For the past few years, Clay Hill Farm in Cape Neddick [York], Maine has given a free green wedding to a couple that demonstrates commitment to sustainable practices and inspiring others to do the same.

One of three finalists, Jeff Court and Samantha Smith [Vote here!] have shown how a commitment to the Earth parallels their commitment to each other. Jeff and Samantha have been together for over 9 years.

This is their story:

We met when we were 17. Jeff is from Arundel, Maine and Samantha is from Buxton, Maine. We “officially” became an “us” on January 3, 2002. We went to different high schools (Thornton Academy and Bonny Eagle respectively), and went on to different colleges (Wentworth Institute of Technology and Quinnipiac University). We both decided to further our education. Samantha went to law school at Southern New England School of Law and Jeff is currently getting his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. On January 3, 2009, Jeff proposed on Mother’s beach in Kennebunkport, Maine. Currently, we are living in Worcester, Massachusetts.

We work on being green in many ways. Perhaps our most considerable impact is achieved through taking a strong look at how we live and taking into consideration what we truly need and use. Reducing consumption provides more significant results than simply reusing or recycling, which we also do. We like to live a life style that shows others that reducing the natural resources one consumes is not difficult and in fact can improve ones quality of life.

Over the last few decades, home sizes have increased year after year, yet family sizes have decreased. These days, people feel the need to build homes with unnecessary extra space, where as during previous generations homes were built to suit a family’s needs and size. We currently reside in a small, one bedroom apartment that helps reduce our environmental impact in many ways. The reduced square footage is easier to heat, which significantly reduces the fuel consumption to warm the space. The small rooms and the fact that there are only a few of them also reduce the lighting costs. The living spaces are all shared, so a couple lights are effective at illuminating all spaces. Also, the small living space allows us to take a look at the physical possessions we accumulate. With a large home, it is very easy to fill it with physical items, many of which, will only be used or appreciated a few times and left to collect dust. Each one of these items has a history, which requires some amount of energy and natural resources to manufacture and ship it to the end user. By having a small amount of space to keep possessions, it allows us to focus on a select number of items that are really important and useful to us. The limited number of distractions inside allows us to spend more time appreciating the world outside and all nature has to offer.

Our car is another way we like to demonstrate how having less does not mean one has to sacrifice. About a year ago we purchased a Smart Car. It is about half the size of a conventional car, but provides all of the services one typically needs. The smaller car requires less raw materials to manufacture, but still meets all of our daily needs. Also, we have reduced waste by utilizing reusable bags when grocery shopping and not purchasing bottles of water. We each have Sigg aluminum water bottles, which we use daily.

Through living a life style of reduced consumption we are able to demonstrate to others that large sacrifices don’t have to be made in order to do great things for the planet. Being green does not have to be overwhelming. We have made small changes to our daily lives and will continue to find green ways to live. We have made a commitment to each other and we have made a commitment to reduce waste.

Jeff and Sam have embarked on a five-week public voting campaign to garner votes with their inspirational environmental message, while creating a community give-back campaign/program to celebrate the shades of green that make a difference in their community.

Their community giveback is two parts. First, they are working to get a community garden started at Jeff’s university (WPI in Worcester, Massachusetts) so their giveback will continue year after year. The second part is reducing trash in their day-to-day lives and documenting it on their ‘ Trashing the Trash‘ blog  it so others can follow and learn some of their great ‘being green’ tips!

The voting ends this Sunday, April 3rd at NOON and the winner will be announced on Friday, April 8th!

Please watch their video and help them win the green wedding of their dreams! If they have inspired you to be more green, like they have for me, [I LOVE that Jeff had Sam's ring made from recycled metals... Green genius! ] Please vote for them right HERE!!!

You can also check out the Green Wedding Giveway Blog and see Jeff & Sam’s weekly video updates!

Jeff & Sam on left!

Some tid bits & green facts about Clay Hill Farm:

* (1991) First Restaurant in the country to be a certified wildlife habitat and bird sanctuary by the National Wildlife Federation
* (2008) One of the first businesses in Southern Maine to be awarded/certified as a state Environmental Leader
* Voted #1 for Weddings & Romantic Dining (People’s Choice on the Seacoast)
* Original working farm built in 1780
* Family owned and operated since 1986
* Green points: Pesticide-free land-care, composting, recycling, herb & vegetable gardens, commitment to seasonal food, passion for local food, nature trails, over 100 bird houses on the property
* Committed to community outreach and environmental awareness. Please visit their Eco-Reach website to get familiar with Clay Hill Farm’s outreach events and programs.