Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Planning a Green Event - Part 1: The Venue

We've spent quite a bit of time exploring the eco-chic options in the floral world. And although there is still so much more to delve into, I wanted to share some great tips to creating a fantastic Green event. Since there are so many aspects to Greening up an event, we'll be breaking this up into multiple posts.

So let's start with the one of the first decisions that are made in planning any event: The Venue! The truth is, its difficult to make any other decisions without the location picked out. I've come across some beautiful locations in California that practice sustainability, a few of which are actually LEED certified. For those of you who have never heard of LEED, it stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. They are a third party certification that verifies a building's environmental responsibility and the qualifications to a LEED certification are tough. But these buildings are designed with true innovation by incorporating reusable materials and minimizing energy expenditure. And, as you are about to see, they are gorgeous!

My favorite venue in San Francisco is the Bentley Reserve. To name just a few stand-outs to this location: the floors are made from reclaimed wine barrels, the lighting is automatically set to dim as the sun rises and as people leave a room, and a piece of the Golden Gate Bridge is showcased in a glass meeting room table on the second floor. And they are LEED certified. It is absolutely stunning! This venue was my first choice for an event when Floral Sense was in San Francisco and still is even though we have moved to Orange County. Here are a few photos from their website but it really deserves a visit to appreciate its beauty.
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In the Los Angeles Area, definitely check out Marvimon. This building was an 80-year-old building which was reconstructed into a retro urban chic venue. They even took the wood from the reconstruction to make some rad tables and benches that are actually used in the building.
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Not too far from Marvimon is SmogShoppe located in Culver City. Incredibly energy efficient, the building used to be an old automotive shop which is completely turned around to this beautiful urban oasis. Their outdoor walls are what I call 'living walls', innovatively decorated with a variety of succulents grown in wooly pockets. And the entire venue is 100% solar-powered!
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In Orange County, Hotel Seven4One is a boutique hotel located in Laguna Beach which boasts of an ultra modern feel. The hotel offers wedding space in addition to accommodation. And you can bet that your event will be green from the energy efficiency of the building to the locally grown foods served from their kitchen.
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And in San Diego, Hotel Solamar is a beautiful venue dedicated to recycled products, waste reduction and use of organics.
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If you can't book at a green venue, there is no need to fret since there are other choices to make towards sustainability in choosing your venue. If you are having a wedding, try to keep the ceremony and reception in close proximity to each other or in the same location. This will minimize on emission expended getting to and from the locations. And if possible, think in terms of reducing the use of electricity by having an outdoor event during the day.

Happy Planning!


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