Thursday, April 30, 2009

Best. Girls. Weekend. Ever. Part 2.

So the first 24 hours of my bachelorette were great, but it only got better.

After all that shopping we did, we needed a pick-me-up and what a better pick-me-up than visiting my favorite restaurant for a quick drink- The Pink Door. Visited by the lovely Avocado on her girls night out! We were in and out of the Pink Door so quickly that I didn't even get a pic. But I will say that on a nice day- or on a nice-ish day, which was the case for us- the deck at the Pink Door is hands down amazing! As is the lasagna.

After our quick drink, we all headed back to the hotel to get ready for our evening out.

Without my knowledge, Sister Peep had arranged a surprise shower for me at the hotel. Ready to go out the door at 6pm, I arrived to this:





(the food was omg delicious)

While I had two previous showers, they were both with family, not friends. And let me tell ya, a shower with just girlfriends is nothing like your mother's tea party.

(I have to say that we clean up well!!)

For starters, the number of embarrassing stories about little old me were never ending. Second, it's a well known fact that I am a klutz, so instead of wearing a veil or penis, I had to wear a bicycle helmet (well mostly for pictures):

Third: The presents are a bit more risque. Each girl had wrapped some lingerie and I had to figure out who brought what!!

I was a disaster at figuring out who gave what. And the surprise twist: Mama Peep had sent something up so I had one extra gift that I had no idea what to do with!! (Please don't tell Mr. PT that Mama Peep bought something for the bedroom- he'd die!! And it's so cute I don't want to return it.)

And finally, the dessert was decorated a bit differently:


After the fabu shower, we were off to dinner at Twist. I'd recommend this place in a heartbeat. I mean, who doesn't love a restaurant with a spinning pig as the disco ball!!

At the end of the meal, we all got a surprise. Mr. Peep had call ahead and ordered us dessert and two bottles of champagne. When the waitress told me, I almost started to cry. Here's one of the two dessert platters:


And here we are toasting to Mr. Peeps!!


Unfortunately throughout the night, I didn't get away shot free. During dinner I was handed this:

I totally struggled trying to take the shot!

I will say that before the evening started, I had made a conscience decision to loosen up my very strict 'no shot rule.' I had to have fun, right?

(do you see the very cute green clutch that I bought earlier??)

The rest of the evening included running around Seattle:



Watching my friends get hit on by a Canadian Rugby Team. Why they were dressed up as Doctors we will never know??

Dancing the night away and having a blast.


Thanks Sister Peep. I couldn't have dreamed up a better weekend!!!

Mr. Peep is off to LA for his Bachelor Party today- I hope he has half as fun as we did. Did you let lose for your big night out?

Monday, April 27, 2009

Best. Girls. Weekend. Ever. Part 1.

I know the wedding is suppose to be the Best Weekend Ever, but after the Bachelorette weekend MOH/Sister Peep planned, there are no other words to describe the weekend.

Let me start by saying, I cringe at the thought of having to drink a shot of tequila. I'd kill my friends if they made me wear a veil with condoms or penis paraphernalia. And I'd run from the room screaming if I had to 'dare' a guy to give me his underwear or really anything else for that matter.

But I love the idea of spending a weekend with my best girlfriends. While I am not a total girly girly, I love my girls.

So here is a recipe for you to have your own Best. Girls. Weekend. Ever.

1. A fun City: Seattle (7 out of 11 of the girls live there or have family there) so an easy choice.


2. An Amazing Hotel: Hotel Andra (amazingly awesome location, rooms, and restaurant)

source.

3. A Fantastic Guest List: Myself and ten of my best girlfriends from high school, college, grad school, and post-school.

4. One request: Go to a Mariner's Game where they win of course!!

5. A 'Ladies who Lunch' lunch. Requirement for a 'Ladies who lunch' lunch: must be on an off hour- say 2ish, and you must order a bottle of wine.

Source.

6. Some fabulous shopping time, in which you either purchase something great (aka the perfect clutch- yep that was me) and/or you make someone else purchase something great (aka Sister Peeps slammin' new gold shoes- to wear to the wedding of course!!!)

source.

7. Visit a bar that use to be your favorite. Recognize the Bouncer. Announce it is your bachelorette party, and have one of your bridesmaids help you reduce the cover from $10 per person to 20 bucks for everyone.


