Green Weddings Research Initiative

The Live Green, Live Smart Institute has been researching lifestyle events that impact housing for several years.  Over the next seven years we will conduct research that will track between 500 and 1,000 newly married couples that select a green wedding as their wedding tradition of choice.  We are doing this to see if this corresponds to their choice in future housing types and how they live in their houses in the future. 

A traditional wedding can generate an average of 50 to 200 tons of CO2 per event and the couple then will go on to select housing and lifestyles that continue on with this kind of consumption. The average North American will generate about 110 tens of CO2 per year through their homes and lifestyles verses the rest of the world that averages 22 tons per year.

Why is Understanding the Green Wedding Important?

Our early research indicates that a couple beginning their lives together, through a marriage, will shortly make lifestyle and housing decisions jointly.  Couples that have elected a “green” start to their relationship tend to continue on this path.  This is either because the couple has had a joint commitment to a sustainable environment prior to the wedding or has learned by planning the wedding that it has considerable impact on the environment. 

In addition when a couple has a green wedding they are announcing to the community a broader lifestyle commitment and may feel committed to maintaining that lifestyle.  Some couples may select a green wedding to differentiate themselves and others for cost-benefits. In any case we seek to determine if this is a long-term and lasting effect and how it impacts housing choices.

Within several years of marriage research indicates couples (except in several large metropolitan areas) and based on lending practices, will seek to upgrade to a condo, townhouse or a single family home and for the majority begin having children. Whether the decision is based solely on children is not yet defined.

We do know that expansion of bedrooms is based on having children and the choice to creating a safer living environment is often based on children.

Base of Thesis

It is our premise that couples who begin with a green attitude in the planning of the celebration of their relationship, will likely continue on that tract in the future because they have a higher awareness of the issues facing the environment and the impact on future children and or family and friends. We also believe this group is a cutting–edge group with higher levels of awareness and future leaders in the green movement.

Research indicates that couples that have had green weddings tend to select gifts that are less energy intensive, donate money to social causes in celebration of the event, buy local flowers and food for the receptions, avoid gold rings and “blood diamonds” and in general seek less opulent events and plan to reduce their carbon footprint.

The Live Green, Live Smart Institute® will create a set of standards for green weddings, a certification program and green wedding registration list for green weddings as part of its research efforts.  The resulting statistically (only) data will be disseminated on a periodic basis.