Feature Photo by Cottonbro from Pexels
Love really is in the air this time of year — especially for online retailers who are looking to boost their profits. I sound very cynical, but there are ways to show the principles of love, happiness and value other than buying flowers, cards and ultimately buying in to the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day and spending more, consuming more and wasting more; actions that dominate our consumer-driven society.
According to a survey of over 6,000 people taken by the National Retail Federation (NRF), most people take part in Valentine’s Day out of obligation. Valentine’s Day is not far behind Black Friday in commercial status.
“The average Valentine’s Day spend is $13.19 billion, or approximately $116 per person. For just one day: more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold; 190 million roses will be grown and packaged; and 1 billion cards will be purchased and sent, with 85% of cards bought being by women”.
SUSTAINABLE FOOD TRUST.
In 2020, the total spending on Valentine’s Day surpassed 27 billion US dollars, and in the UK the number of transactions during the Valentine’s Day period increased by 23% over the last few years. Not only does Valentine’s Day encourage consumerism of single use items and packaging that ultimately end up in landfill, such as helium-filled heart balloons, chocolate boxes and heart-covered cards, the manufacturing of Valentine’s Day products is responsible for more emissions than driving around the Earth 4,000 times!
But don’t panic….if you want to find a more sustainable way to show your love without it literally costing the earth, then look no further for some last-minute ideas.
Make it Personal – DIY Ideas:
Nothing says I love you like a home-made gift. Make a (Heart-Shaped) Chocolate Cake: This is a cake recipe without the calories & you would never guess it’s healthy!
CHOCOLATE KIDNEY BEAN CAKE
400g tin of red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 organic vanilla pod – split and seeds scraped
150g raw organic extra virgin coconut oil
5 organic eggs
15 soft pitted dates, chopped
60g organic cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
150g organic cherries or berries: (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
1 tbsp water
Pinch of salt
Icing sugar for dusting.
Preheat the oven to 150˚C. Grease a heart-shaped or 20cm round cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.
In a medium sized bowl blend the kidney beans, vanilla, eggs, water and coconut oil until smooth. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix together well.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before turning it out.
Dust over a doily with icing sugar or decorate with a red ribbon.
Body Butter
The combination of shea butter with nourishing oils makes a this highly moisturizing combination, and by whipping the ingredients together it helps it go on smoothly without being oily – perfect for a Valentine’s gift.
4 fl oz unrefined organic Shea Butter
4 fl oz raw organic extra virgin coconut oil
4 fl oz oil (like Organic Sweet Almond Oil, organic jojoba oil, or extra virgin organic olive oil)
4 fl oz organic cocoa butter
10-30 drops of pure essential oil of your choice.
The cocoa butter can be interchangeable in this recipe with shea butter or mango butter – if you only have one or two on hand, you can substitute or play with different proportions.
BODY BUTTER INSTRUCTIONS
In a double boiler or glass bowl, combine all ingredients except the essential oils.
Bring to medium heat and stir constantly until all ingredients are melted.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add essential oils if using.
Move to fridge and let cool another hour or until starting to harden around the edges but still somewhat soft.
Use a hand mixer to whip for 10 minutes until fluffy.
Return to the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set.
Place in a recycled glass jar with a lid and decorate with a red ribbon.
Use as you would a regular lotion or body butter. If your home stays above 75 degrees, it may soften and need to be kept at the fridge, but it will stay whipped at a temperature lower than that.
Plotted Plant in a Recycled Container:
Instead of giving cut flowers that are destined to wilt and die within days, a living plant will endure and is much more sustainable and more personal than a bunch of flowers from the shop.
Every time your loved one nurtures their new plants they will be reminded of your affection and you can get creative with a recycled jar, jug, tin or even your champagne cork!
Donate to your Partners Favourite Charity
There are hundreds of different charities that allow you to donate money as a gift, or enable you to buy a virtual gift or adopt an animal.
WWF: Symbolic adoption makes a fantastic gift and from as little as £3 a month or a one-off payment you can adopt an Elephant, Penguin or Giant Panda to name just a few.
Water Aid: For as little as £2 per month you can help bring clean water to those who need it most.
Save The Children: For as little as £11 – £15 you can help a child living in freezing conditions by buying them warm clothes or buy a birthing kit to help a babies chance of survival.
Oxfam: For £15 – £25 you can provide training for farmers in everything from beekeeping to composting to help them produce and earn more or provide a water pump to enable communities to have the water they need and protect themselves against deadly disease.
UNICEF: From as little as £14 – £18 you can buy polio vaccines for 100 kids or provide mosquito nets for nine families to help protect them from malaria-carrying mosquitoes in Africa.
Give a gift that champions social causes
When you buy coffee from Change Please coffee, your money helps to provide training, employment and support with housing, finances and therapy for people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. Change Please is a social enterprise supporting people out of homelessness through Life Changing Coffee. There are shops at Borough Market, London Bridge, Canary Wharf and you can buy online at Collections | Change Please. If you or your partner prefer tea, then Tea People could be a perfect gift option. Tea People’s sister charity called the NEW LEAF TRUST partners with local charities and NGOs to support educational projects in tea-growing regions of the world. Tea People pledge 50% of all profits from their delicious, award-winning teas to help with social projects.
Another option is an e-cookbook so you can make a tasty treat for your loved one to go with their cup of tea or coffee. Café Stepping Stone in Canberra provides inclusive employment and practical training opportunities for migrant and refugee women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds through an innovative and sustainable vegetarian cafe located in the beautiful gallery space at Strathnairn Arts.
Plant a Tree Gift:
There are many environmental benefits of planting a tree, not only will it help restore life quality in your community, contribute to the environment and help fight climate change, but trees are beautiful and have long been a great giver of life for many animals as well as humans. Planting a tree not only impacts positively on the environment and individual ecosystems, it also impacts on our medical and mental health as a human species.
There are lots of companies out there where you can plant a tree for someone or donate to tree-planting initiatives around the world. A few that I have come across include The National Forest, Trees for Life, Woodland Trust, Ecologi, The National Trust and Plant a Tree
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