Celebrating valentine's day sustainably

​Valentine’s Day has many historical roots in Catholic and Roman celebrations about fertility, love, birds, and the coming spring. Popularized by English poets, Valentine’s letters were shared as far back as the Middle Ages. By the 1700s, Valentine’s Day was becoming popularly celebrated. Today, Valentine’s Day is a wonderful way to celebrate love, not only among romantic partners, but with friends, family, and pets.
 
However, as with most holiday celebrations, there are some challenges with this scale of gift giving. In 2020, the National Retail Federation estimated that over $21 billion was spent on Valentine’s Day in the U.S. and in 2021, spending levels are expected to rise to about $24 billion. This works out to about $175 per person for those who celebrate. While people give many different types of valentines, chocolate and flowers are two of the most common gifts.
 
Unfortunately, both chocolate and flowers can have significant challenges with child labor, pesticide usage, deforestation, carbon emissions through refrigeration and transportation, and other environmental issues. In West Africa, where Engage Globally works, child labor in cacao production is rising and it is estimated that over 1.4 million children work on cacao farms, often in dangerous conditions and without access to education. If giving chocolate or flowers, it’s helpful to look for fair trade and organic certifications, as well as local production.
 
Below are some suggestions for celebrating Valentine’s Day more sustainably:
 
Gift a local experience – Some of our favorites include:

• Cooking classes
• For those over 21, local wine, beer, or other tasting tours
• Glass-making classes
• Make your own pottery
• Painting classes

 
Give a gift celebrating Valentine’s Day historical connections to birds and spring, such as:

• Bird feeders, baths, seed
• Books about local birds
• Native pollinator plants
• A guided bird watching tour

 
Celebrate local art and artists

• Give handmade, local jewelry
• Join a local art museum
• Give a painting, drawing, or locally made craft or clothing
• Share a night out at the theater

 
Gift outdoor conservation – We love to support nature and to spend time outdoors with our friends and family. One of our favorite gifts is the Annual National Parks Pass. If you already have national park passes, consider:

• a state or local park pass
• a guided nature tour with a local guide
• membership to an arboretum or local gardens
• a native plant gardening class
• an indoor plant or window herb garden

 
Create your gifts – Personally created gifts never go out of style and create great memories.

• Cook someone their favorite meal
• Print photos of shared moments or create a shared memories book
• Plant native pollinator friendly plants for your patio or garden

 
Look for gifts to reuse or upcycle – secondhand stores, yard sales, and online resale sites are all great ways to select a personal and meaningful gift for a loved one, such as vintage jewelry.
 
Donating to your loved one’s favorite charity in their honor can be meaningful and impactful!
 
Need a gift for a young person?

• We love 4Ocean’s upcycled plastic water bottles, bracelets and other products. Purchase of each item funds removal of plastic from beaches and oceans.
• National Geographic for Kids – This is a year-long gift and you can choose from early reader and older child versions, digital or print. 

 
We hope you found these suggestions useful. Please let us know if you used any of these ideas. And, if you have other sustainable gift giving suggestions, we would love to hear them!