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Summer Internship Positions Now Available!

May 12, 2012 By

Karine Brighten Events is now accepting applications for summer internships.

This is an unpaid position that requires a minimum 10 hours each week for 3 months. Telecommuting is ok, but we prefer someone local to be on-site for events.

If you’re a professional with a strong work ethic and positive attitude, we’d love you to be involved with some very unique and inspired projects lined up for the next few months.

Please submit your resume with relevant experience and cover letter explaining why you’re interested in the position. Deadline: May 26th

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MEET KBE’S GREEN EVENT PLANNER

February 21, 2012 By

Karine BrightenIf there’s one thing certified green event planner Karine Brighten wants folks to know about her industry, it’s that being eco-friendly doesn’t mean being mundane. From the moment she embraced the socially conscious approach to organizing events, Karine hit the ground running with one unique idea after another; today it’s not at all unusual to find her multi-tasking between the equally popular speed dating and fashion show, while also making dreams come true for eco-conscious brides and lining up participants for the annual Berkeley Vegan Earth Day. Thanks to Carmen Lee for the following glimpse into Karine’s life and vision.

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In February [2009], Karine Brighten Events became a Certified Bay Area Green Business. Karine’s success is impressive when you consider that she’s relatively new to the SF Bay Area. Karine and her husband were married two summers ago while they both worked as interns in the SF Bay Area. Their wedding photographer was Genevieve Shiffrar, a 2007 Women’s Initiative graduate. Back in her native Canada, Karine worked for Montreal’s largest event planning company. In August 2009, Karine and her husband relocated to the SF Bay Area and while waiting 3 months for her work visa, Karine enrolled in Women’s Initiative training based on Genevieve’s referral. In October, Karine organized Farm Sanctuary’s Walk For Farm Animals fundraiser in San Francisco. In November, while still taking the Women’s Initiative course, Karine started her own business specializing in eco-friendly events that are kind to animals and the planet.

In addition to her high-profile corporate and non-profit fundraiser events, Karine does weddings and other social gatherings. Karine’s work in coordinating the silent auction, sponsors, speakers, performers and volunteers at the Walk For Farm Animals event impressed one bride-to-be so much that she asked Karine to plan her June wedding!

True to her eco-conservation values, Karine puts into practice the permaculture principle of turning problems into solutions. This allows her to keep business costs low so her clients can benefit from affordable, eco-friendly events. For example, instead of taking on debt with a start-up business loan, Karine found ways to minimize both her expenses and her carbon footprint like working out of her home. At the same time, she says she enjoys working from her home, where she cares for her two dogs, and setting her own hours. Since she no longer enjoys Canada’s universal health care benefits, she’s adjusted by taking better care of herself such as eating well on her vegetarian diet while establishing herself as the East Bay’s only vegan event planner.

Karine gives back to the community by volunteering to causes she truly believes in.

For more information about booking a green celebration or business function, go to  Karine Brighten Events.

Filed Under: Certified Green Businesses, Eco-Friendly Companies, General Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Rain Forest in Your Shower

August 1, 2011 By

Skincare is always important – especially during stressful times before a wedding. Make sure you’re taking care of your skin not only through a daily cleansing, toning, and moisturizing regimen, but also with high quality, plant-based soaps. There are lots of options out there these days and the latest product I’ve come across is Wembé
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Wembé is a company originally based in Paraguay. It was started by a mother and her son, Rolando Zuccolillo several years ago in an effort to share the health benefits of Amazonian plant life with the world – to help their own community and make efforts to help the rainforest at the same time. Their products contain no silicone, petroleum, parabens, sulfates, phenoxythanol, polyethylene glycol, synthetic fragrances, or dyes. They also use organic ingredients whenever possible and carry an array of vegan and gluten free products that are hand-crafted in Paraguay. They employ roughly 20 people and pay fair wages to their workers.

I got to try a few of their soaps myself and would love to share my experiences with you. I tried the Assai Berry Detox soap, the Mango Cleansing Blend soap, and the Loofah Exfoliating Blend bar. The first two were similar in texture – they left my skin feeling refreshed and very soft and smooth. The soaps are very aromatic and smell so pure – you get nothing but real, potent essential oils. The Loofah Exfoliating Blend has somewhat coarse plant sponge in it that helps scrub away dead skin. It is a bit abrasive, but to me in a good way, because that means it’s cleaning on a deeper level than something more gentle – it’s also kind of like getting a nice back scratch.

They also carry a moisturizing stick, a make-up remover bar, and a skin treatment bar. For a nice cooling soap, try their Snow Cleansing blend – it has mint and eucalyptus that will at least temporarily lower the temperature in the middle of a heatwave.

Whether you’re planning a wedding shower, gifts for bridesmaids, or just want to treat yourself to an at-home spa experience, give Wembé a try. They make high quality products that really deliver and they’re a Green America Approved Business. They even have gift sets available that make gift-giving easier. For more information, please check out their website here: Wembé.

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Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

July 25, 2011 By

Have you ever craved desserts but found yourself limited because of one allergy or another? These days, gluten allergies are especially common and more and more options are arising, but often the alternatives are specialty items in an otherwise allergen-loaded facility. Unfortunately this can lead to a mediocre product from a company that doesn’t fully know what they’re doing.

