OUR VALUES: SUSTAINABILITY
At The Pop-Up Chapel Co., everything we do follows our five key values; sustainability, simplicity, inclusivity, social consciousness, and evolution. Over the next several weeks, we’re going to explore what those mean and how we bring them to life for each and every Chapel. In this blog, we will be deep diving into our commitment to sustainability and how we are keeping it green!
The largest way The Pop-Up Chapel Co. is tackling sustainability is reduction- the best way to deal with waste is to not create it! The average wedding produces 400 pounds of garbage [1], that’s the same weight as a black bear! All for one day! The Chapel aims to reduce wedding waste by embracing the sharing economy, and being mindful of everything that goes into making the Chapel happen.
Each Chapel setup serves ten (or more) couples- that means the impact of all those rentals, signage, decor, floral installations (and transport of all of it) is shared between all the couples. Additionally, every item that is used in the Chapel is selected with its environmental impact in mind. We strive to hold ourselves accountable by recording the amount of garbage we have created at the end of each day and working to see how we can continue to reduce it. (Check out our Insta stories on Chapel days to see how we’re doing with this and keep us accountable!)
Another big way that The Pop-Up Chapel Co. embraces sustainability is reuse aka up-cycling! If you’ve been following us for some time, you’ll know we never do the same thing twice, every Chapel has a unique and creative design. This does not mean however that we throw out all the decor (or any of it!) at the end of each Chapel. We love well-made items that can be repurposed and used over and over again. Check out this amazing arch backdrop from our 3-day October Chapel at Evergreen Brickworks. If you follow Love by Lynzie Events it might look familiar. It was originally designed and used for a corporate event earlier in the year, but was transformed with a fresh coat of fall-toned paint and stunning paper leaf garland (which was sourced secondhand from an Anthropologie window display!)
We love to work with vendors who share our values and one of our all time fave florists, Nymph Floral, always makes and effort to be environmentally conscious. At the end of every Chapel they reuse all of the dishes that their arrangements are made in to use for future events. They are currently working to minimize the use of floral foam and turning to more sustainable substitutions such as live moss and chicken wire.
After every Chapel, Nymph reworks and donates several floral arrangements to the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul - Elisa House. Elisa House has been a long standing and essential part of the Mimico community, providing a transitional housing program and emergency shelter for women 18 years and older. This allows the flowers to continue to be enjoyed and brighten the days of those going through a difficult time.
Our journey to sustainability is constantly evolving and we continue to strive for consistent improvement. If you want to be a part of making the wedding industry more sustainable book your spot at an upcoming Chapel today!
Citations:
[1] https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sc-green-wedding-family-0530-20170526-story.html