Sustainable Valentines Day: A day dedicated solely to love often ends up fostering mindless consumption and waste. Think about those short-lived balloons, plastic wraps, and empty chocolate boxes that contribute to environmental harm.
I believe there are numerous ways to make this day more about genuine feelings and eco-friendly practices rather than materialistic indulgence.
Here are a few tips to help you celebrate a Sustainable Valentine’s Day without compromising too much:
Handmade Cards or Notes: Nothing expresses ‘I love you’ more than a handmade, handwritten note or card. Use recycled natural materials for paper and let your creativity shine. The result will be a heartfelt gift. You can get some awesome papers from POOPOOPAPER and RESCRIPT.
Use Recycled Wrapping Paper: Skip plastic and opt for recycled paper or upcycled paper or even old dupattas, leftover fabric for wrapping gifts. Watch this simple tutorial to do it. Add a personal touch with dried flowers on top.
Gift Potted Plants: Instead of expensive roses, choose locally grown flowering potted plants. They last longer and serve as a reminder of your love for a long time. Go have a look around your local nurseries and find something that will spread fragrance and love to your loved ones. 🙂
Try Handmade Sweets: You can cook a seasonal sweet dish or bake a cupcake to impress your date! OR you can support local small businesses that offer vegan chocolates made from natural ingredients and sustainable packaging. You can l0ok at this brands too – Paul And Mike, Artisante. Just do a web search to find many more such brands that can elevate your gifting game.
Shop Sustainable Decor: Consider handcrafted upcycled functional art or if you have a bigger budget, furniture made from recycled materials for home decor.
Cook a Plant-Based Meal: Spend quality time together by cooking a plant-based meal and involve your partner in the process.
Book a Meal at a Farm-to-Table Restaurant: Enjoy a sustainable dining experience at a restaurant that sources organic produce from local farms.
Sip on Natural Drinks: Explore organic wines, organic teas and Kombuchas that are free from pesticides and contribute to a healthier planet.
Set the Mood with Eco-Friendly Candles: Opt for candles made of soy wax or beeswax that made by brands that prioritize sustainability.
Clean Up Earth: Participate in local clean-up drives with your partner to contribute to a cleaner environment. Join any Plogging groups in your area that do cleaning drives regularly.
Don’t Buy Balloons: Avoid purchasing balloons, which are plastic and contribute to waste. They also take 450 years to degrade. Instead go for upcycled decor, made from waste materials that can last for a long time and can be reused also. Avoid plastic decor as they leave behind microplastics and remain in the environment for hundreds of years
Stop Being Materialistic: Embrace the principles of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ by minimizing new purchases, reusing items, and recycling waste. Somehow, valentine’s day has become the tradition to exchange plush toys, fresh-cut roses, plastic-wrapped items, balloons, and an array of goods that will linger in our environment for centuries, often between 100 to 500 years. Many of these items originate from developing nations where labor is exploited, often paying below minimum wage. Despite their allure on store shelves, these gifts conceal a grim reality of production lines marked by suffering, fatigue, and environmental degradation.
Pet A Dog: Spend time at a local dog shelter, where you can receive love from both your partner and furry friends. You can check this comprehensive list of Dog shelters in India that might guide you to a nearby shelter for a visit on valentines day. Please do remember to make an appointment prior to your visit.
Make a Donation: Celebrate Valentine’s Day by making a donation to your favorite charity and spreading love to those in need. You cam also donate tree saplings to be planted in your loved ones name, and receive a e-certificate to track its growth.
Thanks for reading my 14 simple tips on how to have a Sustainable Valentines Day!
Besides these, you can also remember to compost any flowers you do still get and send your paper greeting cards, wrapping paper, empty (cleaned) glass bottles of wine, juice, perfumes etc into recycling.
Let’s make this Valentine’s Day not just about love for each other, but also about love for our planet. By incorporating these sustainable practices into our celebrations, we can show our love & affection while minimizing our environmental footprint.
Do you have any other ideas for a sustainable Valentine’s Day? Share them with me! Together, let’s inspire each other to make every day an opportunity to love and care for our planet. Happy Sustainable Valentine’s Day!
