LOVE your planet: how to reduce your impact this Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is no exception to the enormous carbon impact that holiday celebrations can have on our planet - but fear not! Keeping this romantic holiday sustainable and ethical is easier than you might think, whilst ensuring your partner still feels loved. Here are some tips and alternatives for you to show your partner and your planet some love this year.
Local wine is finer wine!
For many of us, a romantic evening wouldn’t be complete without cracking open a fabulous bottle of wine (don’t worry, we get it), but it’s important to consider the potential global damage of both beverage and bottle. The negative impact of the wine industry on our planet ranges from the pesticides used to grow the grapes to the material used in the cork.
Switching to locally sourced organic wine is a great step to finding sustainable ways of enjoying a crisp bottle with your loved one, but be sure to check the label to ensure that it's as ethically friendly as possible. We recommend Forty Hall Vineyard, a brilliant social enterprise that produces sustainable, organic wine while supporting the health and wellbeing of the local community. Also, consider a local wine tasting – this can double up as a fun date too!
Ditch the paper
I know I’m not the only one who keeps a hidden stash of greetings cards that have been gifted to me over the years, and it feels like there is one available for any occasion you can think of. The realities of the paper industry, though, are much less exciting. Paper production has one of the largest global impacts of any industry in terms of water and energy usage, and let’s face it – the majority of cards end up in landfills, releasing greenhouse gases as they decompose. Each year, over a billion cards are sent out to loved ones. That adds up to more than 300,000 trees.
Try planting a tree with your partner this Valentine’s Day or create an online e-card. If you really can’t resist that little memento, there are many brands available that are eco-friendly and use recycled materials. Thoughtful allows you to maintain luxury without compromising on your ethical standpoint – here, you’ll find a wide range of gift ideas as well as greetings cards. For more diverse card options, check out KitschNoir.
Extra tip: wrapping paper and sellotape are also huge contributors to global waste, so look for natural brown paper and biodegradable string instead!
Dine & Date sustainably
Eating out is probably one of the most common romantic traditions, meaning that many restaurants with unsustainable practices are fully booked this time of year. There are tonnes of ethical alternatives to a traditional dinner date, and reducing your impact is as easy as picking an eco-friendly local restaurant or cooking a homemade meal – of course, you could go for a picnic, but you won’t be catching me outside at these temperatures!
Or you can switch it up altogether – hiking, baking, couple’s classes (like a refugee-led cookery class from Migrateful), stargazing; there are plenty of creative dates to help you reduce your impact. The Dusty Knuckle, for example, is a wonderful london-based bakery, cafe and restaurant as well as bakery classes, which we think would make for a lovely date!
Staying at home? Try a lovely sustainable Valentine’s Hamper from Fat Macy’s.
Friendlier Flowers
Yes, we know; gifting a beautiful bunch of blooming red roses is pretty much guaranteed to end, ahem, very well, and there is no bigger contributor to the cut flower industry than Valentine’s Day - they also make wonderful vegan friendly gifts. Unfortunately, though, the majority of cut flowers purchased this February 14th will have been imported using refrigerated boats, trains, planes, and lorries – some of them from as far as Kenya!
Opt instead for local, seasonal flowers to reduce the carbon emissions of this gift by around 95%! Or, even better, go for paper or preserved roses that your partner can love for years rather than days, such as those from Page & Bloom, or go for a potted plant instead. If you’re still looking for a bouquet, we also recommend Bread & Roses, an incredible florist that supports women from refugee backgrounds.
Most importantly - Go LOCAL!
We all know how sexy a bottle of French wine or a box of Belgian chocolates might sound (and taste), but it can’t be emphasised enough how much going local can improve the sustainability of your Valentine’s Day. Seriously though – as mentioned above, just switching to locally sourced flowers can reduce the carbon impact of this gift by a whopping 95%. That truly is a huge amount! But this idea extends to any plans you may have to show your partner some love. Going local both increases the eco-friendliness of your celebrations and helps out local businesses. It’s a win-win for everyone!
It’s never been easier to keep our planet in mind when making plans this Valentine’s Day – whether you’re treating yourself or a loved one, there will always be a sustainable alternative to any idea you can think of!
Words by Emily Weedon