Happy Holidays from Talen Events!  Why not Bring in the Christmas Cheer with some Eco-Chic Holiday Spirit?

How do you throw an Eco-Christmas Party You Ask?

1. Do Up Your Old Decor! There’s lots of inticing new Christmas decorations out there for you to buy, but why not curb your spending this year and bring out all the old Christmas decorations? Sure, they might not be the most modern — but they have the potential to put a smile on your guests face! So find all those old retro christmas balls, plastic candles, and moving Santas and get jolly this Christmas!

2. Invite Everyone…Personally! — Yes there’s Facebook, and Evites, and lots of other eco-friendly ways to send an invitation — but why not surprise your guests with a friendly little phonecall.. from You! Invite your relatives, friends, and neighbors the old fashion way and let them know to Save the Date!

3. Set up a Carpool! Is Grandma on your Uncle Ned’s way? Do you have old friends who need to catch up? Why not give that extra push to start carpooling? Sometimes all it takes is for someone to ask, and you can do your part to ward away unwanted carbon juices clogging up the environment!

4. A Little Mood Lighting Perhaps? Create an atmosphere for every room with lighting. Lighten up in the kitchen, bring it down in the family room — maybe only keep your living room aglow with the Christmas tree and some candles and give your guests some mood lighting the celebrity way  — all the while saving som electricity!

5. Let Your Dinner Do the Talking! You could go to the grocery store and buy all your groceries there and just have any old meal — or you can make your dinner an adventure. Take a peek at your local farmer’s markets, check out local foodies, or even visit a local farm for your fancy feast! Let your guests know where you got your food, and don’t forget to keep all the locations on a sheet of paper to give to the guests who ask!

Do something a little different this year and host your first annual Eco-Christmas Party! Who knows? Maybe your guests will love it so much they’ll make it a tradition!

For more information about Eco Christmas check out Talen Events Interview on Hello Eco Living: http://helloecoliving.com/2009/12/throwing-an-eco-holiday-party/

Happy Holidays & Happy Planning!

From Tiffany & Amalia, Your Friends at Talen Events

For those of you recently engaged couples, or those researching their new years resolution… CONGRATULATIONS to going Green!

Now if you’re trying to find a quick checklist of sorts to start you on your green adventure, then we’re here to help. Below is a quick list of different ways you can green up your wedding and your life!

• Stationary: Choose 100 % Post Consumer Recycled Paper or send an Evite to your technologically sound friends.
• Location, Location, Location: Choose a location that is all encompassing, place where both the ceremony and reception can be accomdated
• Ethically mined Gold & Diamonds: Take a closer look at where your diamond came from and make sure it’s conflict-free!
• Flowers – Choose flowers that are fair trade or organically grown. Check out www.ecoflora.com for our favorite place!
  
• Bakeries -Organic & Local Breads and Desserts are the perfect place to start your sweet tooth off right!
• Favors – Why give favors when you could donate the money in the honour of your guests to a charity that is close to you and your spouse to be. Even if you feel like you need to give your guests a treat, check out your charity anyway sometimes they’re able to donate a small gift as a token of their appreciation that you can direct to your guests!
  
• Transportation - Let your guests know about alternative transportation, encourage car pooling and make sure your ceremony and venue are either in the same location or nearby to eachother.
  
• Honeymoon - Chillout and Rela at one of the fabulous eco-lodges and vacation spots around the world. For more information check out our blog about Amansala.
  

These are just a few of the many things you can do to quick start your green wedding. But, don’t forget the most important part - spread the Word! Making a difference is all about getting the word out. Talk to everyone you meet about your plans for a green wedding, and inform them of how easy it was for you! The more people know, the more people will look to make simple changes in their wedding plans too.

Happy Planning!

Tiffany and Amalia

Just got engaged and looking for a way to simplify and green up your wedding invitations? Well, we’re here to help with these tips and tricks to eco-friendly wedding invitations.

1. Go Paperless - Ever sent an evite before? E-vites are a great way to save paper, the environment and cold hard cash on your wedding day. Simply check out a website like www.evite.com and see all the different types of cards you can send. Evite will also track your RSVPs and allow you to send out information closer to the day.

2. Post consumer what!? - 100% Post consumer Recycled Invitations are a great way to reduce your footprint right up to your special day. What does the percentage mean? Most paper has around 20-30% post consumer recycled content — but you can shoot for the sky with 100% making sure that no tree was harmed to make your wedding invitation. For a little added eco-friendly goodness you can also ask your local printer if he can print using a more natural soy based ink.

3. Mix it up? - Hey, we get that some of your guests wouldn’t know the difference between the computer and the toaster oven so why not break it up? Send evites to the technologically savvy, and the rest can have an invitation.

Weddings Invitations can be recycled and gorgeous.. so check out your local organic or natural stationary shop for more information about wedding invitations that fit your budget and style.
And as always… Happy Planning!
Amalia & Tiffany

It is a great day to be alive, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the temperature is just right. As I was picking trash today in a park nearby I got to thinking that today is a great day to take your first steps to make the Earth a better place. We have made enormous strides this year in trying to understand how our everyday activities impact the earth, and how little changes in our behaviour can change things better for the future.From celebrities to the local news everyone is providing tips on how you can start to make your life green and for those of us who are living a green life amp; how to sustain that lifestyle.