8. Take a picture of something your Fiance is totally afraid of and text it to him immediately:

Yes, Mr. Peep is totally afraid of lobsters and crabs. So strange!!

9. Gush over one thing wedding related. These flowers in Pike's Place made me want to be a wedding florist in Seattle:


Swoon.


Double swoon.


And that's just what happened in the first 24 hours of the trip!!! Up next, the big night out!!

Are you having a bachelorette party? Where are you going and what are you doing?

So Proud of My Mister

I rarely post about non-wedding related things regarding the Peeps, but Mr. Peep got some pretty big news this weekend, and I am glowing with excitement.

Ever since I met Mr. Peep, he's talked about changing careers or doing something more or going back to Grad School. The problem: he left undergrad with some hanging credits. A hot-headed 22-year-old walked out of undergrad and moved to California with ONE class to go. While the wine industry has been a great career for over 10 years, a couple of bad job choices finally left him wanting more.

After some soul searching, my typically laissez-faire fiance took the bulls by the horn and enrolled in a program to not only finish up his undergraduate degree, but to fulfill the prerequisites to apply for his MBA. He found an MBA program in San Francisco that not only caters to older students (since he's no Spring chicken), but that focuses on business and the environment, aka a Green MBA.

Since August Mr. Peep has been going to school 3 to 4 nights a week, working weekends, attending Grad School Open House's, and doing what he needed to do to get accepted.

And finally, this weekend he got an ACCEPTANCE email!! It was a great day in his life, and I have to say- it was a great day in MY life. I've been to grad school, I have my degree, but I did it when I was young and with no responsibility. Mr. Peep has had heaps of responsibility- a full time job, a wedding to help plan, animals to take care of, a fiance to keep happy ;), etc.

It makes me so excited to have a life partner that is working so hard for 'our' future. I've said it before, but every day he amazes a little more and I am so proud of him.

We both know it's not going to be easy, and it's going to alter our life choices for the next couple of years. But going back to school has seriously altered his mental state and created a positive force. He stands up a bit straighter, he feels more confident in his actions. And most importantly, he now believes that he can accomplish anything if he puts his mind to it (something I've always seen in him, but that he had to discover himself). The most endearing part for me, is that he has included me in every decision because he's doing this not just for him, but of 'us.'

What has your fiance done to make you proud? Are either of you going back to school or changing careers?

Friday, April 24, 2009

Our "Signature" Drinks

Much to Mr. Peep's chagrin, we will not be serving cocktails at our wedding, not even a signature cocktail. In order to serve even just a signature cocktail, we'd incur a $300 charge to have a bartender (we don't need a bartender to serve beer and wine- just a server). And at $10 per signature drink it just didn't sound like a smart investment.


But we will be serving signature drinks!!! How you might ask??

Well, I've talked about how we are going to be serving Sparkling Wine made by Mr. Peep's own hands, SO I am going to jazz up our Beer and Wine selection. The hotel has agreed to waive the corkage for our 'cocktail' hour if we bring in our own wine, so we are dipping into our own stash and this is what I have come up with:

BEER

His Choice
Stella

Her Choice
Corona

Our Choice
Anchor Steam

WINE

A Sparkling First Date
The Groom charmed the Bride on their first date with his handmade
S. Anderson Sparkling Wine

Destine to be my White
The Bride's new last name means white in XXXXX
Destino Savignon Blanc

Just Wed Red
Straight from the Groom's collection
He's been saving this wine for a very special day
Cliff Lede Cabernet Savignon

Here's where my cute phrases end short. Rosé is my absolute favorite (I can't drink red due to migraines- damn histamines!!). But I can't think of a cute phrase for the Rosé that I like. HELP!!

The Blushing Bride or the Dashing Groom
Insert Cute Phrase HERE
Dashe Cellars Vin Gris (Rosé)

Can you please help me come up with something? I'd love you forever!!

Why I needed some perspective.


My last post was about My Perspective!! I am so glad that so many readers reacted so positively to my post, but I feel like I need to dive into the feelings surrounding the post and give you some background.

As I said, our wedding is next month, and this week, well, I've turned from Miss 'happy-go-lucky' Peeps to Miss 'freaked out/bitchy' PT. While others around me haven't felt or seen my wrath, poor Mr. PT has had his hands tied as I tirade around him and make demands.

