Love green - have an eco-friendly Valentine's Day

posted by DAISY in Life + Style

Adoption kit ($40), WWF; Notebook (£10), Love Eco; Scrub and body spray ($12-22), Juliet's Room

We've all heard - or made - the rant about the shallow commercialism of Valentine's Day. But what if you could show someone you care, and take the opportunity to give something back to the planet too? Here's the Greened! guide to responsible romance.

Chocolate

Organic, Fair Trade and eco-friendly chocolate is becoming more and more widespread - the trick is to find a bar that ticks all three boxes. Look for Dagoba Organic Chocolate, which is not only grown organically in sustainable rainforests, but whose owners are doing their part by working in Costa Rica and Ecuador to replant cacao trees and revive a threatened cacao tree varietal. The company has also made it its mission to operate in an eco-friendly way - read more at dagobachocolate.com. The new Apothecary line blends 74 per cent cacao content dark chocolate with botanical blends - to awaken the heart, "Eros" fuses boysenberries and botanicals including Horny Goat Weed.

In Canada look for Cocoa Camino, whose Fair Trade organic chocolate bars are flavoured with green tea, chili, mint and mocchacino, and come in ecologically packaged polypropylene foil (OPP), with 100 per cent recycled or sustainable paper packaging. Zazubean makes some highly appropriate Valentine's flavours - try "Flirt", with acai and sour cherries, or "Hottie" with chili and cinnamon.

Flowers

It seems odd that something like flowers could be bad for the environment, but most commercial flowers are grown using damaging pesticides - and then shipped worldwide, leaving a high carbon footprint. However, it is possible to find eco-friendly flowers - ask your local florist for flowers that are organic or at least grown locally. If you're in North America, look out for the VeriFlora label, which marks flowers as sustainably grown, while UK residents can check out sites such as Felicity Morgan flowers. For more tips on buying eco-friendly flowers, take a look at gardener and author Amy Stewart's blog.

Instead of cut flowers, why not pick a potted plant which will live longer - you could choose a fruit tree such as this organic Meyer lemon tree from Viva Terra, or beribbon a sweet-smelling herb plant. Or, if you want to go even bigger, plant a tree in their name: in the US visit Plant a Tree USA; in Canada visit Love Trees, and in the UK visit the Woodland Trust.

Left to right: Pangea Organics; Dagoba Organic Chocolate; The OC Clutch ($138), Ecoist

Gifts

Ecoist specializes in Fair Trade products handmade from recycled materials, such as brightly-coloured candy wrapper bags and clutches ($38-$188 US), mens' recycled plastic wallets ($14.95), and jewellery made from recycled glass and vinyl records ($25-$68). Ecoist plants a tree for every handbag or bracelet sold and works with Trees for the Future to reforest areas that have been affected by industrial development, including Uganda, Haiti and Mexico.

Sites like ecoconsciousmarket.com and love-eco.co.uk also offer a wide variety of imaginative and ethical gifts. Or why not make a donation to a charity in your loved one's name or adopt an animal through the WWF? After all, nothing says "I love you" quite like a share in an orangutan ($40).

Pampering presents

Everyone appreciates a little pampering, and organic and environmentally-friendly products can make the experience that little bit sweeter. Juliet's Room offers organic skin and body care produced in a green-energy neutral facility, uses all-recyclable packaging and donates to environmental and human-rights organizations. Bestselling products include Vanilla Cardamom Body Spray ($12 CAD), White Chocolate Organic Body Butter ($29) and the Green Tea Coconut Clay Masque ($14). Ships to Canada and the US.

Pangea Organics uses a Zero Waste packaging process for its organic products, which include Egyptian Basil and Mint Shower Gel ($16 US), Pyrenees Lavender with Damiana Tea soap ($8) and facial care such as Argentinian Tangerine and Thyme toner ($26). Packaging is made of 100 per cent post consumer recycled paper and organic seeds - simply soak and plant to grow plants such as sweet basil, amaranth, or even spruce trees. Visit pangeaorganics.com for stockists or to buy online.

Aveda has been committed to environmentally-conscious principles since 1978, and its products are manufactured in recycled or recyclable packaging, using 100 per cent wind power . Its yearly Earth Months have raised over $11 million for environmental causes. Widely available worldwide; visit aveda.com for stockists.

Cards

Buy a card made of recycled paper, or stretch your creative muscles by making your own - after all, it takes a lot more effort to make a card than pick one up at the store. Or send an e-card - visit davidsuzuki.org for three environmentally-themed options, and find the WWF's selection of cute critter cards here.