Eco-Friendly Valentine’s Day

Have a fun, green and eco-friendly Valentine’s Day

I love Valentine’s Day! But there’s a lot of rubbish being pushed and advertised, and it has become very commercial. Luckily, it’s easy to make it an eco-friendly Valentine’s Day!

You don’t have to make it commercial if you don’t want to.

Here are some great ideas to make your Valentine’s Day special as well as green this year.  (And I’ve kept the best till last!).

Physical Gifts

If you want to buy an actual, physical gift, avoid plush toys and plastic nonsense which will end up as landfill.  Instead, try to find re-usable, practical items which are also romantic.  Choose gifts with sustainability in mind.

A picnic basket is always welcome – on condition that you also promise to have picnics with your loved one!

This willow basket is delightfully elegant. Click the picture for more details.

Top quality picnic baskets are made from hand-woven willow, with ceramic (not plastic) plates. They have a large insulated food compartment that can keep hot/cold/fresh for hours, and it should be easy to clean.

All the tableware should b food-safe and reusable.

There are baskets in all sizes, with all sorts of useful items inside – dinner plates, wine glasses, flatware / cutlery, corkscrew… some also include an insulated food cooler bag and many have a waterproof picnic blanket,

(Click on the picture for more details).

Actually, you’re spoilt for choice – there’s a huge range of picnic baskets in every size and shape, from tiny to extravagant – take a look here!

And to make sure you use it, get some great ideas from this book  which will also help to make sure that you eat food in season: Picnic: 125 Recipes with 29 Seasonal Menus

Throws

Also practical as well as caring is a throw – your loved one can snuggle up and think of you while being cosy and warm.

It’s eco-friendly because it lasts (reusable), and also because by wrapping up warmly, less heating is required at home.

Check out some utterly gorgeous throws here.

Flowers

Flowers are of course a massively popular gift.  But commercially produced flowers use a lot of pesticides, and many roses are transported long distances to get them into stores just for this time of year.

Roses are always lovely – but be sure to buy from florists who are eco friendly and support sustainable growing practices.

Also consider alternatives to roses – delicate snowdrops are so beautiful and likely to be locally sourced.  Michaelmas Daisies are also in season in February – it makes sense to buy other items locally and seasonally too for an eco-friendly Valentine’s Day.

Also consider some alternatives to flowers.  Plants and small trees will last much longer and are a more sustainable option as a gift.

Or give seed bombs!  They’ll last much longer, and do more for the planet – and your neighbourhood – than cut red roses.  A seed bomb is a golf-ball or gum-ball sized mixture of soil and seeds.  Throw on some wasteland or a quiet area of your garden, and watch them sprout!  You can buy seed bombs local to your region – search online for seed bombs  and the name of your area or country e.g. seed bombs California.  In the UK go to KaBloom (I love that name!). 

Chocolate

Chocolate can be a good gift, unless of course the recipient is on a diet!  I always feel it’s a little unimaginative, but that’s just me.  Cocoa is sometimes grown with fertilizers and pesticides to ensure more-frequent-than-normal harvests, and then travels quite a distance to be manufactured into the products we love.  Seek out organic and Fair Trade chocolate products for an eco-friendly Valentine’s Day.

Experience Gifts

“Experience gifts” are great fun and can be really eco-friendly because you’re not buying “stuff” – search online and you’ll find a huge range of experience gifts at every price point e.g. experience gifts Minnesota   or experience gifts UK.

Eco-Friendly Valentine’s Day Dinner

Everyone wants a nice, romantic night on the 14^th.  Perhaps it’s because I’m getting a little older, but I’ve found overpriced set menus and rushed service to be the norm.  I prefer a nice meal at home.  But both options can be eco-friendly.

If you are dining out, choose your restaurant carefully – in urban areas many places now offer organic and sustainable food.  For a list of sustainable restaurants in your area, search online – e.g. sustainable restaurants Chicago

If you’re eating at home, choose local organic food.  How about line-caught sea bass on noodles with sustainably sourced smoked oysters on top?  Or venison is often a good choice – different varieties of deer have different hunting seasons so it’s often available and in season.  It’s also a low-fat option, like the sea bass.  Follow it up with organic chocolate terrine with raspberry coulis.  (I’m getting hungry just writing this!).

And Last……

Do things that don’t cost money and don’t involve “stuff”.

• Spend that most precious of all gifts – time – with your loved one.
• Think up an unexpected kindness.  Even doing the dishes when it’s not your turn will be appreciated.
• Talk.
• Walk.
• Snuggle up together.
• Laugh.

My Favorite Valentine’s Day Suggestion

Here’s my favourite suggestion.  It’s the best and most eco-friendly Valentine’s Day gift of all.

It’s zero-waste, has zero impact, and costs zero money.

Just say “I love you” – and mean it.

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Warm regards,