A Sustainable Valentines Day

Every Valentine’s Day, I try to be original. Many Valentine’s gifts tend to be generic, overused, or tacky. When trying to impress a loved one or show appreciation I prefer to personalize the gift. When factoring my desire for sustainability, it opens the door to even more creative options. Here are a few ideas I came to while steering away from traditional gifts that are not only cliché but wasteful.

Avoiding cards
Cards are some of the least sustainable forms of communication. This Valentine’s Day, try incorporating your message into the gift. There are many possibilities. Painting a message onto a mug. Printing a message onto a T-Shirt. Writing it with icing on a dessert. The options are endless when you steer away from paper. Also, using a reusable gift bag instead of paper allows for an even more sustainable way. If your message to your loved one is personal, you can write it on the inside of the bag. If your gift doesn’t have space for a message consider making a video. Dig through the archives and look up some photos and videos of when you first met. There are countless video creating tools online where you can add music, edit, and voice over the video. You can even upload it YouTube, Instagram or other social media platforms for everyone to see.

Skip the bouquet
Why buy a bouquet of flowers when they will die less than a week later? Is this really what you want to symbolize of your relationship? Try buying a potted plant. This will last for as long as you water it and give it sunshine. You can even buy the base with soil and plant the seeds with your loved one to watch it grow gradually. Also, try planting something you can use. Mint plants look great and can go in your tea. Basel and parsley are always nutritious ingredients. If you have the space and patience you can even grow a fruit or vegetable plant.

Give a gift with a story  
Psychologists say that the reason people enjoy shopping is because they receive their endorphin release before and during the purchase. Many times, however after the hype of receiving a gift dies down. There is a solution to this problem. By giving a gift with a story, the innate object last forever as the story behind it is continuous. The story of the gift starts from the fabric that was used to the story of the people that made the gift. Rather than just any other gift, gift your loved one with a gift with a purpose. Gifts with stories last much longer than a objects that have no story.