1. Revel in all the love that is in your life, whatever form it takes, from individuals to friends to communities and beyond. Savor it. Celebrate it. Be thankful for it. Take strength from it
2. Hold in your heart those people you particularly want to celebrate (if you celebrate, some find it sweet/others find it cheesy) on Valentine’s Day
3. Consider their uniqueness, what makes them dear to you, and come up with a creative way to communicate how much you care
4. Maybe that expression of love doesn’t have to include cut flowers…just sayin
As I dig deeper into the world of sustainability, cut flowers stand out due to their carbon footprint. Consider that most cut flowers in the US come from South America and Africa. Once watered, fertilized, pesticided (ok, not a word, but you get the point), grown, and cut, they must travel vast distances in a cold environment (refrigerated trucks, refrigerated planes, refrigerated display cases) in order to arrive at their peak. Once they wilt, more often than not, they go to landfills rather than compost.
I am not interested in playing ‘gotcha’ or evoking shame in hopes of changing behavior—it’s not fun, not nice, and highly ineffective. I love flowers too. I just wonder if we haven’t come to rely on them a little too much, be that in the expectation of their presence at every centerpiece at every kind of event, or as a declaration of our love.
Might there be other ways to bring color into our world? Might there be different ways to demonstrate our love than red roses, purchased perhaps more out of habit than any personal expression?
I mean, if you follow the thread here, we love flowers because they are beautiful and natural and at least used to be alive. So some of the shine gets lost once we consider the impact on the planet where they grew.
Again, no shade here, just a Wild dare to dig a little deeper, to come up with a flowerless (not necessarily flourless) way to express your love. My guess is that it would be very well received.
Want some ideas?
- Potted Plants: Give a live plant that can be kept and cared for long-term. Keep it inside now and plant it outside this spring!
- Organic Chocolates or Treats: Look for fair-trade, organic chocolates or other treats wrapped in eco-friendly packaging.
- Experiences: Gift experiences like a cooking class, spa day, or outdoor adventure that create memories without creating waste.
- Upcycled or Handmade Gifts: Support local artisans who create unique, upcycled, or handmade gifts using sustainable materials.
- Books or Subscriptions: Give a book on a topic your Valentine loves, or a subscription to a streaming service they enjoy.
- Charitable Donations: Make a donation to a charity or cause that your Valentine cares about in their name.
