Valentine's Day is a time of romance, but whether you're cuddling up to somebody new or smooching a long-time partner, be sure to celebrate V-Day the eco-friendly way.
- Flowers
Roses are probably the most well known symbol of romance, but what you probably don't know is that cut flowers pose a big threat to the environment. The majority of them are grown in South America, Africa, and South East Asia where underpaid, non-unionized workers spray them with pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Because the flowers are grown in areas with lax environmental laws, harmful chemicals such as DDT (which almost wiped out the bald eagle) and methyl-bromide are used in flower production. These chemicals can seep into ground water, endangering the lives of animals and humans. As if all of that weren't enough, the flowers still must be shipped thousands of miles by an airplane, dumping hundreds of pounds of CO2 along the way.
The Solutions:
1. Buy locally grown, organic flowers. While roses may not always be in season, giving other types flowers is a unique, thoughful gift. Plus, no harmful pesticides are used AND you're supporting local markets.
2. Grab a shovel, and get planting. What could possibly be more romantic than knowing that somebody cares enough to plant you an entire garden? The flowers you plant will help reduce CO2 emissions, brighten up your yard, and will always be a resource for a nice gift. As an added bonus, buying the seeds is cheaper than buying the flowers!
- Chocolate
Almost everybody loves the stuff, but chocolate can have very negative impacts on the environment. The wrappers from bars are piled into landfills each day, and most chocolate is made from cows milk (and we all know how terribly they're treated). Even the workers suffer, as 30-40% of chocolate comes from Ghana, where the government has taken over the industry, cruelly pushing farmers out of jobs and into starvation.
The Solutions:
1. Buy from companies like Endangered Species Chocolate. Their office buildings and production factories meet LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) standards and they recycle just about everything within their workplace. Their chocolate bar wrappers are printed on recycled paper with water-based inks. Their array of chocolates include organic & vegan selections. But best of all: 10% of the companies net profits go to helping species, habitats, and humanity. To learn more, click here.
2. Instead of giving chocolate, go on a picnic in a field or park. It's far more thoughtful than buying chocolates because you actually took the time to plan, pack, and make the food. Be sure to make all of your sweetheart's favorites with organic ingredients, and serve them on real or recycled dishware.
- Cards
The United States throws away 1 billion pounds of paper each year. That paper came from trees that had to be cut, chipped, chemically treated, packaged, and shipped thousands of miles to stores. With such immense amounts of waste at every turn, it seems unnecessary to exchange cards for holidays .
The Solutions:
1. E-Cards. Sending a card via the internet saves waste from landfills, and the energy it would take to recycle the card. You can send an environmentally friendly Valentine's Day card from www.care2.com, a site that works to save the environment.
2. Re-use old cards to create new ones. If you find yourself feeling crafty, cut images out from the front of the card and decoupage them ontop of another old card. Make two of these and place them together, back to back. Viola! You now have an interesting, new, recycled card.