A Taiwanese couple is making a bold environmental statement with their unique wedding photos. Greenpeace campaigner Iris Hsueh, dressed in a wedding gown, and her fiancé, sporting a tux, posed in front of a massive trash heap to discourage their wedding guests from generating unnecessary waste. The couple is planning an “environmentally friendly wedding” in January and has asked attendees to bring their own containers for leftovers.
In an effort to convey their message, the Taipei-based couple traveled three hours south to Nantou County’s Puli Township for the unconventional photoshoot. Hsueh, 33, explained to AFP in an interview shared by Yahoo! News, “If any guests are not willing to bring along a container, I would show them the photograph and say, ‘Would you reconsider?'”
The photos garnered local media attention, which Hsueh was not anticipating, and eventually went viral. She told AFP she’s glad the photos have prompted conversations about how much waste people create on a daily basis.
Hsueh hopes her wedding day will see guests carrying their own containers, sending a powerful message about the importance of reducing waste in daily life. She emphasizes the need to avoid single-use plastics and encourages the use of reusable utensils, mugs and containers.