Life123.com

The long awaited Life123.com is now up and running though still under construction. I think most all of articles that were on GardenandHearth.com have been transferred and revamped a bit plus I have several new articles. I don't think they have the content producer/writer pages ready yet because I couldn't find it but you can find links to all of my articles by searching for Wenona Napolitano. I have tons of wedding articles plus a few green/healthy living articles there.

My New Blog on Prevention

Hello Everyone,

I'm blogging on Prevention's site now, too. All about health and fitness related stuff. Check out my first post, My Summer Fitness Goals. And here's my bio page there.

Drop by and check it out.

Thanks.

Article About Green Photographers on MyEcoChicWedding.com

Hey everyone,

I have an article up at MyEcoChicWedding.com about green wedding photographers. Make sure you stop by and check it out. While you are there check out everything My Eco Chic Wedding has to offer- loads of eco-friendly wedding ideas, fabulous wedding planning tools and checklists and so much more. It's a great site. I really love the inspiration boards.

Bella Figura Letterpress

Looking for a sustainable and stylish company that offers beautiful letterpress wedding invitations? Look no further, Bella Figura is the company for you.

They are very committed to environmental causes and are currently offering several specials that some or all of the proceeds will be donated to American Forests.

Check out these great offers:

• Plant a tree. Cool the globe. Better yet, plant 50 trees ($50), help slow global warming even more, and save 15% off your custom printing order from Bella Figura. 100% of your donation goes directly to American Forests (http://www.americanforests.org/) , who plants native trees in rural and urban ecosystem restoration projects across the United States and around the world. Through August 31, 2008.

• Free upgrade to a larger invitation size (F-8 or 7.25” square) throughout 2008 (through December 31, 2008)read more: http://www.bellafigura.com/gallery/letterpress-promotions.html

• Need help choosing a wedding invitation? Purchase a sample pack and you’ll receive 5 sample invitations curated by Bella Figura's favorite style-setters, editors and friends; ink swatch book; paper samples; and envelope lining colors if you select them, all packaged in a keepsake Bella Figura box. The cost: through July 31, $10 (includes shipping). After July 31: $25. 100% of cost is donated toward an environmental nonprofit. Bella Figura samples are usually $7 per invitation – this is a great deal for a great cause! Browse and buy now. http://www.bellafigura.com/gallery/sample-pack-letterpress.html. Be inspired by the favorite invitations of Style Me Pretty's Abby Larson, Oh Joy!'s Joy Deangdeelert Cho, Snippet & Ink's Kathryn Storke, and other style superstars.

America's Newest "Green" Hotel

If you are looking for an eco-friendly place to stay for your honeymoon and you are out in California check out the newest green luxury hotel that opened for business on May 1st

The GAIA Anderson Hotel & Spa Built for LEED Gold Certification

"Just south of the town of Redding, California, a new, very "green" hotel just opened in the town of Anderson.

GAIA Anderson Hotel & Spa, built for $14 million, opened on May 1, 2008 and is the latest creation from Mr. Wen Chang, creator of America's first, LEED Gold certified hotel, Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa in American Canyon, California.

Maintaining his very high standards for the ultimate in an eco-friendly hotel, Mr. Chang directed the construction crew in the usage of state-of-the-art green building practices that include 122 totally "green" rooms - painted with special, low-VOC paints, recycled carpets, state of the art and energy-saving air conditioners and heaters that use 15% less energy. Behind the walls, all the wood used in construction was certified as new growth wood.

Outside the hotel, on 11 beautiful acres of natural landscaping, touched by the Sacramento River, the landscaping is chemical-free."

This is a Building With A Heart

"The eco-friendly hotel features a full-service restaurant and more than 5,000 square feet of meeting space, all built under the rigorous construction guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council. Every detail is important. Exceeding the standards of the USGBC, nearly 90% of the wood used in the construction of the hotel is certified as sustainably-harvested and comes from local timber sources within 500 miles of the hotel's location.

Solar lighting, natural light from the sun, illuminates the public areas of the hotel through SolaTubes that focus the light of the sun into these areas, replacing electric lights and energy consumption during the day. Solar power provides more than 12% of the hotel's electrical needs, while a real-time display in the lobby shows how much energy and water is being used by the hotel, and how much CO2 - a common gas implicated in global warming - is being saved due to sophisticated energy conservation at the hotel.

Every inch of the grounds, with the hotel situated on 11 acres of beautiful land touched by the Sacramento river, are totally chemical-free with no herbicides, pesticides or toxic chemicals used in the landscaping.

No detail is overlooked. Scraps of wood, cardboard and metal left over from the nearly completed construction are recycled.

This is a remarkable, one-of-a-kind "Green" hotel - an environmentally sustainable hotel - that is setting a trend for new, eco-conscious travelers who expect to travel as they live: being environmentally conscious, walking the talk with a minimal impact on the earth and usage of as many recycled and natural products, and energy saving products, as humanly possible.