If you’re looking for a gluten free wedding cake, vegan desserts, or other allergen free items, then you’re in luck, because Let Them Eat Cake specializes in products that can be free of eggs, nuts, gluten, and/or dairy products. The company was started by a husband and wife team – Amanda Macdessi (Executive Pastry Chef) and Jason Kraft (Business Manager). Amanda has over ten years of personal experience making allergen-free desserts as a result of preparing items for her husband who has severe food allergies.

The company has been in operation since 2008 and has a certified kitchen to serve the San Francisco area. They do not at this time have a storefront, but gladly accept online orders through their order forms. They make specialty cakes for any occasion and are able to make gorgeous wedding cakes and desserts for you and your guests. Often the dreaded combination of both vegan and gluten free puts a halt on things, but don’t worry, Let Them Eat Cake can work with your dietary needs and deliver the product you’re seeking.

Even if you don’t have any food allergies yourself, it’s good to consider guests who may. Their fruit tarts and truffles would be great options for the wedding reception. Their easy ordering process allows you to put together the perfect dessert options to fit your tastes.

Contact them now for a tasting – for $30 you can try up to two cake flavors and two frosting filling flavors. For more information, please visit their website here: Let Them Eat Cake.

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The Favor’s on Us

July 7, 2011 By

Attention all wedding planners and anyone involved in the organization process of a wedding! You’re probably overwhelmed by everything involved in putting together a wedding. There are invitations to send, a location to choose, wedding favors to select, decorations for the venue space, etc. It’s enough to make anyone go crazy and making it green on top of that adds to the challenges.

Luckily for you, there’s Dream Green Weddings, an online supplier of eco-friendly wedding favors and general supplies. The company was started by Heather Teague, who herself made green choices for her wedding. It is her mission to help promote a more environmentally-conscious lifestyle while still offering couples the chance to make their dream weddings a reality.

Dream Green Weddings offers a wide variety of wedding invitations printed on tree-free cotton paper or recycled paper with vegetable-based inks. Some options are even seeds you can plant that allow your guests to create memories to share in the future. They also have a variety of wedding favors, which include commemorative soaps, organic lollipops, bird seed favors, reusable shopping bags, and more. They even have a section of items that are under $2 each, which is great for a wedding on a low budget.

On many products you’ll find an “Eco Commitment” statement tab next to the description which lets you know the special green features about that specific item. There is also a general page which details the company’s general environmental commitments, which include: donating to non-profit organizations, such as the National Wildlife Federation, telecommuting from home to reduce fuel usage, drop-shipping when possible, using ground shipping, and more.

Oh, and there’s even a chocolate soap bar – you just can’t go wrong! If you need ideas for your wedding, check out their current highlighted Garden Vintage theme, which offers a collection of items that will cut out work on your end.

For more information, please visit: Dream Green Weddings

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Companies, Eco-Wedding tips, General Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bringing the Spa Home

July 6, 2011 By

Planning a wedding is a very stressful time, even if you have someone doing the bulk of the work for you. Often unexpected details require your attention and compromises can be made in your diet, sleep schedule, and other details. It’s important to take time to slow down and relax before the big day to return to a centered, balanced space. The maid of honor and bridesmaids in general have the opportunity to assist in this process.

Dropwise Essentials, a San Francisco-based company, is also here to help. Owner Donya Fahmy personally created each product in the personal care line and has a deep understanding for how important it is to use natural, plant-based ingredients that are going to come in contact with the skin. She recognizes the benefits of using organic essential oils and plant-based materials, both for consumers and the environment.

If you’re a maid of honor in search of gift baskets for an at-home spa experience, look no further. Dropwise Essentials offers essential oils and diffusers, bath salts, body oils, lip balms, lotions, candles, and more! You’ll have no problem selecting the perfect products that everyone will enjoy. Pampering the bride-to-be with tantalizing products is such to put her at ease and help bring her focus back to the true importance of a wedding – a celebration and honoring of love between two people.

With Dropwise Essentials, you get the real deal. They use organic ingredients whenever possible, reusable and recyclable packaging, electronic record-keeping where possible, energy efficient equipment, and they even donate materials to non-profit organizations. Their products contain no synthetic ingredients or petroleum-based ingredients and are hand-crafted in North California. The company is also backed by its numerous partners and affiliates, such as The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Green America.

There’s even an entire section on their site devoted to wedding and bridal gifts so that the work is already fully cut out for you. I’m quite impressed – I think you will be too.

For more information, check out their website.  For free tips and valuable health and beauty information, subscribe to the Dropwise Health & Beauty News Ezine or visit the Aroma Zone blog.

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly Companies, Eco-Wedding tips, General Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mothers Know Best

June 29, 2011 By

The first time I had kombucha was at a New Year’s Eve celebration.  It was during the wee hours of the morning and somehow I still felt fully alive and alert as I danced to no apparent end.  I had been drinking water throughout the night to stay hydrated and then I was introduced to the earthy, bubbly drink known as kombucha.  I wasn’t sure how I felt about it initially, but after hearing about all its wondrous health-promoting benefits, I decided I would drink more, and that I have.  It’s been an acquired taste, but I’ve grown to appreciate its unique flavor.

