CT Wedding Photographer Val Nanovsky

To claim you are green can be a tricky statement. The terms “green” and “eco” are so loosely used nowadays that  almost anyone wants to sell you something with the “green” and “eco” label. There are no defined rules as to what exactly “green”, “eco-friendly”, “earth-friendly” or “sustainable” mean. And yet, since green has evolved into a hot new trend, people are showing explosive interest in this area without really having any second thoughts about what really makes a particular vendor “green”.

I have chosen to become a green wedding photographer because of one simple reason: my heart is there. I love Nature, I treasure it deep down in my heart and I would give anything to protect it so that the generations after me would have the same opportunity to experience the best it has to offer. Being born on the other side of the Atlantic and having had the chance to travel quite a bit, I’ve seen such unworldly beauty few people have ever witnessed. My CT wedding photography business is closely tied with that because it gives me the opportunity to combine the best of the two worlds – landscape photography, and on the other hand, modern wedding photography – into one finished product touching the most delicate parts in people’s hearts.

Ever since I started my business I wanted it to be unique, and not just another studio created by someone who simply “loves taking pictures”. Combined with my photographic vision, I wanted my mission to go way beyond the wedding industry’s boundaries – with a clearly defined message to everyone.

There are two main directions  I am following in my pursuit of “green”. The one I will be writing about today is Valdorama’s green policies. They were created earlier in 2009 and are being refined on a regular basis. The following list contains the main points in these policies:

VALDORAMA ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES:

• Digital photography exclusively. No dangerous chemicals are involved in Valdorama’s day-to-day activities;
• 40% of the garbage that goes in American landfills nowadays is of paper origin. Valdorama does not utilize paper proofing. All Valdorama photo proofing is in the digital domain;
• I reuse all non-essential papers throughout the office and avoid paper communication unless absolutely necessary;
• I participate actively in paper, printer ink, CFL, regular electric bulb and other electronics recycling programs;
• I use rechargeable batteries to power my flashes, cameras and other devices, whenever possible;
• I do not commute routinely. My office is based in my home;
• I use a green line of Apple computers throughout the office. Apple is a company with a strong environmental stand, among other things. Read more about their green policies here.
• Modified power supplies on old PCs used for non-critical work throughout the house. Most computers produced in the past 6-8 years are fitted with power supplies in excess of 550 Watts. Needless to say, unless using many extra peripheral and internal devices, one rarely needs that much power in a regular computer. Power supplies rated at 350W do a wonderful job without having to consume that much energy. That is a 200W difference in electric power consumption;
• I purchase and use Energy Star Appliances whenever possible;
• I use CFL’s rather than halogen light bulbs; I also use dimmers where applicable;
• I leave vampire electronics plugged in only when it is absolutely necessary. No electronics in the office are left working without a reason;
• I use solar-cell outdoor lighting;
• I compost all organic waste from my yard;
• I use organic lawn fertilizers;
• I reduce chemical usage in the household as much as possible;
• I preserve my backyard forest. As a result, due to the dense vegetation, it is frequently visited by deer, rabbits, wild turkeys, all kinds of birds, and is such a pleasure to watch from my deck – all year round. As an added bonus, in the summer I rarely have to turn on the A/C in the house. The temperatures are nice and cool – cooler than in most most places around Connecticut. Except on extremely hot summer days the air conditioner stays completely shut off.

FUTURE PLANS:
• Increasing the lineup of green products; Immediate plans for this year include the adoption of new green photo albums, cd covers/boxes and green packaging;
• Wider use of solar energy;
• Investing in hybrid vehicles;
• Further insulation of the house/office to prevent energy leakage;
• Actively participating in green initiatives and events that promote environmental awareness and sustainable living;

This is just a small part of my environmental philosophy. But what I stated so far probably doesn’t make me much different from the average green photographer. To me, you’ve got to do something way beyond it to claim your business is green, and I will be discussing that in my next posts. Stay tuned.
See you around,
Val

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