Eco-Friendly Valentine’s: How to Love Your Partner while Loving the Earth too
Valentine’s Day emits thousands of carbon emissions each year, but there are ways to lower the holiday’s carbon footprint. By making personalized gifts and putting in a little effort, you can not only decrease environmental waste, but it will also be a bigger display of affection!
Eco-Friendly Valentine’s: How to Love Your Partner while Loving the Earth too
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner — a holiday that is either dreaded by half of the population or anticipated by the other. It’s a great way for couples to show their love and appreciation for one another, but let’s not forget to show some love to the earth as well. With copious amounts of heart-shaped chocolate boxes, cards, flowers, and bottles of fancy wine, the carbon emissions produced on Valentine’s Day are equivalent to driving around the world 3,993 times. Fortunately, there are a plethora of other ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day sustainably. While they may require a bit more effort than just buying a plastic-wrapped, heart-shaped chocolate box, that extra bit of effort will be even more appreciated by your partner. And besides, who wouldn’t love an environmentally conscientious person?
Restaurant alternatives
Instead of taking your partner out for dinner, surprise them by whipping out your grandmother’s old recipes and making them something truly special. Not only would it be less expensive, as you can just use the ingredients kept in your pantry, but you also wouldn’t have to spend gas money driving. You can have a romantic meal with your partner in the privacy of your own home.
If you happen to be a mess in the kitchen, then find a local restaurant that supports a local farmers market or follows farm-to-table practices. Not only would this benefit the environment, but there are plenty of small, family-owned businesses that would greatly profit from your support.
Instead of buying those excessively wrapped chocolate boxes for dessert, make your own from scratch. There are plenty of simple recipes online, along with a plethora of other desserts your partner would enjoy. If you really don’t want to make something yourself, then be sure whatever chocolate or sweet treat you buy is made sustainably.
Flower alternatives
A bouquet of flowers is the most iconic Valentine’s Day gift. Most women, or men, dream of receiving a handful of roses on this special occasion. However, there are many more eco-friendly alternatives to the traditional bouquet.
Typically, bouquets are wrapped in plastic, which is harmful for the environment, and usually be tossed away the second your partner finds a vase. Instead, try opting for paper wrapping instead. Many flower shops have this option, but they’re also very easy to make yourself. Paper-wrapped bouquets are also just more aesthetically pleasing compared to your basic, tacky plastic. If you want to go the extra mile, make the entire bouquet out of paper! The time and effort it takes to make a paper flower is exactly the care and consideration people would want to see in a loved one. Not only are they pretty, thoughtful, and more sustainable, but they can be preserved and saved, while normal flowers will wilt in a couple of weeks.
Potted plants are also a great alternative since they will be much appreciated by plant lovers and they last longer than flowers. Consider buying your partner a plant that they can transfer to the backyard once spring comes around, or a small decoration to keep by your windowsill. Great options include bamboo, aloe, and snake or spider plants.
Alternatives to Valentine’s day cards
Store-bought cards — while cute — can also be quite wasteful. (Not to mention tacky on its own). Instead of buying a card from the store, take the initiative to make one yourself. Use the paper you already have and adorn it with stickers or pictures of you and your loved one. Be creative! Make it cute, personal, and not something cheap and pre-made that costs you 50 cents. If you really want to go the extra mile, then use the archives of your mind to write them a love letter or a poem. If you’re musically talented then write them a song. These are way more personal and thoughtful gestures than a cheap, plastic-wrapped, mass-produced card you randomly picked out at a gas station last minute.
Conclusion
Not only will these alternatives help the environment, but the effort, time, and personalization that goes into these gifts will make your partner feel so much more appreciated than just buying random items at the store. Showering your partner in materialistic items, buying random Valentine’s related items for the sake of it, and spending hundreds of dollars on them is not the best way to show affection. Companies will have you believe that you can only show care by spending egregious amounts of money, when in actuality your partner will likely cherish a gift that you spent more time than money on.
Recap
Valentine’s Day emits thousands of carbon emissions each year, but there are ways to lower the holiday’s carbon footprint. By making personalized gifts and putting in a little effort, you can not only decrease environmental waste, but it will also be a bigger display of affection. Rather than spending money on meaningless, thoughtless gifts wrapped in excessive plastic, be thoughtful in what you get your partner this Valentine’s Day.
Author: Ina Sabarre
Editor: Alexa Segovia