Making kombucha is fun and easy and could be incorporated into a bachelorette/bachelor party or a more general wedding shower.  You start with a mother (which is a fungus of sorts, but not quite a mushroom) and add tea of choice (green, herbal, etc), sugar, and apple cider vinegar/some of a previous batch of kombucha.  Unfortunately, you won’t be able to sample the treats you make right away (you’ll need to wait a period of days to allow the fermentation process to complete), but it’s a great way to bond with your guests and create something together.  You could even have a second party when the process is complete and sample what you’ve made.

Try making batches of different flavors.  You can flavor kombucha with anything imaginable – coconut, mango, ginger, strawberry, cinnamon, etc.  It can be sweet, tangy, or somewhere in between.  Once it’s done, you can have a potluck to celebrate both your upcoming wedding and perhaps just life in general.  The time leading up to a wedding can become very stressful, so it’s great to make time for relaxation and simple fun activities with special individuals in your life.

If you’re not interested in actually making kombucha, you could still choose it as a beverage option for any event leading up to the wedding, and for the wedding itself.  Often larger cities even have locally made kombucha, so you can both support local business and reduce fuel/transportation usage.

Just like your own mother, kombucha knows what is good for you.  It’s full of antioxidants and supports the immune system, digestion, energy levels, etc.  It’s the supermom you always dreamed of.  Well, enough of this silliness – it’s time to brew!

Image can be found at:  http://www.ifood.tv/network/gt_dave_kombucha

Filed Under: Eco-Wedding tips, General Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Guest List with No Limits

June 8, 2011 By

Before actual planning for a wedding starts, we probably all have dreams of what it should be like – whether it’s the fairytale wedding with a gown suited for a princess, elaborate floral elements, and a location filled to maximum capacity or a simplistic, small ceremony in front of a few loved ones. Once actions are taken to sort out all the details, plans inevitably change for various reasons.

One common item that ends up changing, perhaps on multiple occasions, is a guest list. What starts out as a seemingly never-ending list is often whittled down to a fraction of the original figure. It can be very difficult to decide who to eliminate. I have a proposition to make that would eliminate the need to do that.

With modern technology, it has become easier to bring people closer together, even if only in a virtual sense. Web-based telecommunication programs, such as Skype, allow you to send live feed to people anywhere in the world, so why not set up a live broadcast for additional guests? It could either be a one-way feed that would be sent to viewers from afar, or you could make it interactive with a projection screen.

Often guests travel from states or perhaps even countries away to attend a wedding ceremony and this would minimize the carbon footprint of long-distance traveling. One could argue that you would still be using electricity to create this type of set-up, but it would certainly be less than the impact created from an extended flight, car ride, etc (and there are of course sustainable energy sources for using electronic devices).

Even if you don’t have a wedding coming up, you could use this idea for sharing a party or special celebration with loved ones. So the next time you find yourself desperately trying to figure out how to reduce your list, find relief in knowing that you don’t have to – simply work around it with advanced audio-visual technology. Oh, and one last thing – make sure you turn off all equipment when you have finished using it – you wouldn’t want the Green Police to issue a citation on your special day, now would you?

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The Train Hasn’t Left Yet

May 25, 2011 By

We’ve all got items in our closets that never get worn – that shirt we purchased because it was such a great deal but still has a tag on it a year later, or a favorite pair of pants you wore every other day for a few months, but that then got shoved in the back of your closet, never to be seen again. Eventually, you probably dig them out and either sell them or donate them. What about wedding dresses though? You probably spent a lot of money on a gown (and looked fabulous), but what about after the wedding? It probably just stays in your closet, nicely packed away, and is never again worn. Well, I’ve got a few ideas for how you can change that.

Thrift stores abound in a modern world where fashion trends change constantly. There are even places that offer free clothing. Well, what about a community wedding gown exchange? There could either be a central location where items would be donated or an online forum where individuals could post either what they own or would like to acquire. A brick-and-mortar storefront could be run by volunteers and in place of purchases, patrons would have the option of donating to a charitable organization of choice, which creates a win-win situation for all involved.

Another idea that comes to mind is reinventing your wedding dress into something more practical that actually could be worn regularly. In addition to a forum that provides the exchange of wedding gowns, local designers who would be able to create cocktail dresses, pant suits, robes, etc. out of your former matrimonial attire could be involved. What better way is there to commemorate your special day than to continue the life cycle of a garment in a creative new way?

If you’re feeling a little crazy, you could take part in a trend of “trashing the dress.” I know for many this may seem horrifying, but there seems to be a growing number of photographers who wish to do photo shoots of individuals modeling a wedding dress that is covered in dirt or in some way distressed. Once you’ve got it dirty, you could have fun with it and use natural dyes (berries come to mind) and start the process of transforming the garment into something new and wearable for future occasions.

I’ll go ahead and stop now before things get too wild, but the next time you open your closet, maybe you can do a few more twirls in the dress you never thought you’d wear again.

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