Ele3 Event Design and Planning Blog

Monday, June 01, 2009

Eden Environments

We had the awesome opportunity for a little Q + A with Denise Hopkins, owner of Eden Environments, a sustainable design center in Grand Rapids. Design can come from anywhere, but we love it especially when it is "green!" Enjoy!

Q: What is Eden Environments?

Eden Environments Sustainable Design Center - your personal professional green experts. Eden Environments is your resource for sustainable information, design, and products. We are constantly researching new concepts, ideas, and products and are eager to share that knowledge. We offer architecture, interior, and landscape design from designing a new building to helping you choose a wall color, or anything in between. Our products range from denim insulation to flooring, counters, wall coverings, paints and stains, fabrics, furniture, and even organic household cleaners.

Q: Where did your passion for sustainability come from?

I grew up in the country and loved the woods around our family weekend cabin. Gardening has always been a therapeutic and rewarding pastime. As an architect, it became clear that traditional methods of building were harming our environment and ourselves. So the combination of all these things led to studying how we could create environments that are good for us and not do harm to our shared environment. Discovering that it was not difficult and that the results could be beautiful just demanded that I share this with others.

Q: What types of designers do you work with and where are they from?

We work with individual designers and designers that work for large design firms. Since we are sustainability specialists, we can provide information and resources that other designers may not have time to uncover. We find that we always learn from designers and their experiences, and that sharing information enriches everyone involved.

Q: What advice can you give to those who want to live green but don't know where to start?

Start at Eden Environments. We have done all of the research for you and can help you make good decisions for your personal environments and our shared global environment. Our experts are here to answer your questions or you can use our library to research and explore our discovery center filled with beautiful, healthy, sustainable materials. If we don't have the answer, we will find it for you.

pictures are from Eden Environments

Posted by: ele3

Categories: Green Design, Sustainability

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Project GREEN and white

Barn Wedding

ele3 visited the Woldumar Nature Center in Lansing this afternoon. Woldumar is a piece of property on the south side of Lansing for school aged children that offers numerous outreach and on-site Environmental Education programs for children as well as adults. The coolest part is that they partake in Project GREEN, which provides high school students with hands-on opportunities to gain and apply classroom science, math and social studies skills to local water quality tests, which they are then guided to take informed action on any identified water problems, and try to find a resolution. So, how does this apply to the wedding industry? Woldumar also boasts a white barn perfect for the rustic, country, bride, or even the romantic. The space has so much potential, the list of ideas for decorating is really endless! When you rent the barn or the whole property, you know it will go toward an extremely important cause.

Picture courtesy of Woldumar Center

Posted by: ele3

Categories: Green Design, Miscellaneous, Weddings

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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Fresh & Green

Preston Bailey - Green

Enjoy this imaginative table scape done by the awe inspiring Mr. Preston Bailey. With various shades of grass & chartreuse green it reminds me that Spring is indeed in the air. Over the top....yes Preston however, would not have it any other way.

My favorite design aspect of the table would be the plates. With an outline of fresh light green florals and a pop of white linen set atop the clear plate elaborates the natural green leaf used as a napkin ring. The touch of silver accents with candlelight to offset the green moss thoroughly compliments the gorgeous etching on the stemware. This table leaves me with nothing less than a fresh unconventional perspective.

Posted by: ele3

Categories: Green Design, Tablescapes

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Falling In Love With Green

Even in the midst of your wedding bliss there is always an opportunity to help the enviroment you live in, even while registering for your wedding gifts! I highly suggest if you would like to decrease your carbon footprint, look into registering on All Green Wedding. This is a wonderful website that encourages brides to support their local community. The concept of All Green Wedding is that the bride registers with stores that All Green Wedding has listed online and the couple's gifts are actually monies that they can spend at stores within their local community. All Green Wedding has an array of merchants they are affiliated with on their website, it is a definitely worth checking into. Besides, what is better than being able to shop and help your local community AND your environment all at the same time? Our blushing bride will be falling in love with All Green Wedding before she can even say "I do"!

The Above Lovely Photo Is From The Following Venu: The Durham Ox