• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

A Greener Valentine’s Day

lg-dozen_chicks.jpgSure you can buy your sweeties organic flowers or chocolate and have your children decorate Valentines made from recycled paper; however, in my family, we have another tradition. Every year for Valentine’s Day, we take the opportunity to buy a fruit tree or rose bush. What better way to express our love than to give a gift that may offset some of our carbon footprint?

I love chocolate as much as the next guy/gal, but I am not a fan of cut flowers, even though I worked in flower shop in high school. Lavish bouquets purchased to celebrate holidays have spawned a thriving industry that heavily relies on pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. According to the Wise Geek:

Most cut flowers are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia in large greenhouse environments staffed by underpaid, non-unionized workers…Because cut flowers are grown in nations with more lax environmental laws, many banned substances including DDT and methyl-bromide are used in flower production…Some cut flowers may be shipped thousands of miles, adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere at every step of the way.

Purchasing a live plant is a great, greener alternative to cut flowers, especially when you buy a blooming or fruiting plant that will remind your family year after year of your love. Involving your children in selecting and planting the living gift will create a natural experience to accompany the gift. Anxiously awaiting, predicting, observing the plant throughout the growing season turns a Valentine’s gift into a long term nature study.

Alternatively, Oxfam is asking people this Valentine’s Day to “think outside the chocolate box”. For $40, you can purchase your loved ones a dozen baby chicks. This gift will go to a family affected by HIV/AIDS. If chicks are not your style, you can purchase a sheep, fair trade honey, or plant a garden with your donation.

For more ideas on having a green Valentine’s Day, check out Crafting a Green World.

You can read about the history of Valentine’s Day here.

Image courtesy of Oxfam.

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Who Owns Your Favorite Organic Brand?
So, What's in that Happy Meal Besides the Cheap Toy? »

Comments

  1. GreenJen says

    February 12, 2008 at 10:11 am

    I like your family’s tradition of buying live plants rather than cut flowers for Valentine’s Day. GreenLivingIdeas.com has a Eco Valentine’s Day gift guide that also highlights more sustainable options. Though buying baby chicks is hard to beat.

    Reply
  2. Kendra Holliday says

    February 13, 2008 at 2:46 pm

    Sigh, my guilty pleasure habit of flower bouquets is finally being broken with the knowledge that the flowers are most likely coming from far away, unsavory places. Nothing pretty about that.

    Reply
  3. Jennifer Lance says

    February 13, 2008 at 4:48 pm

    I’ve been experimenting this year with putting cuttings from my fruit trees inside. They are tricked by the warm air and bloom in a vase. It is very pretty and a nice alternative to cut flowers as a centerpiece.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

Plants Over Plastics! Repurpose Compostable Home Products

Convenient Plastic Container Free Dropps Laundry & Dishwashing Pods

More from the archives!

How long should you be pregnant?

AAP fails to recommend organic foods yet recognizes pesticides are neurotoxins

Study Finds Bathroom Hand Dryers Spread Fecal Matter

Is Breastfeeding to Blame for Early Childhood Caries?

A Review of The Green Year by Jodi Helmer

cbd salve joy organics

CBD Products that Actually Deliver: Joy Organics

wama hemp underwear

The Most Comfortable Underwear is Made of Hemp: WAMA Review

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy

Chi Chi Amor: Eco-Friendly Kids' Fashion Made From Recycled Traditional Mayan Fabrics

Peace Keeper Cause-Metics

Autism and Chemicals, Cancer Report Under Fire, and Kudos!

What’s for breakfast? Vegan Chia Seed Pudding Recipe

Saving water tips

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

SipSnap: Universal sippy cup and straw lids for any cup!

quinoa breakfast

Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

52 Outdoor Activities and Projects to Get Families Closer to Nature

Nursery Water Not Good For Babies – Bottled Water With Added Fluoride Under Fire

History of Halloween [video]

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.