We reported back in April that the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) and the Association of Responsible Mining (ARM) had launched Fairmined and Fairtrade standards for gold and precious metals.

Now the National Association of Goldsmiths (NAG) is putting together an ethics working committee to help connect socially and environmentally responsible mining communities with western jewellers.

Greg Valerio (founder of Cred Jewellery and co-founder of ARM) and Vivien Johnston (founder of Fifi Bijoux) will work with the NAG’s board to build a resource that jewellers can use to make sure their supplier chains are as transparent as possible.

Johnston, who has been working on auditable standards and traceability for the British Ethical Jewellery Association (BEJA) said:

The partnership between small mining communities and UK small businesses seems a natural one, however both require some support and structure to maximise the benefits to each

While Valerio, who has been working with Fairtrade Foundation in the run up to the launch of certified gold in the UK in February 2011, commented:

Some of the biggest reputational risks the jewellery trade faces today are directly linked to our supply chains. The NAG supply chain ethics working group has been established to research, review and resource jewellers in the UK with practical ways they can positively tackle the human rights and environmental issues linked to our industry

Step by step (and with a lot of hard work from committed activists like Greg and Vivien) we’re getting closer to an ethical jewellery industry.

Katie

Share your thoughts on ethical engagement and wedding rings in the Ethical Weddings Forum

Add these guys to your gift list – they offer the softest 100% bamboo linen collection which includes bath, hand and face towels, bathrobes, bedding, duvet covers and more.

They’ve even come up with a lovely special offer for us. 

All you need to do is buy a queen size bedding set and they’ll give you an extra 2-pack of organic, ethically-made and healthy-for-your-skin bamboo pillowcases! Just quote “ethwed” – but hurry, the deadline is 31 August 2010.

Find out more about Shoo-Foo’s special offer – and get snuggling up with your better half under that soft bamboo duvet.

Katie

Until 22 August – generous souls that they are - they’re giving us 20% off their entire collection.

So if you spot a ravishing ring you’d like for your wedding band but it isn’t in the wedding section – no problem! Or maybe you’re after a special necklace or earrings for your bridesmaid. Just quote “ethicalweddings” to get your 20% discount.

• Find out more about Leblas

Katie

But as you’ll know, when you’re planning a wedding you have a lot of stuff on your mind and it’s easy for little green details like these to fall by the wayside.

So I was pleased when goCarShare.com (GCS) popped up in our Ethical Weddings Forum.  It’s a free service (they just ask for contributions if you’ve found it useful and are feeling flush) and you login via your Facebook account (erm, not sure what you do if you don’t have one – better ask GCS).  You then enter your starting point and destination to find out who else is going your way.

They don’t talk specifically about weddings on their website but to make it work for you I guess you would email all your guests with the goCarShare.com website (and include it in the ‘getting here’ section of your hard copy invites too if you’re having them) and ask (very nicely) anyone who is driving to the wedding to register their details on the site. 

Get me to the church!

Potential passengers would then be able to find your drivers – or if they’ve been too quick off the mark and started looking before your drivers have registered they can email gomail@gocarshare.com to get an alert when someone adds the journey they need.

The bonus of the site working through Facebook is that (providing you have an account!) you can see which friends or friends of friends are going the same way – so it should be easy to spot fellow wedding guests.

Sadly we’re not planning to renew our vows any time soon so we have no guests to try it out on… but if you decide to give it a go, we’d love to hear how it works out for you (and if everyone makes it to the church on time!).

Katie

Read all about:

• special offer from ethical jewellery designers, Leblas
• new supplier Shoo-Foo – and their special offer
• Niki and Andy’s ethical wedding story

Katie

Do what?

Launch the first National Wedding day!

Sunday 1 August is the big day and of course it’s all for a good cause, supporting Ethical Weddings member, the NSPCC’s ‘Celebrate and Give’ campaign.

To tell you more, here’s our Wedding Fairy:

Yes Ladies and Gents, it’s time to dust down your wedding dress, dry clean the morning suit and re-live your big day all over again. Whoever said a girl only gets to wear the dress of her dreams once was lying because now you get to embrace and rejoice in the moment you said, ‘I do’ every 12 months and it’s all for an incredible cause!

National Wedding Day is a chance to celebrate the most sensational day of your life. It doesn’t matter whether you were married 10 years ago, are getting hitched tomorrow or even in 2012, this is your chance to celebrate your wedding day while at the same time reaching out and helping vulnerable children across the UK.

What can you do?

