Sustainable Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is yet another holiday that encourages unnecessary consumption under the guise of showing love. However, such occasions have a significant impact on nature and ecosystems.

It is important to be mindful of your consumption, give it serious thought, and avoid buying unnecessary gifts that will likely end up in a landfill sooner or later.

Show some love to Planet Earth this year, too! Here are three ideas for sustainable gift-giving.

Flowers

An estimated 250 million flowers are sold worldwide on Valentine’s Day, with the majority coming from Kenya and Colombia. The plastic packaging and rubber bands used for these flowers have a devastating impact on wildlife. In the UK alone, about four million rubber bands used to hold bouquets together are discarded every Valentine’s Day; these can take up to 50 years to decompose in nature, and animals may ingest them or get tangled in them.

Skip the cut flowers. Instead, gift your loved one seeds, preferably from a local seller, and grow a beautiful flower or herb together. If growing them at home isn't an option, look for a local community garden. This way, you support biodiversity while spending priceless quality time with your loved ones!

Boxes of Chocolates

In the US, approximately 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold on Valentine's Day. While the sweets may be delicious, they last only a moment before the box ends up in the trash.

Skip the store-bought box of chocolates and bake something tasty for your friends and family yourself. This way, you can create something they’re sure to love, and the effort you put in shows just how much they mean to you and that you’re thinking of them. After all, the way to a person's heart is through their stomach!

Cards & Dates

In the UK, nearly a quarter of people who expected to receive at least one Valentine's Day card admitted to throwing them away, meaning around 6.6 million cards went essentially straight from the shop to the landfill. In the US, over 800,000 bottles of sparkling wine are purchased for the occasion; often, these aren't sorted correctly for recycling and simply end up in general waste.

Store-bought cards are mass-produced and lack a personal touch for your loved ones. Make a card yourself, personalize it, and use elements that reflect your shared memories. Better yet, skip the material gifts altogether, tell your loved ones directly how you feel and ask them out on a date! Instead of an expensive restaurant, head out into nature, go ice skating, or simply watch a movie together. You’ll save money and help the environment at the same time!

| Love shouldn't cost the Earth