Tips for a Greener Valentine’s Day

You can have it all this Valentine’s Day: a great date and an environmentally sustainable adventure. Check out our tips for making your Valentine’s Day a green and a great one!

The Date:

• Take advantage of the outdoors and go for a walk.  Enjoy heartfelt conversations, nature, and incorporate thoughtful pit-stops along the way.  End your walk with your dining destination. Preferably one that uses local and sustainably farmed produce.
• If choosing to create a home-cooked meal, transform it into a picnic. Here in New York, an outdoor picnic is generally not a viable option due to the cold, but taking advantage of community spaces, gardens, or even your living room is a suitable substitute. Be sure to purchase local, organic, and fresh foods by finding a farmer’s market or co-op.
• Volunteer at your date’s favorite environmental organization and enjoy each others company while giving back for a day.
• Check out the Arbor Day resources to see which trees, shrubs, and plants are best to grow in your area, and spend time with your loved one participating in planting it (if possible, outdoors), or an indoor planting activity (such as seed bombs) to enjoy each other’s company and watch your plant grow to commemorate the day.
• As a couple, make a few bottles of your own wine right at home!

The Gift:

• Skip the paper and send an ecard!  With romantic, creative, and fun designs, you can avoid paper and chemical waste that are part of the card production. You can buy a romantic animal card,
• Give your significant other a handmade gift. Include your personality and creativity to make a heartfelt gift that is both meaningful and environmentally friendly.
• Purchase organic or sustainably grown flowers that are free from chemicals, and other harmful pesticides. Doing so will spur economic and local involvement, and may introduce you to a new place to purchase plants and flowers with the knowledge they are healthy and safe for the environment, making them viable for composting or other recycling measures. Check out Organic Bouquet and Local Harvest to find your flowers.
• As another alternative to cut flowers, buy a cactus, orchid, or cyclamen. Cut flowers last a week, and are associated with poor labor conditions, heavy chemical and water use, and non-recyclable wrapping waste. These alternatives show a lasting investment in your partner.
• Look for fair-trade products like delicious, socially, environmentally and economically sustainable chocolate to show your support in fair wages, housing, education, and healthcare for the workers in third-world countries that provide you with your special gift, food, or sentiment.
• The most important gift of all: The wine. Look to purchase organic wines, that are sustainably grown and free of chemicals, will remove your harm on the environment. In addition, look to local wineries to support the local economy, community, and environment. Or follow the steps above in making homemade wine to have it ready for the special day.
• And… if you’re in the mood for a ring, know that gold rings on average create 20 tons of mining waste. If you’re going to buy a ring, get one from a seller committed to sustainable mining practices. Or, consider purchasing a wooden ring that does not change size due to temperature and weighs less than its gold counterpart.