Are you one of the growing number of couples who want a wedding celebration to reflect your personal values and healthy lifestyle? Then you’re on trend in 2015!
More people from the LGBT community are choosing to highlight their ecologically conscious values on their special day. But when it comes to catering, what does that mean? How do you weed out the green-worthy from the green-washed? It can be tricky, as there can be so much, or so little, beneath the surface of a catering business to support green claims.
But relax — this handy guide of questions for your short list of caterers will niftily narrow down your list. The decision on the perfect fit for your value system, tastes and preferences will then be obvious. So let’s get started!
Are all your ingredients organic?
Of course, it’s first about the food and flavor for catering! Anyone who has been eating organically on a regular basis can tell you that, all else being equal, it usually tastes better than conventionally raised produce — not to mention, better nutritional properties drawn from better soil.
Do you really want those herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and GMOs on your plate anyway? They contaminate our soil and water. And the use of petroleum-based fertilizers in conventional monoculture depletes the soil of future generations.
What it boils down to: Naturally raised produce makes for good quality ingredients, which makes for good tasting food. Period.
Are your ingredients seasonal?
Fruits and vegetables are at their peak in flavor and nutritional value during their time of natural ripeness. And eating seasonally connects us to nature’s cycles.
Fun fact: Being in sync with the rhythms of nature helps our health in subtle but important ways.
Doesn’t sweet butternut squash just feel more comforting and nourishing in the winter than butter lettuce, which is so delicately lovely in the summer?
Are your ingredients local?
Sure, in the winter you can get blueberries from Peru or tomatoes from California. But being local automatically means seasonal (hothouses withstanding).
Non-local crops are often less tasty, having been picked before ripeness (to weather the journey). And additional chemicals are then often used to help slow the ripening process. Fruits and vegetables originally from your area, that haven’t had to be engineered for looks and transportation stress, are most often the tastiest.
So, if you are conscientious about your sustainable “footprint,” “local” means less transportation, less carbon emissions, less climate change, less pollution and greatly reduced use of nonrenewable resources.
Tip: One indicator of a caterer using local ingredients is established relationships with local farmers.
Do you use Fair Trade products?
Of course, you will probably have coffee or tea on your menu — the perfect complement to wedding cake! Fair Trade goods celebrate the world you dream of with fair wages, healthy communities and good working conditions for those who grow or make them. Another way to let your values shine!
Do you use only meats and poultry from humanely raised animals?
Another values-based question. If you believe that animals have rights to a life of fresh air and humane handling before they sacrifice it for you, this is important. It is also important if you believe that, as energetic beings, we ingest the energy of the experiences (good or bad) of those we eat, as well as their physical energy.
That was d-e-e-p. Next.
Tell me about your staff!
Surely, if you believe in humanely raised animals, you believe in acting humanely to humans? Then, does your prospective caterer pay their staff living wages? Do they offer health insurance? Do they treat them with respect?
Sad truth: The answer to this last question is usually discovered after the fact, unless you have an “in” with someone working at the business. Hopefully, you like what you see!
How do you give back to the community?
Is the caterer in question connected, in meaningful ways, to charitable causes, or do they contribute meaningfully to those in need?
What other green or sustainable practices do you regularly maintain?
Let them answer this one without prompting. If they don’t know what you mean, they probably don’t use green practices in the “back of the house.” Answers that demonstrate environmental consciousness not seen upfront: recycling, composting food waste, using biodegradable/recyclable/compostable serving ware in less formal parts of their business and awards that acknowledge their sustainability in action.
The heart of the matter
Your special day is also an opportunity to honor the values for which you both stand — a way to anchor your beginnings in your united beliefs is to feel good about what you are serving your guests. You created change with the fight for marriage equality. So can you help support the good, green economy by serving delicious fare from caterers that reflect your social and environmental consciousness.
Maryann Helferty helps small businesses that are based on sustainable practices increase their market share among environmentally conscious audiences. Learn more about how to tell your sustainability story effectively, to create eco-conscious brand evangelists for your business, at [email protected].