Welcome to My World – My Blogging Journey – Eco Friendly Valentine’s Gifts
Hello World! Hope you’re doing great today! All’s well here today! It’s
going to be 84 & it’s February! Hard to believe!
Today I’m going to talk about Eco-Friendly
Valentine’s Gifts & my blogging journey as I am feeling somewhat “stuck”. I need a “light bulb” moment about now. I’m sure sometime down the road I’ll look back on this time & laugh at myself, but right now, I’m not laughing!
I’ve added pages, but don’t know how to link them to my blog posts, so
no one is seeing them, & I can’t seem to find the answer to link them. Maybe it’s time to call on this one. I thought I could figure it out myself, but, so
far, it isn’t working. Well, it appears that I’ve linked a page, but it comes up with nothing on it so I still have more to do here. At least, I got a bit of a menu at the top. WOW! Finally, got the page working that I’ve linked to my blog post. May not be a major light bulb moment, but it sure does bring a smile to my face when I figure something out that new for me… 🙂
Yesterday I got a nice bit of positive feedback about my blog yesterday so it seems that if I could get more traffic to my blog, I’ll do well. I’ve been dealing with this issue of traffic for a while now. Maybe it’s time to admit that I need the help of a live person.
Now to share the fun stuff!
Eco-Friendly Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas
Before you go ahead & make a mental note of the cards, flowers & candy you need to pick up before Valentine’s Day, consider what you can do to make your gifts as eco-friendly as possible. Even though Valentine’s Day isn’t quite as intense as some of the other big holidays, it’s easier than you might think to get sucked into all the love-themed consumerism that often leads to unnecessary waste.
An eco-friendly Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean giving gifts that are less impressive than some of the more extravagant gifts that are typically given on this day. In fact, your eco-friendly gift will almost certainly be far more unique than the typical bouquet of flowers or heart-shaped box of chocolates because of the extra research, planning & creativity that went into choosing it.
Here are 7 heartwarming Valentine’s Day gifts that say, “I love you” & “I also love this planet.”
- DIY Cards Made from Recycled Materials
Greeting cards are incredibly popular for Valentine’s Day, & while they
can be wonderful upon receiving, the sad truth is that they often end up in the recycling or trash at some point in the future. Instead of spending an unnecessary $5 or so on the perfect card, try rummaging through your own recycling bin, junk drawers, craft bucket & anywhere else you keep extra things to make your own DIY cards. Chances are if you make a beautiful card that visibly shows off the time & effort you put into its creation, your recipient will be far more likely to treasure it & far less likely to toss it.
- Flowering Houseplants
Everyone knows that Valentine’s Day is a big day for flower shops, but
you’ll be lucky if that expensive bouquet of roses you plan to buy lasts up to a week. As an alternative, go for a beautiful flowering houseplant. They last longer, & many varieties are easy to care for. African violets & flowering maples are 2 examples of houseplants that bloom almost constantly. Some flowering plants, like peace lilies & orchids, are also known for being excellent indoor air purifiers — another big eco-friendly bonus.
- Ethical & Eco-Friendly Jewelry
Jewelry is definitely one of the glitzier types of gifts commonly given on
Valentine’s Day, but that diamond necklace or pair of earrings you’ve been thinking about getting your sweetie isn’t necessarily eco-friendly — even though the stones & metals they’re made of came from the ground. Do some research on fair trade & eco-friendly jewelry rather than simply going for the shiniest, sparkliest thing you can afford. Novica is the largest online collection of handmade eco-friendly jewelry, but there are many more out there. You can even do a search for “eco-friendly jewelry” on Etsy to see lots of products, both new & vintage, to browse through.
- Eco-Certified Wine
Rather than picking up an old favorite bottle of wine for Valentine’s Day,
go for organic or biodynamic wine. Organic wine is made from organic grapes, has no sulfates added to it & is government eco-certified. Biodynamic wine provides everything that organic wine has to offer while also taking the entire natural environment into account during the production process. Eco-friendly wines are often cheaper than their not-so-eco-friendly counterparts, & if that’s not enough to convince you, it turns out that UCLA researchers found eco-friendly wines to be better tasting.
- Fair Trade, Organic, Vegan Chocolates
It can be a bit tricky to find a brand of chocolate that hits all 3 standards of
eco-friendliness (fair trade, organic, vegan), but it’s not impossible if you take the time to look around & find out what’s available to order online if you can’t find anything at your local health food store. As a suggestion, you could check out Pascha Chocolate, which is not only vegan, but also USDA organic certified & fair trade certified.
With these eco-friendly Valentine gift ideas, you’ll be sure to impress your Valentine while doing your part to help & protect the planet.
This is a fun read & Valentine’s Day is a week away so you’ve enough time to be eco-friendly. Happy Gift Hunting!