It's been a low point.

A really bad low point. I got heated and I said that I didn't want the wedding any more. I want to be married, but the wedding was just getting to be too much. And as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I ate some humble pie and started to apologize profusely.

Luckily, Mr. Peeps accepted my apology and before the night was over- he had answers to my long list of questions. Seriously, this man amazes me sometimes. He puts me in my place when I am out of line, but he does it in such a loving way- a way that no one else has ever been able to do!

This low point of mine made me want to put things into perspective. YES, I want our day (more like weekend) to be phenomenal, but I also want to focus on the NOW and LATER. Not just the day. I realized that after the wedding, wedding planning will be over. I'll never experience the joys of being a bride again.

So I have a Goal #1- start embracing my ridiculously long list of detailed to-dos and put a little love and sweetness behind each one. Because if I can feel positive today about the little details- than they will be that much sweeter on the wedding day.

I also have to stop second guessing my choices. Each choice was made with love and care and at this point in the wedding planning, I have to trust myself and keep true to our vision.

So I sat down this morning and wrote out every single to-do that we have. Each email we need to write, each sign we need to print, each song we need to pick. Goal #2- do only what is on the to-do list, add nothing. I plan on sharing this list with Mr. Peeps so he knows what needs to be done- and I am crossing my fingers that a few things will spark his suppressed inner-planner and help me out. But really, if he doesn't do anything, that's ok too- he keeps me sane, loves and cherishes me each and everyday, and he puts a little (or a lot) of perspective in my life.

I can't imagine that I am the only bride with a low point. Have you had your wedding planning low point yet? Has anything/one made you stop and put things in perspective?

Thursday, April 23, 2009

My Perspective: The greatest day of my life

My wedding is next month and as I've been told- IT WILL BE THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!

I am sorry, but I kinda think that's crap. I have no problems with it being ONE of the greatest days of my life, but I actually don't want it to be my best day.

I see my life as a series of days, days that are happy, days that are sad, days where I don't want to get off the couch, and days where I just want to get away from it all. I see my life today- and in the future- as a fantastic adventure full of ups and downs. I also see Mr. Peep standing (or sitting) right beside me each and every one of those days. I see him adding to my joy, making my life more interesting, and all in all- making me a better, happier person.

On our wedding day, we will be standing besides each other, holding hands, making a life long commitment. I can only imagine that I will be crying tears of joy and smiling ear to ear, but I can't imagine waking up Sunday morning and thinking- that was it. The best day of our life. GONE!! Over. Down hill from here.

What I can imagine is waking up, jumping up and down on the bed, screaming- WE'RE MARRIED!! And looking forward to the day, imagining the adventure before us!!

That's how I envision my day, and every day afterwords.

With a perspective, I'm Miss Peep.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day!!!

Hi Hive, Happy Earth Day!!

You all know that Mr. PT and are trying our best to incorporate a few eco-chic elements into our wedding, so for us Earth Day for us is a great reminder that we could be doing better.

One thing that is really important to the two of us is carbon offsetting our wedding! What does that mean? Let's go straight to the experts on this subject. This is what Terrapass has to say about potential carbon emissions for your wedding:

What's included in my wedding's carbon footprint?

The wedding calculator takes into account four different sources of emissions:

  • Airline emissions from guest travel. For most weddings, this is by far the most important category of emissions. Planes burn a lot of fuel, and these days most weddings bring together people from all over the country and the world.

  • Automobile emissions from guest travel. Cars aren't likely to be a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions for your wedding, but if you have a lot of local guests, they will collectively burn a modest amount of gasoline getting to the event.

  • Energy use in hotel rooms. Hot showers, lighting, and air conditioning all require electricity. For large weddings, this energy use can add up.

  • Energy use for the wedding itself. The DJ, the caterer, temperature control, lighting – whether you have your wedding on the beach or in a banquet hall, the event itself requires some energy. Truth be told, the amount of emissions from the event itself is small – about one ton of CO2 or less – so we just add a little to the total to cover it.

The biggest impact of our wedding is that almost everyone is coming in from out of town. Out of our 60 person guest list 42 people will be flying!! That impact is HUGE!! And unfortunately, unavoidable. So Mr. PT and I spent an evening figuring out our Wedding Carbon Footprint. Like any good researcher, we compared a couple sites that let you offset your wedding.