It’s entirely up to you.  But the NSPCC has come up with 5 fun suggestions:

1) Hold a party and charge an entry fee or put a price on food and drink.

Here are some ideas for themes:

• recreate your honeymoon, stag or hen do
• invite all your wedding guests to a barbecue
• have a trial run of your wedding day
• if you’re already married you could recreate your wedding day
• remake ‘The Wedding Singer’ with karaoke or even a live band.

2) Hold a wedding auction

• sell your wedding dress, shoes or bridesmaids’ dresses to the highest bidder
• find homes for any unwanted presents or things you just don’t use anymore.

3) Have a wedding cake sale

• hold a wedding cake sale
• invite your friends for a wedding-themed tea party
• for guests not interested in cake, try cheese instead.

4) Look to the future

If your wedding is coming up, why not use the NSPCC’s personalised wedding favour cards instead of sugared almonds? Or use NSPCC donation cards so your guests can make a donation to the NSPCC instead of buying you gifts.

5) Something simple

A great way to raise money is simply to set up an online fundraising page and ask your friends and family to donate online to the NSPCC. You can easily set up a page at JustGiving.

It doesn’t matter what you do, the important bit is to raise as much cash as you can for the NSPCC while you’re doing it.

National Wedding Day launches on Sunday 1 August 2010 - the most popular day of the year to tie the knot in the UK – and related fundraising events and shenannigans will be going on throughout  the month of August.

Find out more about the NSPCC’s ‘Celebrate and Give’ Campaign and tell us how you plan to celebrate National Wedding Day by leaving a comment below or dropping George an email at george@theweddingfairy.tv

Happy National Wedding Day!

Katie

Well, for now the answer is yes.  Mugabe had been threatening to sell the diamonds with or without certification but reached an agreement with the KP that two batches of the Marange diamonds could be sold between now and September with the KP’s approval.

In September, there will be another review of the situation in Marange.

However, Ethical Weddings supplier, Cred – the Fair Trade Jeweller, believes that this is a:

…missed opportunity for KP to become an ethical mark, where they could have expanded their definition of conflict to include human rights abuses.

Get Cred’s view on the Zimbabwe diamonds debate on their Fair Trade Jeweller blog.

Katie

She’ll be planning your weddings for you in no time!

Katie, Jamie – & Polly

The couple: Clare Josa & Peter Briant
Wedding date: 25 September 2010
Venue and location: Village wedding, near Fordingbridge (Hampshire, UK)
Budget: Haven’t got a clue… Will let you know afterwards…

What inspired you to have an ethical wedding?
We’re both passionate about living in harmony with the planet. Our everyday life choices are based around organic, seasonal, locally-grown food and ethically-produced products. So having an ethical, eco-wedding was the only authentic option.

What has been the most difficult bit so far?
Finding suppliers who don’t think we’re cranks – or “embellish” to get the business! We’re still on a learning curve, so watch this space.

What has been the most fun bit?
Planning all the extra touches we can do ourselves, to add love and light to the wedding experience for our guests.

What would be your 5 top tips for brides and grooms planning an ethical wedding?

1. Be clear about your reasons – if you know your “why”, it makes choices easier.
2. Set realistic boundaries. Know what you will compromise on and what is non-negotiable.
3. Don’t preach to suppliers. If they’re not yet on board with the ethical idea, they’re much more likely to be open to going eco if you’re happy and enthusiastic, than if they feel judged or criticised. And if they can’t do what you’re looking for, you don’t have to work with them.
4. Ask questions. It’s amazing how often high-environmental-impact things are done at weddings because “that’s the way it’s always been done”. Asking helpful questions can often open up alternatives.
5. Enjoy it! It can be so much fun, planning your big day. If you notice you’re getting too stressed, then it’s time to sit down with your other-half-to-be and review your priorities – are they realistic? Could you delegate / ask others for help? Could you simplify things?

Clare is the founder of Beyond Alchemy.

Even though our posts aren’t coming quite as thick and fast as they once did – the inevitable result of new small child-shaped duties and related sleep deprivation – they liked the mix of real life ethical wedding stories and issue updates (the latest on conflict diamonds for example).

If you’re planning your ethical and green wedding at this very moment why not become an EW blogger and share your experiences? Then when you hit an ethical wedding dilemma you’ve an audience of brides and grooms on tap ready to help you out. Drop us an email to get involved.

A new ethical bride will be joining us very soon… watch this space.

And thanks again to You & Your Wedding for the blog love!

Katie