A more Sustainable valentines day
Ahh, Valentine's day. A time for showing love and gratitude for that special someone (or someones) in your life. Be it your partner, best friend(s), or... the planet?
Okay, it may seem like a little bit of a stretch, but the Earth deserves love too, after all it's been ever so supportive of us, maybe it's time to give a little bit back. One of our favourite ways of doing this is through our valentine's day boxes.
"But how does one "give back" to a whole planet" I hear you ask. Great question! You can give back to the planet this Valentine's day by choosing to lead a greener lifestyle. A more sustainable, eco friendly side of life, the kind of sustainable valentine's day that really celebrates nature and everything the natural world has to offer...
Okay, so I wrote that bit and then I turned to my partner who said "well jeez, thanks I guess". It looks like we might need to find a way to include our significant others.
So instead of the article I had planned about going out and being your beautiful inner hippy (which don't get me wrong, you can still go and do) let's see if we can find some kind of happy medium, shall we? Maybe we can find some eco friendly gifts that both your loved ones and mother nature can be pleased with. This is:
A Tiny Box Company guide to having a sustainable Valentines day for the earth and your significant other, so neither one gives you the side eye.
A slightly unconventional title, yes, but this way I can go home without fearing the silent treatment, and so can you.
How to find Sustainable Valentine's day gifts
It's a really broad question. How does one find a sustainable valentine's day gift in a sea of online shopping, sales, promotions and traditions?
We can start with some of the more traditional Valentine's Day gifts, and maybe updating them for a new, greener world.
Fair trade, palm oil free and vegan ethically sourced chocolate
A time-honoured tradition, giving your loved one a box of chocolates to satisfy their sweet tooth on Valentine's day can be a beautiful way to say "thank you for putting up with me, love you lots" but how does one minimise the environmental impact of buying chocolate, and avoid the less ethical practices? Well, these days it's not anywhere near as big a task as it used to be. With fair trade chocolate seemingly being the new norm, most of the larger brands (and many of the smaller ones!!) are helping to secure better working conditions for their farmers through a fair wage agreement, or having farms and plantations owned or co-owned by farmers, but we can't just stop there. Fair trade agreements are great and do actively help the environment, but if we only look at the cocoa beans then we're missing out on two thirds of the picture.
Milk chocolate is the most popular type of chocolate in the UK as seen by this YouGov poll, where the first mention of a product containing dark chocolate doesn't even come in until 27th place, then is quickly followed up by more examples of milk chocolate. Now, without being too pushy, it turns out milks isn't all that green, or rather cattle isn't. The environmental impact of keeping cattle has cause for concern, especially in places like Brazil where around 80% of deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest is linked to cattle grazing. To avoid this, you could try opting for a vegan friendly chocolate. As well as helping to ensure your gift is cruelty free, it has a lower average carbon footprint than regular chocolates.
Another thing to consider if you're buying chocolate is the palm oil content. Palm oil has been linked to mass deforestation, which has driven several already endangered species close to extinction. It's produced across many of the warmer parts of the globe, with the largest producer being Indonesia and is an ingredient in as much as 50% of supermarket consumables from food to beauty products. There are now groups such as the RSPO who are trying to reduce the environmental impact of palm oil and act in a similar way to the fair trade foundation to help improve the lives of farmers, however when these products can't be found then the best practice is still to buy palm oil free.
Something shiny
Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but they aren't always the planet's. Before you purchase a beautifully made piece of handcrafted jewellery, studded in stones that dance in the light, take into consideration the journey of each of it's components. If buying an antique, consider the origins of the stone and remember that the Kimberley Process only came into effect in the year 2000. What is the Kimberley Process? The KP is an organisation that helps police the excavation and sale of diamonds, helping to eradicate blood or conflict diamonds, the manufacture of which is unregulated, has been linked to slave labour and has been known to finance terrorism. Stones mined after 2000 have just a 0.02% chance of being mined unethically, or better yet buy lab-grown. Alternatively, go stoneless. Precious metals like silver and gold are constantly being recycled both by small and larger businesses, using both in-house scraps and recycled materials from medical and industrial fields.
The gift of green
Instead of buying a bunch of flowers (even if they are lovely) opt for a live plant this valentine's day. Cut flowers can look great, absolutely, but it's a sad fact they they eventually die. A living plant can be an amazing gift purchase, depending on the recipient's attitude to extra responsibility, and is a great way to brighten up a room. There are a lot of house plants that have beautiful flowers too, so if you're looking to help the environment and please your significant other it's a no brainer really.
How can I have an eco friendly valentine's day on a budget?
For most people though, physical gifts aren't the way to their hearts. Instead, acts of service are key to making them feel special, and the fact you've put so much effort into considering how to be more eco friendly can be the icing on the cake. Surprise your valentine with a delicious homemade version of your favorite meal, or just put extra effort into dinner. A handmade card with loads of (eco, plastic free) glitter could be a great way to get creative with your affections. Make their evening with some bath salts, essential oils and a few candles or maybe plan a romantic getaway or even just plan a special date night spending time with each other and celebrating love.
Where does Tiny Box Company come in?
Well our forever valentine is, and has always been, mother nature. We've got loads of eco friendly packaging so that no matter what direction you decide to go in this February, we've got your back. From a truffle box to put all those lovely vegan fair trade chocolates in, to a recycled paper gift box to pop a USB drive of all your favourite pictures that you can go through together. We even have an extensive range of plastic free, vegan or recycled plastic packaging accessories like ribbon made from recycled plastic, labels that are printed using water-based non-toxic inks, or just about every colour of tissue paper you can think of so that whatever the gift, be it a handmade trinket or a bunch of flowers, you can find a more sustainable way to show your loved one just how special they are.