Valentines Day is full of love, romance and, let’s face it, consumerism. Around 1 BILLION valentines are sent globally each year, making it the second largest day (after Christmas) for sending cards, while 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold. So instead of purchasing that
Hallmark card with the oh-so-cute message, consider these eco-friendly tips:
Send one of the many free Valentine’s Day e-cards.
If you think your love deserves a little more effort, consider making your own card. Cut out a few love hearts and make a card out of scrap cardboard you have at home. If you are not too creative, download a Valentine’s Day card template on to some scrap paper and voila! Simply go to http://familycrafts.about.com/library/projects/blvcandyinvite.htm for the template. They have even provided an envelope template to make your own envelope! You can be creative with this and make the envelope out of old magazine pages that are pretty and full of colour.
If you are going to send chocolates, choose vegan, fair-trade chocolates to ensure you are sharing the love with the planet, the animals and the friendly people who made the chocolate. You can purchase these from most organic foodstores and a growing number of other stores. Companies such as M&Ms/Mars, Nestle and Hersheys still employ child labor in their cocoa farms. What a crazy world.
Buy your loved one a service such as a beauty treatment or massage. Or provide the service yourself!
Make breakfast in bed with this great recipe for vegan, gluten-free pancakes:
Get outdoors and have a candlelit picnic at sunset in a nice park near you.
If choosing to send flowers, check out the organic options near you. Flowers are also grown with the use of pesticides and other nasties to ensure they are beautiful and vibrant for as long as possible.
Go and see ‘Valentine’s Day’ the movie, which starts Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, and even more stars. This movie was shot on a green set which included solar panels, recycling, hybrid and clean diesel vehicles, biodegradable plates and utensils and personal stainless steel water bottles for the cast and crew.
The crew at Vegan Era would like to wish everyone a beautiful Valentine’s Day filled with lots of love and smiles. Be love – Be peace – Be vegan.