First things first, figuring out which site was the best carbon offset site was difficult. I found these two articles, but they still didn't tell me a whole lot. Luckily, the Environmental Defense Fund (which I have grown to know and trust) has already done my research for me!! I noticed right off the bat that Terrapass and Carbonfund.org both were listed on their site as offset programs that actually make a difference, and both have a calculator to offset your Wedding Carbon Footprint. Bingo!!

First review: Terrapass.

Here's the Peep Toe wedding break down:

Air travel

How many guests are taking short flights? 22

A short flight takes less than two hours.
For example, Boston to Washington, DC.

How many guests are taking medium flights? 5

A medium flight takes about four hours.
For example, New York to Dallas.

How many guests are taking long flights? 15

A long flight is anything over four hours.
For example, New York to Los Angeles.

Car travel

How many cars are being driven to the event? 12

The average one-way trip length in miles? 153

Hotel: How many hotel room nights total will guests need? 67
(a huge number, but many of our guests are staying Thurs, Fri, Sat. At least both of the hotels are Green Friendly.)

Totol Carbon Emissions: 55,000 lbs. or 27.5 tons

That's huge!!
It makes me sad, I wish our impact was smaller, but that is just what it is.
The cost for us to offset our wedding on Terrapass is: $320.00

Next, I went to Carbonfund.org

This site is very similar, but they ask specifically for the average guest flight distance. This caused me to put on my glasses and do an Excel Spreadsheet!!! (excel fanatics unite!!)

Here's a snapshot of my incredibly dorky spreadsheet. Sorry for the horrible quality.

I actually used Terrapass to figure out the distance from San Francisco to the various guest destinations one way. The number is doubled if it is a couple. Then you add it all up and divide by the number of guests.

Once I knew the exact average distance traveled, I plugged in our numbers to the calculator:
# Guests: 60
# Flights: 42
Average Flight Distance One Way: 1,266
# Cars: 12
Average Driving Distance: 153
Hotel Room Nights: 67

Totol Carbon Emissions: 43,000 lbs. or 21.5 tons

Total Cost: $215.

Again, a huge impact and very disappointing. Why aren't we going to City Hall- oh right, because these people love us and no matter what- they want to witness our big event!!

Hum, what's a bride to do. One site says that our wedding would produce 27 tons and the other says 21.5 tons?? I have to guess that the Carbonfund.org calculator was a bit more specific since I actually figured out the average flight distance of our guests, rather than just plugging in average flight lengths. Plus, Carbonfund is a non-profit and they seem highly recommended by Environmental Defense Fund. So, that's how I picked which site we would use to offset our wedding (not very scientific, but how scientific does a wedding need to be??).

Now that you've read through all this you might be wondering how you can do all if this yourself- well- minus the dorky spreadsheet?? The great part about Carbonfund is they have a general calculator to estimate how much you need to offset your wedding:

1. 8 ton offset for $80: For under a 100 guests and most of them local.
2. 15 ton offset for $150: They estimate that about 100 guests, with some of them flying.
3. 50 ton offset for $500: They estimate over 200 guests, with most of them flying.

While ours didn't fall directly into these categories, I have to assume that with so many guests flying and staying in hotel rooms we aren't the norm.

So there you have it. This is our Earth Day contribution and this will serve as 'our favor' to the guests. It's not a lot to pay to make us feel like we made a small difference.

What are you doing today to celebrate the Earth?? Anyone else calculate their Carbon Footprint? Or have recommendations to offset your wedding?

Monday, April 20, 2009

A hop, skip and a jump

Last week was one crazy week- BUT thanks to the Hive's suggestions-- I survived. I got over my cold with tons of rest, Emergen-C, Zicam, and lozenges. I was able to hop into my Boss' office Thursday afternoon and hand in my work report, skip on over to my dress fitting and then jump on a plane to Seattle for my bachelorette Friday morning! Before I tell you about the best girls weekend EVER, I finally have decent pictures of me in my DRESS!!! But please don't mind my facial expressions as I was just getting over my cold.

Mr. Peep step away from the computer, far, far, away!!!!

