Gift Ideas: Tips for Going Green on Valentine’s Day

by Diane Hoffmaster on February 12th, 2012 | No Comments »

Red may be considered the color of love but when it comes to Valentine's Day, you should really start thinking green! If you listen to the hype on TV it seems like women can only be happy if they get diamonds, flowers, and a Lexus as a symbol of their significant other's love. Unfortunately, none of these options are really all that great for the environment.

Green Gift Ideas for Valentine's Day

Here are a few alternatives to traditional Valentine's Day gifts and activities that you may want to consider this year:

Chocolates: Instead of buying a mass produced brand of chocolates from your local discount store, look for Fair Trade Certified or Organic chocolate instead. This way, you know that the cocoa beans were grown in a sustainable manner and the farmers were paid a fair price for their crops. Consider supporting your local economy by finding a small chocolatier in a nearby city.

Flowers: Traditional flowers are usually grown overseas and shipped via airplane to your local stores. Tons of pesticides are used to grow the flowers and then jet fuel is wasted to ship them to you. Consider giving a potted plant instead or find a company like Organic Bouquet to find flowers grown in a more sustainable manner.

Dinner: Heading out for a restaurant dinner may sound romantic but this type of meal is really not great for the environment. Find a Farm to Table restaurant that supports local farmers that raise their foods in an ethical and ecofriendly way. You can also buy organic food at the grocery store and spend time cooking WITH your significant other! Couples that cook together, stay together!

Jewelry: There are a lot of options that are more friendly to the earth than strip mining diamonds! Choose something pretty and sparkly made from recycled metals or look for a company like Brilliant Earth that offers ethically sourced gems. Take a look at these stunning bespoke tourmaline jewellery as well.

Romance: Sometimes, just spending a little quiet time with your significant other makes a wonderful Valentine's Day. Look for soy candles with natural scents, organic massage oils and bath products, and lingerie made from organic cotton or another sustainable material. You may have to look a little harder to find these items but the quality is usually worth the effort.

Sometimes we can get caught up in the hype of the holidays and not realize that we have the power to vote with every dollar we spend for a healthier planet. There is no reason that you can't still enjoy the luxury of flowers, jewelry, and delicious foods. Be sure to choose wisely and reduce your carbon footprint while you nibble on your organic chocolate!

What are some ways you can have a greener Valentine's Day?

Picture courtesy of Flickr.

Diane blogs at Turning the Clock Back where she tries to encourage readers to take baby steps in the path to green living. She spends way too much money on organic milk and local, grass fed beef but has a horrible Cheeto addiction and gets quite agitated when there is no more diet Coke in the house.