Skip the Roses & Go With These 5 Eco-Friendly Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas
Show your love for both your sweetheart and the planet with these romantic and eco-friendly Valentine’s Day gift ideas…
While they may be a lovely and classic gift for Valentine’s Day, roses are not exactly in full bloom in most areas of the U.S. this time of year. This means that those beautiful flowers you were thinking about having delivered to your sweetie are a much more expensive gift than the price tag may indicate – and they’re not the most eco-friendly Valentine’s Day gift…
Not only are most of the roses at your local florist drenched with pesticides, but they are also mostly grown in places like South America and have traveled thousands of miles to end up decorating your beloved’s side table. This enormous carbon footprint also comes with growing conditions that harm both the environment and the farmworkers who grow them. According to ModernFarmer.com,
Compared to most food crops, cut flowers require higher doses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to maximize production and keep disease at bay. And countries like Columbia, which produces the lion’s share of flowers found at US florists, aren’t exactly known for environmental regulations and worker protections.
So what is a romantic to do? If you don’t have access to locally grown fresh flowers this time of year, here are 5 more eco-friendly Valentine’s Day gift ideas to win over your sweetie’s heart and show the planet a little love too:
1.) Heirloom Rosebush
This way you can give your loved ones roses whenever they are in season. In the southern half of the country, many nurseries are already starting to stock these cold hardy shrubs. Elsewhere, order from a supplier that specializes in hardy heritage varieties and have it delivered to your doorstep.
2.) Flowering Houseplant
Orchids aren’t traditional Valentine’s flowers, but they do have kind of a sexy look. Most importantly, they bloom for months on end, unlike a bouquet that is dead by the end of the week. And then they do it again! Truly sustainable.
3.) Floral Bath Bomb
There’s nothing more romantic than a luxuriating soak. Bath bombs — a tennis ball-sized pack of therapeutic salts, herbs, essential oils, and flower petals — makes it all the more luxurious. For a truly personal touch, make your own, using your beloved’s favorite scents!
4.) Fragrant Massage Oil
This way you will at least have the scent of flowers in the air. Of course, the oil is only part one of the gift. Part two, the massage, is even better – and there’s nothing more personal. 🙂
5.) Native Flower Seeds
Native species like yarrow, milkweed, bee balm and coneflower make long-lasting bouquets. Part of the romance can be planning a date on the first warm weekend of spring to plant them together!
Source: ModernFarmer.com
