How to Green Your Valentine’s Day
By Chris Baskind in Holidays, Living, Valentine's Day
There’s no reason your Valentine’s Day can’t be as Earth-friendly as it is fun and romantic. Here are five great green gift ideas to get your imagination flowing.
It’s enough to take the romance out of Valentine’s Day. Then again, it’s difficult be certain of a product’s pedigree in this age of a global economy. Even goods produced in countries with modern labor and environmental oversight often rely on raw materials originating elsewhere.
That’s not much fun to think about, particularly when what’s really on your mind is making that certain someone smile. But taking a few moments to make smart choices about your Valentine’s purchases can go a long way toward establishing long-term buying practices and supporting businesses who engage in sustainable commerce.
We put the Lighter Footstep staff together and asked them for a few eco-friendly Valentine’s Day gift ideas. Use them as a jumping-off point for your own inspiration. And, as always, we’re eager to hear your suggestions. Do you have an idea on how to green someone’s Valentine’s Day? Leave us a comment or use the contact form to submit your best tips. Maybe they’ll make next year’s list!
Give guilt-free jewelry
Ever since our ancestors learned to string together unusual shells and bits of stone, human have gone to great lengths to adorn themselves. Jewelry is perhaps the oldest and most romantic of gifts, denoting status, wealth, and a sense of timelessness.
Unfortunately, our collective lust for beauty has often led us to great excess. There are the environmental disasters of irresponsible mining practices and metal refinement. Indigenous peoples have found themselves exploited by outsiders who covet the treasures of their land. Perhaps most troubling is the continued use of forced labor in some of the world’s richest jewelry producing regions.
The jewelry industry is taking notice of consumer concerns regarding the origin of their purchases. Diamond traders have formulated a set of protocols known as the Kimberly Process for weeding out “conflict” or “blood diamonds” from the marketplace. It’s a first step toward an auditable system for tracking the origin and handling of precious stones.
Ask to see your jeweler’s policy on conflict diamonds. Many larger chain and conscientious independent retailers will be able to supply you with a written copy of their policies. If not, consider buying elsewhere.
Should you not be able to find suitable jewelry close to home, there’s always online. Cred Jewelry is an example of the new breed of fair trade merchants with a defined social and environmental policy. Cred purchases its precious metals and gemstones from small-scale community mines which meet stringent environmental and human rights guidelines. You can give an enduring and precious gift to your loved one knowing its purchase will strengthen sustainable trading practices.
Fair Trade chocolate is sweeter
Everybody loves chocolate. It tastes good; it makes you feel good; and it’s difficult to imagine Valentine’s Day without its sweetness.
But all is not well in the chocolate industry. Like coffee, chocolate is produced in some of the most economically disadvantaged regions of the world. Cocoa bean farmers find themselves under tremendous price pressure from buying cartels. The result is institutionalized poverty and an alarming reliance on abusive child labor. It all filters down to the candy aisle at your favorite grocery store.
The solution for responsible consumers is Fair Trade cocoa and chocolate. Fair Trade certification guarantees that cocoa farmers receive a guaranteed “floor price” of at least 80 U.S. cents for non-organic cocoa, and a premium for produce meeting organic standards. This is often well above the market price, and the upcharge is passed to consumers. But in return, the cocoa producers warrant a variety of progressive labor and environmental practices. It works out for everyone.
Fair Trade chocolate has enjoyed some success over the past few years. Premium chocolate — rare, luxurious, and often hand made — is usually both organic and Fair Trade. Just look for the certification on the wrapper. One example of a conscientious online chocolate merchant is the UK-based Green and Black’s, which has been dealing directly with indigenous cocoa producers since 1994.
You’re likely to find Fair Trade chocolate at local health and whole food stores. Enjoy.
Pop the cork on organic wines
Organic wines have come a long way. Once a specialty item, low - and sulfite-free wines produced from organically grown grapes are now being produced alongside traditional vintages in the wine regions of France and Italy. California and Australia are also world leaders in healthy, environmentally-friendly vintages.
The recent popularity of organic wines means you’ll almost certainly find a few varieties wherever wines are sold. They’re also commonly stocked by whole food markets. But if you can’t find a suitable bottle close to home, there are plenty of online sellers, such as the Organic Wine Company; Frey Vineyards, America’s oldest organic winery; and Four Chimneys, which has been producing premium organic vintages since 1980.
Red or white — the organic choice is yours.
Give recycled Valentine’s cards
No, we’re not expecting you to cross someone’s name off an old card and hand it to your sweetheart. But you can choose a card printed on recycled paper stock.
Paper containing post-consumer recycled and tree-free fiber is becoming much easier to find these days. Check the reverse of the cards at local gift stores to see if they carry a recycled logo. If not, there are companies which cater to eco-conscious buyers.
Doodle Greetings specializes in cards printed on 100% recycled stock, and they can even be ordered in attractive, earth-friendly gift packaging. Green Field Paper Company has another fun idea: Grow-a-Note cards which are embedded with wildflower seeds. Moisten the card after Valentine’s Day, and you’ll be able to sprout a little garden of colorful blooms in the spring.
Pick organic flowers
Colombia has become the second largest exporter of fresh flowers in the world. But unlike top-producing Holland, which is subject to the stringent regulatory oversight of the European Union, Colombia has created an floral industry with little thought for the health and fair compensation of its workers.
The 1988 film Love, Woman, and Flowers documented the difficult conditions under which some 60-thousand mostly poor, mostly female workers labor. They’re exposed to harsh pesticides and fungicides, are meagerly compensated, and work hours unthinkable in the countries to which Colombia’s flowers are shipped.
An alternative to giving cut flowers is seeking out locally grown live houseplants. There are plenty of flowering varieties available, and they’re beautiful, year-round gifts which add vibrancy to homes and offices. Ask around to see who is growing. You’ll often find earth-wise nurseries at farmer’s markets and whole food stores. One of the advantages to purchasing plants grown close to where you live is that you’re not contributing to the resource use and greenhouse gas emissions of air shipping, which is common with imported flowers.
Of course, there are times when only a traditional bouquet will do. And you still have plenty of eco-friendly options, thanks to companies like California Organic Flowers and Monterey Bay Family Farms. Both retail a full line of blooms grown using organic methods by environmentally responsible California farmers. And they’re as convenient as FTD.
Use your imagination
Romance is about spontaneity, inventiveness, and the personal touch. We’ve given you five specific suggestions for greening your Valentine, but there must be dozens more.
Carbon credits may sound more wonky than wonderful. But it’s all in the presentation. TerraPass is one of the United States’ leading vendors of carbon offsets, selling passes which balance the carbon dioxide produced by air travel, homes and businesses, and automobiles. The proceeds are invested in the development of renewable energy, effectively canceling-out the greenhouse emissions of whatever you’re trying to offset.
So look up your loved one’s vehicle at TerraPass’ website and buy them a one-year carbon pass. Not romantic enough? Tell them that while there’s no way for the world to harness the power of your love, your purchase has harnessed the power of the four winds. Then present them with a handmade heart-shaped kite from Gone With the Wind Kites. And a picnic basket.
Then go and make some earth-wise Valentine’s magic.
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