Green Tips: Sustainable Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day gifts usually include flowers, greeting cards, presents, and nice dinners. This year, we encourage you to celebrate Valentine’s Day more sustainably. Check out the tips below for a greener Valentine’s Day!  

Here are some green tips for having a sustainable Valentine’s Day:

1. Giving flowers has become a hallmark of Valentine’s Day. Consider giving a potted plant instead which will outlive flower bouquets. The plant will also absorb carbon dioxide, and can freshen your space. If you do end up buying flowers, consider ordering from a florist that sells organic varieties and buy from local shops to reduce your bouquet’s carbon footprint.

1. In addition to flowers, Valentine’s Day is one of the most common holidays for purchasing cards.  According to the Greeting Card Association and Hallmark, it’s estimated that 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year. You can explore sending an electronic valentine’s day card or e-card to save paper, but there are also a bunch of eco-friendly greeting card options as well. 

1. Whichever gift you choose can be carried in an eco-friendly shopping bag, or wrapped in a recycled magazine, newspaper, or used wrapping paper. Please refer to our previous Green Tips on choosing sustainable wrapping paper.

1. A typical Romantic Valentine’s Day, of course, is a dinner for two. If you’re trying to treat your loved one to a special meal,  choose to cook a meal with local and organic ingredients.  For those who like to eat out, consider restaurants that also use organic and local ingredients. Organic food, which uses fewer  chemical pesticides, is not only better for your health, but the organic farming process produces less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional farming and food production.

We wish you a safe, happy and eco-friendly Valentine’s Day! Thank you for reading this special Valentine’s Day’s green tip! See you next time.