This was my second dress fitting- I stupidly forgot to charge my camera last time- so right away the dress fit much better. Again, Lilly, the women who sewed the dress came down from the 6th floor and started pinning me. First, the straps had been placed in the wrong place so they got out the seem ripper and got to work. Here they are in the right place- they perfectly cover up any armpit fat!


Next, the dress was still too big. By design they make it bigger- it's so much easier to take something in- and it feels so much better to know they are taking it in rather than out. So Lilly quickly went to work pinning and clipping me. The first time they did it along the sides of the dress, so this time they did it down the back. Each of the arrows is another pin:


Isn't it such a sweet little train? And yes, that's my Mom's veil that I am wearing- doesn't it go perfectly??

Here I am all pinned up. I love wearing my dress.

We decided to hold off on the hem and the bustle until the next fitting. I've seriously gone over the edge- I haven't found a pair of shoes that I love!! I know, I know. I've bought and returned at least 8 pairs of shoes at this point- I've never been this picky about anything!!

Once the pinning was done we started playing around with wraps. While it's currently 90 degrees here- I know that when the big day comes it will be cold and foggy. First up, I bought some lace, a pattern, and a few cuts and stitches later, I had a home made bolero!! It was the easiest thing EVER but more on that later. Both the seamstress and my friend K thought that the detail in the lace detracted from the dress. I may try to get something simpler and sew up another one for the next fitting:


Since my bolero wasn't quite right, we started playing with the wraps at the store. Up first- the most expensive at $210- a heavy satin. While the satin matched the dress, I think it would have been more appropriate for a winter wedding- not a late spring wedding (fog or no fog):


Then we went for something lighter- organza. Even though the wrap itself looked dingy against my dress, but it was a much better option:

Don't ask what I am doing with my arms or my silly face expression. I think I was trying not to let snot drip down on my dress as I smiled ear to ear because I was so excited that I was wearing my dress!!!

Finally, I tried on the softest thing I have ever tried on- a pure silk wrap. Again, the color here is white and I'd get one in in ivory. Both the silk and organza wrap were $110.



The silk was by far our favorite in person (I don't think you can really tell in pictures). At this point, I am going to see if I can find a better fabric for the bolero, but I am heavily leaning towards the silk. Even Mama Peep thought a great silk wrap would be perfect- and a perfect accessory for years to come.

I hope I didn't bore you will all the pictures of me!! Do you get all giddy knowing you are wearing your wedding dress?? And will you be sportin' a wrap on your big day? If so what kind??

Monday, April 13, 2009

I am sick.

Crap.

That's how I feel.

I feel achy, have a sore throat, a runny nose, and sinus pressure.

So far today, I've had two glasses of Emergen-C, three cups of tea (two black, one herbal), two non-drowsy benedryl, and a bunch of sore throat lozenges.

This is not a good time to be sick. Not only am I super busy at work, but I am supposed to jet off to Seattle on Friday morning for a fabulous Bachelorette that MOH/Sister Peep planned.

I plan on working from home tomorrow (Tuesday) to get some much needed rest!! So Hive- tell me- what's your best get better quick remedy?

Friday, April 10, 2009

Details, smitails. Less is more.

As I mentioned before, I have been planning this wedding for over 16 months!!

And I have to say that almost every day, I see at least one wedding detail that I think is so fantastic that I must have it. Yet, I decided long ago that while I love details, I would limit what I would do. Maybe this goes against the grain of the fabulous legacy of detailed Weddingbee Weddings, but for me editing details out of our day is keeping me sane and I think it allows me to practice the less is more, eco-chic mentality that I strive for.

With less than two 50-days before the wedding, I am pretty low key about the thing. I was even able to get our wedding invitations out the door with the motto- slow and steady wins the race. Granted I skipped a lot of invite details- like a beautiful pocketfold, the lovely ribbon tie, hand embossing each envelope- twice in some cases, a hand made map, an ever so crafty 'note' card, etc. You get my point.

While each of these details make me swoon, I had a friend tell me last week that I was one of the most laid back brides he'd ever seen. While he doesn't get to see the mess I've made of our apartment, it felt great knowing that I've kept some sense of self throughout this whole thing.

That said, here are some swoonworthy details that I have just said no to:

Personalized Napkins
. I love personalized napkins and I did notice what a nice touch they were at a few of the weddings I went to this summer.

source.