Located on 11 naturally-landscaped acres in Anderson, California (south of the city of Redding, just off Highway 5, the main North-South route from California to Oregon) GAIA Anderson Hotel & Spa is a 122 rooms, cutting-edge, eco-operational hotel offering guests the ultimate experience of harmony with nature. The nearly completed eco-hotel includes more than 5,000 square feet of meeting rooms, a full-service restaurant featuring California cuisine and local, artisan foods and banquet facilities for local events, weddings and other gatherings."



Learn more about The GAIA Anderson Hotel and Spa at http://www.gaiaandersonhotel.com/



Mr. Wen Chang, the creator of GAIA Anderson Hotel & Spa also created Gaia Napa Valley Hotel & Spa, the world's first, LEED Gold hotel. To learn more about the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel visit http://www.gaianapavalleyhotel.com/

DAWES DESIGN IS "GREENING" THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY

~Introducing Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Couture Collections for Environmentally Conscious Fashion Consumers ~ Santa Rosa , CA- (Posted straight from a press release)

Dawes Design has announced a rarity in the jewelry industry: an entire brand of high-end collections that are created in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Its founder, Jennifer Dawes, recently launched Sustainably Beautiful, 14 elegant and fashionable couture jewelry collections that use recycled gold, conflict-free diamonds, and responsibly mined gemstones.

While other areas of fashion have embraced the 'green movement' by incorporating organic or vegan fabrics, the jewelry industry is somewhat more complicated. Dawes is one of only a handful of jewelry designers in the country who is producing environmentally and socially responsible jewelry. R

"After the birth of my first child, I decided I wanted to add something to this world, not take away from it. Becoming a mother has been the most profoundly meaningful and spiritual experience I have ever come to know. I have completely refocused how I perceive the future and therefore had to change my company to reflect my commitment to preserve our planet," said Dawes.

With her Sustainably Beautiful lines, she creates beautifully innovative jewelry that is both contemporary, yet classic. Her clients range from couples looking for custom-made engagement and wedding rings to highly sophisticated design-aware women looking for jewelry that is created from environmentally and socially responsible sources.

The Sustainably Beautiful collections feature earrings, necklaces, and rings that are made with 14K or 18K yellow, rose, green or white recycled gold. Even though each collection is more unique than the next, they are made to interchange with one another. Her best selling- stackable rings-- can be mixed and matched, so clients can creatively explore their own taste in the "look" of their jewelry. They can also order custom-designed pieces by choosing from a variety of stones: rubies; (sapphires in all the colors of the rainbow; melee and, of course, diamonds.

Dawes is leading the way for other jewelry designers to do business in an industry that is short on (environmental practices or awareness) conflict-free resources- this only applies to the diamond trade. While Dawes says she offers an almost entirely green brand, stones are a challenge.

"The diamond industry has been grossly exploited. We desperately need a more transparent approach in the diamond industry that goes beyond the Kimberley Process (KP), which only guarantees that diamonds are not coming from conflict free areas, but we still don't know where they are coming from or what the mine conditions are. The only other options is to purchase Canadian diamonds which are at a premium and limited in supply. There is still a very long way to go," said Dawes.

Her collections are available at retailers, jewelers and galleries across the country and online at www.dawes-design.com. Prices range in cost from $600 to $9,000.

About Jennifer Dawes
Jennifer Dawes lives in rural Northern California where she has distilled her knowledge of metal-smithing into an exquisite line of jewelry. These versatile collections can be mixed together to create a contemporary playful look while keeping to a classical ideology. Each piece is handmade, fabricated and finished at Jennifer's studio in the coastal hills of Sonoma County , California .

More information can be found at www.dawes-design.com

Visit Me on Squidoo

I have a squidoo lens now. Stop by and check it out. I'm still working on it so bear with me but I have a new post on it, 5 Easy Ways to Go Green for Your Wedding.

Here's the link: http://www.squidoo.com/everythinggreenweddings

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Here's a great location for an eco-fabulous wedding if you are in the Annapolis, Maryland area and planning a green wedding.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's headquarters, The Philip Merrill Center, is an eco-friendly building right on the bay. On Jennifer Cody's blog she writes this about the site "The building, in all of its green glory, also has one of the best waterfront locations in all of Annapolis (and arguably in the DC metro area). The building is set slightly back from its huge private beach, and the event space has a massive 180 degree view of the Chesapeake Bay. For 30-40 couples a year (on the rise) the Merrill Center plays host to some really gorgeous and environmentally friendly weddings." To read the rest of her post about the building as a green wedding host, click here. She has also included several photographs of the area. very nice.

So if you are planning an eco-friendly wedding in Maryland, DC, or surrounding areas this might be an ideal site. Can you imagine strolling along the beach in your wedding gown? How romantic and green is that?

Find Me on These Sites and Blogs

I'm showing up on all kinds of sites and blogs lately. Sometimes just links, other times mentions, one site even has a feed for my blog. Way cool.

Here are just a few of the eco-blogs and sites you can find me listed on:

Vintage Indie
http://vintageindie.typepad.com/indie_wedding_guide/eventservices.html

EgoMedia Photography
http://egomediaphotography.blogspot.com/2008/07/green-weddings.html

EcoFabulous
http://ecofabulous.blogs.com/ecofabulous/green-wedding-guide.html

Weddings Gone Green
http://www.squidoo.com/agreenwedding