Building Ecotopia: Green Wedding Rings

by Chuck Hall

In building an Ecotopian society, environmentally conscious practices should touch every aspect of our lives. Since many adult lives begin with a wedding ceremony, last week we looked at green options for wedding invitations. Once you’ve settled on your invitations, the next step is to consider wedding rings. As with virtually everything else in a wedding, there are environmental considerations in the selection of your bands. The ‘Blood Diamond’ issue has come to light in recent years, and became public knowledge with the release of a recent film by the same name. ‘Conflict diamonds’ are diamonds that have been seized and sold to finance hostile actions throughout the world, particularly in Africa. It’s the standard guns-or-butter issue. By financing wars with these conflict diamonds, resources that could be used to feed the hungry and protect the environment are squandered in destruction and violence. If these issues are important to you, consider buying rings that have been certified conflict-free.
The diamond-producing countries of southern Africa met in 2000 in Kimberley, South Africa to come up with a process whereby diamonds could be certified to be manufactured and sold free of violence. This accord led to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). A KPCS-certified diamond meets strict international guidelines for conflict-free diamond sales. When selecting a diamond for your wedding, look for KPCS certification.
You may also want to consider wedding bands made from recycled gold. A new recycling process was patented in 2004. Good Point Recycling extracts gold from junk computers. This gold is then recycled into wedding bands. It is not mixed with gold from old jewelry or other sources. Good Point Recycling bands are made entirely from gold that would have otherwise gone into the waste stream. Gold mining is the number one contributor to mercury waste on the planet. By recycling the gold from old computers, the Good Point Recycling process is doubly ecological. It reduces waste on landfills by processing old computers, and it saves the mercury waste that would have been caused by mining gold for rings. For more information on Good Point Recycling, visit their Web site at: http://www.retroworks.com.
There also many other alternatives to the traditional gold wedding bands. If you’re interested in exploring the possibilities for environmentally-sound wedding and engagement rings, Stacie Kirby maintains an excellent blog on the topic at: greenjewelry.blogspot.com.
Another possibility is to forego the wedding ring altogether, and find some other token symbolizing your commitment to your partner. One example I’ve heard of in recent years is the ‘commitment bracelet.’ Commitment bracelets are made by taking strands of hair from both partners, and braiding this hair together into bracelets. The bride and groom then wear these bracelets as a symbol of the intertwining of their lives and their commitment to each other.
As future Ecotopians find greener solutions to day-to-day living, our options are only as limited as our imaginations. Explore the possibilities with your future spouse as you create new traditions together with the environment in mind!
Next week we’ll look at green clothing options for your wedding.