Eco-Friendly Valentine’s Day Gifts

Most people associate pink or red with February 14th, but when your goal is an eco-friendly Valentine’s Day, definitely go with green!

Here are the biggest reasons this holiday can be wasteful or unhealthy, then you’ll find eco friendly Valentines gift ideas that are sure to please.

Some of us can’t stand the commercialism and waste of Valentine’s Day… not to mention the unrealistic expectations on our partner, so we completely avoid Hallmark Holidays. Others still want to celebrate and use it as a chance to forego consumerism and show Mother Nature some love, by giving low-waste gifts or supporting Fair Trade or eco-conscious businesses.

If you ❤️ shopping on February 14th, here are some of the biggest ways you can lessen your impact and detour from the mainstream to make it a greener, eco-friendly Valentine’s Day.

1. Choose Sustainable Valentine’s Day Flowers

Most of the flowers grown for Valentine’s Day come from small or distant countries with lax environmental standards. This means your bouquet’s carbon footprint is steep. Unfortunately, close to home doesn’t always mean much better.

California grown cut flowers are doused with more than 400,000 pounds of insecticides, herbicides fungicides, and other chemicals each year.

The “perfect” bloom is so sought after, some greenhouses actually use banned chemicals (think DDT-like substances) as pesticides. These chemicals pollute the air where they’re used, not to mention the lungs of the underpaid workers growing them. Then we bring them into our homes and take a big whiff every time we pass that flawless bouquet.

For something that lives longer than a week, give a potted plant instead. Think of a stunning orchid, hardy succulents, or a lucky bamboo plant. Lilies and ivy reduce indoor air pollution and they’re extremely easy to grow. You can also visit your farmer’s market to buy sustainably grown flowers and support your local economy.

2. Give Ethical Chocolate

Nearly 40 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold each year at Valentine’s Day. But at what price? In his documentary, The Dark Side of Chocolate, award-winning journalist Miki Mistrati shows how children as young as eight years old are being trafficked into working the Ivory Coast cocoa fields for little or no pay.

The Fair Trade certification lets you know that farming families earned a fair wage for their work and that environmentally sustainable practices were used. You’ll find a delightful variety of Fair Trade chocolates, tea, and coffee at Equal Exchange.

3. Give Greener Valentine’s Day Cards

Globally, around one billion cards are sent each year at Valentine’s Day, making it the second largest card-sending holiday to Christmas. School children pass out 20 cards or more each. But the commercialism doesn’t end with paper… there’s also suckers, stickers, and other trash can-bound trinkets adorning them.

Handmade is from the heart. Pull out the construction paper (or use the backs of colorful flyers from the mail or school) and get creative! Or let the kids have fun with these mindful Valentine’s Day coloring pages and use the results for cards or decorations.

Here are some ideas for DIY eco friendly Valentines. Or try printing our Valentine’s Day lollipop covers and pair with your child’s favorite organic lollipops.

Alternatively, choose store bought cards made from recycled paper.

4. Give Conscious Jewelry 

The film Blood Diamond raised awareness of the conflict surrounding diamond mining, but there’s still work to be done to make sure gems and precious metals are mined and made sustainably. And most importantly, your eco-friendly Valentine’s Day gift should be one where no one’s life was risked for a symbol of love.

There are so many options, you’ll never have to walk into the mall jeweler again… Vintage shops, Goodwill, consignment. If you’re worried about potential negative energy from a previous owner, you can cleanse the energy of a gemstone.

5. Choose Sustainable Champagne or Wine

Conventional wines contain pesticides, dyes, sulfites, commercial yeasts, excessive sugar, and an extremely hazardous chemical called Velcorin. Many conventional red wines test positive for mold and mycotoxins. 

Look for the organic label or dry farmed (non-irrigated) wines for the best quality for your health and the best option for the planet.

Eco-Friendly Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

After all that info on what not to do, we don’t want to leave you high and dry guessing about what to get your Valentine. Here are some of our favorite greener gift ideas.

Medical Grade Titanium Jewelry from Tini Lux

Tini Lux jewelry is perfect for everyone on your eco Valentine’s Day list. Metal allergies are a pain for people of all ages. This brand spent three years perfecting a balance of titanium and niobium metals that are non-reactive with the human body.

With tons of styles to choose from, including star sign jewelry, these earrings are perfect for kids with newly pierced ears or for your Valentine.

Ethical Chocolates

Alter Eco makes chocolates that restore rather than deplete the environment. Their products are grown in thriving ecosystems by small-scale, fair trade farmers who are paid a fair, living wage. They also use recyclable or compostable packaging that reduces waste.

Plus their chocolate is deliciously smooth and rich. It makes the perfect eco friendly Valentines gift. You can also find Alter Eco on Amazon.

Organic Cotton Waffle Robe

A pampering gift is always great for Valentine’s Day. Boll and Branch uses only the best durable organic textiles to make bedding and towels that last a very long time. This saves you money in the long run and is much better for the environment. Their waffle robe is soft and luxurious. Plus this one is the perfect breathable and absorbent weight.

We love eco-friendly home decor. These multi-purpose hurricanes make a gorgeous vase, candle holder, chic canister for pens, makeup brushes, and more.

It’s also a gift that gives back. Cailíní Coastal partners with Family Promise – a national non-profit that helps low-income families and families experiencing homelessness achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response. 

Naturepedic 2-in-1 Organic Luxury Adjustable Pillow

While most pillows are filled with some not-so-dreamy chemicals, the Naturepedic 2-in-1 Organic Luxury Adjustable Pillow only uses GOTS-certified organic, MADE SAFE certified nontoxic materials such as organic cotton, PLA batting (made from non-GMO sugarcane to wick moisture while adding additional fluff), and organic latex.

We love this one because you can make the pillow as firm or as soft as you desire. Use Greenchild15 to get 15% off the purchase of their top-rated, certified organic mattresses, pillows, and accessories.  

Golden Girls Tumbler

Thank you for being a friend… Reusable, food-grade stainless steel – those are the rational reasons to get this fabulous sparkly tumbler for the Golden Girls fan on your list.

Crystal of the Month Subscription Box

Experience the magic of crystals and minerals curated by experts with a life-long passion and fascination with the crystal and mineral kingdoms. Every crystal is hand-picked especially for you from sources all around the world!

Choose an Experience Gift

And as always, we love to encourage the gift of an experience for an eco-friendly Valentine’s Day. Your Valentine will enjoy dinner at a restaurant that serves local or organic foods. You can’t go wrong with a massage gift certificate, an outdoor adventure, a CSA membership… there are so many ways to gift an experience to the one you love.

If you opt for a physical gift, be sure to wrap it green by using something you already have lying around like newspaper, a decorative box or basket, or in a DIY fabric gift bag.

We’d love to hear your ideas for eco-friendly Valentine’s Day gifts. Tell us how you’re celebrating in a no-waste or minimalist way… or how you’re using the day to support eco-conscious or Fair Trade businesses.