For only about $30 bucks for 100 they aren't that expensive. BUT I made the mistake of looking into personalized napkins right before I met with my financial adviser. She quickly pointed out that saving just a little bit helps. So I am saving my $30 for a rainy day. I hope no one is disappointed by our ivory napkins the hotel provides.

Matchbooks.

I saw this DIY last week and thought it would be perfect!!


Especially since I love collecting matchbooks myself. But this project was quickly moved from the VERY cool pile to the VERY cool, but still not going to do it pile. It's all about editing the little details.

Fabulous Cupcake plates


And of course the totally swoonworthy, Mrs. Gummi Bears Cakes:

What would I do with 10 cake platers at the end of the day? I barely have enough room in my kitchen for one. Not to mention, this would be an expensive detail.

Shawls for the ladies

It's most likely going to be chilly so I'd love to be able to keep all the Ladies warm by providing wraps for everyone. But I have to remember that they are grown adults and they can remember to dress properly for the occasion. Another 'extra' thing struck off the list.

Cookie Favors. I love this idea.

I love the idea of baking cookies the week before the wedding and wrapping them with love. Why I said no: I don't even own cookie sheets. I swear I am registered for them, but I can't whip out cookies until after the big day.

Anyone else very carefully picking and choosing the details of their big day?

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

An Eco-Chic Present for the Mister

Alright ladies, I am here to continue to provide some eco-friendly options for your wedding. I have to start off by saying that the green world is confusing at best. And I am well aware that the Peeps wedding will have an impact on the environment. My goal here is just to throw out a few options that the Mr. and I have tried to incorporate to reduce that impact. (And yes, we could always be better, do more, use less, but we are modern people living in a consumerist world just trying to put one foot in front of the other). And just to give myself a bit of street cred- I do have a Master's in Environmental Policy and I did spend a year working on myfootprint.org, but more on that later.

Oh, and Mr. Peeps- stop reading now. Or no surprises for you!

Now that that is out of the way, let's talk about spiffing up the Mister's outfit on our big day. The mister is cufflink-less, so I thought that a memorable and lasting gift to give him on his big day would be the ever important- drum roll- cuff link. Not an entirely new idea- but I am hoping my options are a bit out of the ordinary and a bit more eco-chic.

Before I start, here are two great websites to find some fabulously fun and cool eco-gifts: green with envy and eco-artware.

First up, recycled Wine Barrel Cuff links. Have I mentioned to the Hive yet that Mr. Peeps has left the deliciously tasting Olive Oil world to go back to the Wine Industry!! That's right- our wine 'closet' is again filling up quickly!

Source.
Obviously these are pertinent to Mr. Peeps profession, and even a wedding color, so a good all around choice.

Option #2: A bit of SF Memorabilia. And the great part about these- the Muni line runs next to the hotel, so very fitting if I do say so. But not all that attractive. Note to the Hive- these are also available for other major Cities!!

source.

Option #3: Not necessarily eco but these cuff links are on Etsy, in our wedding colors, at fabulous price, and don't you think they match our invites??

Source.

And finally, the option the most expensive but oh, so cool option. Dodger Stadium Cuff Links!!! Have I mentioned that I am HUGE Dodger fan and over the years I have converted Mr. PT. He's even going down to LA-LA Land to go to a Dodger game for his Bachelor Party!!! Unfort, the Dodger ones are blue, so they don't actually match our wedding colors- but FMIL thought they'd be an awesome gift and conversation starter.


source.


So hive, how best do you think I should add a bit of eco-chicness to the Mister's outfit.

Insert- survey here:
Option 1 Perfectly him. Does your order come with a barrel of wine?
Option 2 I heart the SF Muni and could ride it all day long!!
Option 3 Perfectly matching and sappy all in one.
Option 4 Release your need to match everything and get something meaningful to both of you outside of the wedding.
Option 5 Splurge and get three and four. Make him wear the color coordinating ones to the wedding and the Dodger ones can be a conversation piece at another event.

And finally, Did anyone get their Dad a gift on their big day!?? Papa Peep's b-day is a week before the wedding, so I am thinking of gifting him this at the Rehearsal- he's the reason I am a Dodger fan and being an accountant he loves a good pen:



What do you think? What are you gifting your Mister? Do you have any other eco-friendly options?