Eco Friendly Gift Guide for Valentines Day

Skip all the plastic waste this year while still celebrating Valentine's Day. 

It is easy to get all wrapped up into buying unnecessary gifts and Valentine's Day definitely gets a lot of hate for being a manufactured consumeristic holiday. According to treehugger.com, $1.7 billion is spent on candy and $2.1 billion will be spent on flowers alone. But it doesn't have to be that way! You can certainly show someone how much you love them without material gifts or spending any money at all. I've put together a list of eco-friendly and zero waste gifts for those who are looking to purchase something for that special someone. For those looking to spend little to no money I have you covered as well with some DIY gift ideas. And when all else fails I highly recommend giving experiences over material gifts.

Zero Waste Gifts

• SeedyCards plantable cards, while I tried to avoid buying cards all together this is a great option. Plus Mari Batchelor is a small business owner based out of Washington and doesn't use any plastic packaging!

• Friendsheep eco fabric fresheners, these adorable hearts are made of 100% sustainable New Zealand wool and are an eco-friendly replacement to scented drawer sheets. 

• Dedicate a tree or buy a plant from your local florist, something that lasts longer than a week.

• Vidday, what a great way to show someone you care by making them a unique video. 

• 4ocean bracelets, beautiful jewelry made from the plastic removed from the ocean. One bracelet removes 1 pound of plastic from the ocean.

• Ecosplendy, offers cork fashion items like wallets and purses. Cork is 100% natural, sustainable, and durable making it better for the planet. 

DIY Gift Ideas

• Make your own sweets. Most candy is loaded with plastic packaging,  so by making it yourself you avoid all that unnecessary waste. I personally love Chowhound's Vegan chocolate cupcake recipe and Nora Cook's the Best Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe. 

• Stay in and make dinner! Nothing spells love like a home-cooked meal. 

• Date night jar - my husband made this for me one year and I absolutely loved it. Basically, he took a mason jar and wrote date night ideas on wooden sticks. 

Give an Experience

• Couples yoga - I personally love the workshops that my local yoga studio have which always promote self-love. 

• Massage or other self-care practices - Root + Sky Wellness is an awesome place that is local which offers services ranging from deep tissue massage to acupuncture. 

• Breakfast in bed 

• Dinner and a movie - some of my favorite vegan/vegetarian restaurants include Sassafras, Tru Bistro, and Veggie Galaxy. 

No matter what you choose I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day and as always please remember to reduce your carbon footprint.