The key to get everyone involved is to engage people on some level. As we at Talen Events move along in this journey of trying to find our way to a sustainable lifestyle we are getting involved in our community and learning through others. This past weekend, we had the honor of participating in WWF’s CN Tower Climb and helped to register 5000 climbers who believe in the need to help the environment. While it is absolutely necessary to celebrate the Earth today, I think the time has come to make everyday Earth Day.

If you’re looking for some Earth Day Reads, why not start here?

Oprah’s Tips for going Green

The Good Life

18th Annual WWF Stair Climb – Saturday April 18, 2008

Cheers,

Amalia & Tiffany

Didn’t get to participate in the WWF sponsored Earth Hour? Don’t worry! There is still two other ways you can support this amazing charity!

On Saturday April 19th 2008, the WWF is having their 18th annual CN Tower Stair Climb. Feel like getting your climb on? If you’re thinking about it, it just so happens that you could get some great prizes AND the money that you raise goes to support the following initatives:

• A little government influence that goes a LONG way on behalf of all Canadians
• Protection for the fragile ecosystems around the world
• Education for real change
• Getting the word out to industries and making sure they play their part
• Help nature survive some not so cool but sadly inevitable warming!

So even if you’re not so much a climber, it’s still a great idea to sponsor someone else or donate to WWF!

Talen Events will be there, helping out so we’d love to see you!

For more information check out: http://www.wwf.ca/

Cheers,

Amalia & Tiffany

On the ps: Don’t forget to check out “The Good Life: Make every Hour Earth Hour”

Talen Events is hitting our first trade show this March! The Eco Wedding & Lifestyle Show is a unique tradeshow that will showcase the eco-chic bridal and lifestyle vendors who have made the same environmental choices you have in their product or service.

Have you been having trouble trying to find eco-savy companies in the Toronto area? This is the perfect one-stop special event to find the services and products that cater to your eco-conscious lifestyle. We’re here to help you and your family make the informed and sustainable descisions in your every day life!

For more information please check out: http://ecoweddingshow.com/

We’d love for you to attend, and look forward to meeting you!

Ahhh Ecollywood is over! And what a wonderful night it was!

On a day that will live in infamy, in a town filled with stars one of the very few eco-friendly parties was held. The TIFF festival was the perfect backdrop for the party, held in the heart of Yorkville @ the posh Club V. The message was simple ‘you can do your part and every little bit helps. From food to fashion to a holistic spa, you were treated like a star. And even though mother nature tried to steal our thunder with some rain and thunder of her own, we all equally shared the spotlight. We would like to thank Choroid Films for introducing us to the project, Much Music’s Sabrina Jalees for hosting the night, all of the sponsors who joined us in very little time and made it all worthwhile, and of course our benefactor the David Suzuki Foundation for all they do and we look forward to seeing you all next year.

Cheers,

Amalia

Whenever we’re planning an event our quest is to find companies that fit our mission and values. We love companies who are willing to help people & the environment, period. When we were sent information about a Peacekeeper press conference in Toronto, we were so stoked! We jumped in the car and headed over to see what this company was all about.

What is Peacekeeper?

Peacekeeper is a company with a charitable and educational mission to support women’s health advocacy and human rights issues by raising funds through the sale of their products. A company where after all taxes are paid donates their profits to support women’s health advocacy and urgent human rights issues.

Here’s the best thing — by buying PEACEKEEPER products, you actually BECOME a peacekeeper. It’s as if you were donating money to support women’s health advocacy yourself.. and you get to take home some great cause-metics.

We tried the lip paint & the nail paint and they were fantastic. The best thing? No animal testing, and no use of abrasive chemicals! Plus, the Peacekeeper nail paint is the longest lasting nail polish around!

Nothing was as great as the lip gloss. Not only was there great colors to choose from but the minerals, green tea extract and vitamin E gave me long lasting moisture and it wasn’t sticky.

What makes Peacekeeper great?

Not only are there products naturally based and packaged in as little packaging as possible, but they advocate for the women’s human rights issues that don’t get much media attention.

If you’d like more information about PEACEKEEPER and where to find their product please check out their website. OR you can visit Ecollywood, and get your very own lip treatment by one of their very own Peacekeeper lip specialists!

Cheers!
Amalia

The Toronto Film Festival is here and Hollywood North is in an uproar as celebrities pour in, filmmakers get ready to for their big moment, and curious onlookers get ready to schmooze or just gaze adoringly as their favorite celebrity walks the streets. And the parties? Oh the planners stocked and loaded, ready to show our guests and the city what we do best.

One such party that Talen Events is proud to be a a green consultant for is Ecollywood. Hosted by Maurey Loeffler of Choroid Films and coordinated by Upstage Productions, Ecollywood is an eco-conscious event that’s set to be the talk of the Toronto International Film Festival! This star studded event aims to raise environmental awareness while showing how companies & celebrities are doing their part to make a world of difference. Imagine yourself walking down the green carpet, behind the hemp rope and being part of this must attend TIFF event on September 11, at Toronto’s hot spot, Club V located in the heart of Yorkville. Well guess what? You’re invited!

To purchase tickets or get more information:
http://www.ecollywood.com