces during the show but also new companies that I truly enjoyed getting to know.
My next door booth neighbors were the Juice Gypsies. They are two best friends from California (low cal, as they called it) who recently made Nashville their home. Katie & Lauren started Juice Gypsies earlier this year, creating freshly squeezed vegetable and juice combinations with names like “Wild Root” & “Yipee Cayenne”. They were a blast and might I say, lovely booth buddies for this event. There mission is pretty simple, offering healthy, tasty juices made to order right in front of your eyes. Their juices are like V8 amped up 5o notches and this one of a kind, stainless steel juicer they have is truly the focal point of their setup.
(Left: Juice Gypsie booth at Living Well Event, Right: The Juice Gypsie Juicer (I told you it was a big deal!)
There were also several caterers on hand, who were definitely all about buying local and doing it up organic style. Terra Delicious, an organic catering & event vending company was just one booth down from me. Tia & Ladybug (the name for here mobile food truck) were on hand to serve up great cold option treats like turkey,artichoke & quinoa salad! The Chef & I was another caterer at the Living Well show. I was never a super huge fan of goat cheese, but Chef Chris Rains totally changed my mind after trying his toasted crostini w/goat cheese & preserves. Who would have thought this simple appetizer would be one of the show highlights for me.
(Left: Tia & Ladybug from Terra Delicious, Right: Goat Cheese & Preserve Crostini by Chef & I)
n(habit) was there with some cool home pieces, including this dual flush toilet. I know you hold your bathroom as a high privacy area, but this item is great for conserving water. Just thought I would throw that out there and also got a snapshot for all my visual people;) Now, while we are on the subject of bathrooms, I meet Jennifer with Good Fortune Soap. She makes all these great soaps, salts, oils & more. I read her website bio after meeting her and what a great story she has along with a giving spirit that continues to help other women across the world. Learn more about how Jennifer gives back by clicking here.
(Left: Dual Flush Toilet from (n)habit, Right: Good Fortune Soaps display at Living Well)
I am really looking forward to seeing the Living Well event grow in Nashville and hope to run into many of these vendors again.
Until next time…
Accountants love “green” too!
I just had to talk a little about one of our loyal customers. No, it is not a restaurant, caterer or school. It is an accounting firm located right here in Music City. KPMG Nashville! KPMG Nashville is a firm specializing in audit, tax, advisory services and industry insight to help organizations negotiate risks and perform in the dynamic and challenging environments in which they do business. Yep, that company description definitely reads “corporate america.” As you walk onto the 10th floor of their downtown Nashville office, you will see the usual glass windows, gray cubicles but with an interesting treat…their electric red wall with a hanging guitar. Shocker, but it allows you to take notice that this firm can look past their ledger exterior and has a fun side, and in our case a “green” side, too. They stock their break & lunch rooms with products from our Shop Green page, including: hot cups, cold cups & cutlery. So, what other green things do they have going on? Well, I am glad you asked.
KPMG Nashville greenvision, includes: Reducing waste & paper consumption, increasing recycled product procurement (big name for buy, in case you didn’t knowJ), reduce carbon output, benefit their communities through supporting volunteerism on environmental initiatives along with support for business-based & home based environmental initiatives. KPMG’s goal is to be a catalyst for improved environmental performance while maintaining transparency in their own reporting. Whew, now that is a great vision and iHospitality is super excited to be a part of it.
Until next time….
A Shop Green Supplier: Vegware US
The Shop Green feature is here to keep “green” on the menu. The suppliers of Shop Green help to make that happen. The Shop Green service geared toward the chef, the foodie & the event help introduce them to great products they can easily incorporate into their business.
Vegware was our first supplier to come on board and a great total package foodservice supplier. Their catalog focuses on compostable foodservice supplies, providing great alternatives to plastic & foam products. Restaurants, coffee shops & cafeterias will love the variety of products Vegware has to offer.
(pictured above: Left: hot paper cups/PLA lining, Right: PLA cold cup)
Vegware offers compostable hot cups, cold cups, plates, bowls, bags and a variety of containers. These products have a clean, simple look and work well in any environment. Started by an entrepreneur in Danielston, CT, Vegware was very interested in reaching out and helping the chef, the foodie & the event Shop Green. Their commitment to sustainability is seen through their products, informative website and compostable certification program.
(pictured, Left: Vegware CPLA cutlery; Right: Vegware CPLA cutlery set)
Vegware is all about plants, compostability and all in between. They recently replaced their cutlery(PSM material) due to initial products including plastic in the resin. Craig Schuler, Vegware US Sales Manager stated “PSM was our old cutlery. It was a corn and potato blend but contained plastic so that it could handle high heat and stay formed (considered biodegradable only)”. Vegware now provides CPLA Cutlery(Crystallized PLA), which is made from corn and completely compostable without any plastic.
How cute are these boxes? Vegware also offers packaging great for reuse allowing you to continue your sustainable practices. We are so excited to have Vegware as a supplier and hope you can enjoy their great products. You can view their products by clicking here. Learn how you can save on Vegware products by receiving a Shop Green personal order page. Click Here
How To Order:
1) Visit each participating suppliers website: www.vegware.us
2) View catalog and choose the items you would like to purchase
3) You can purchase online through their shopping cart and enter your member code to receive Green Marketplace Member discount
4) If client does not have a online shopping cart, you can submit order via email or by phone. Make sure to reference your member code to receive Green Marketplace discount
Join The Green Marketplace to receive great discounts and even better products from Vegware US
