万花筒 2007-09-18&09-19, 我结婚，我环保

Finally in this popular month for getting married, a look at white weddings that are going green. Eco-friendly concerns have now become a big part of the big day for many couples. Here is NBC's chief environmental affairs correspondent Ann Thompson.

For Kristi Papenfuss and Joshua Houdek, being green is a way of life.(well, these are the Ecuadoran ones) They buy organic. (let’s try this one)he bikes to work. She tends a garden of native plants that they water from a rain barrel.

So it is no surprise that on their wedding day, their love for each other would reflect their love for the earth. When we first were planning our wedding, we didn’t even know of the term green wedding. (Yeah) We just wanted to have our friends together and do it in a sustainable way.

Starting with their invitations on recycled paper. Rings of recycled gold. Pesticide-free flowers. And at the reception, an organic menu. Fair trade wine, biodegradable utensils¹, even solar-powered music.

If you like to play in it, you'd like to be in it. Then there is a responsibility for helping² maintain it. (It’s true)

A walk down the aisle³ leaves a significant carbon footprint. The average wedding creates 14.5 tons of carbon dioxide, that’s two tons more than the average person does over an entire year. The 70-billion-dollar-a-year wedding industry offers many shades of green. There are websites to help you find everything form eco-friendly gowns and diamonds to honeymoons⁴ and your first house. Six years ago when Gerald Prolman started his company organicbouquet.com, weddings were just a tiny fraction of his business.

Now we get calls every day from brides and event planners and florists⁵ who want organic followers⁶ for their weddings.

The industry insists this is not a fad⁷, going green is becoming as much of a tradition as having something borrowed and something blue. But beauty has its price. Wedding planners say going green can add 10-20% to the average wedding which already costs nearly 2,8000 dollars. So how does a couple balance their budget while being kind to the earth? Kristi Papenfuss says it’s about trade-offs.

Organic food is a little bit more expensive, but the dress that I bought is a sundress that I can wear over and over and over again. And that was less expensive. Kristi and Joshua’s wedding on this their most special day, a reflection of the values they live everyday. Ann Thompson, NBC NEWS, Minneapolis

1 utensils   

器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物

参考例句：

• Formerly most of our household utensils were made of brass. 以前我们家庭用的器皿多数是用黄铜做的。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

4 honeymoons   

蜜月( honeymoon的名词复数 )； 短暂的和谐时期； 蜜月期； 最初的和谐时期

参考例句：

• I suppose all honeymoons are more or less alike. 我想所有的蜜月多多少少都是相似的。
• Honeymoons are stupid things. 蜜月是乏味的事情。

5 florists   

n.花商，花农，花卉研究者( florist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The little dressmaker bought an envelope of nasturtium seeds at the florists. 那个个子矮小的女裁缝在花铺里买了一包金莲花种子。 来自辞典例句
• I have more important things to do than petulant florists. 我有比教训坏脾气的花匠更重要的事情要做。 来自互联网

6 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

7 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。