Valentine’s day is not too far away! And I’m here to help you keep it waste free with the ones you love!
I’ve been with my husband 12 years this year so we’ve had a good few Valentines and a variety of ways of celebrating this day of love.
One particular Valentines eve I panic bought boxing gloves and boxing pads in Argos. I’m not sure what message I was trying to send to the poor fella.
Thankfully we’ve moved well passed the cringey presents but it is still nice to get flowers, chocolates or celebrate your relationship or friendships even if you’re trying to live more sustainably.
What can you do to keep the 14th as sustainable as possible (start dropping those hints):
- Avoid the imported flowers in plastic packaging and choose a potted planet which will double by filtering the air in your house.
- Don’t leave it to Hallmark this year, take out your pen and write a love letter on some reused paper. Get creative! It’s fun, can act as mindfulness and your other half will be bowled over by your efforts.
- Make your bestie their favourite breakfast from scratch.
- Organise to cook dinner together, check out your local green grocer and butcher to keep it as local as possible.
- Opt for experiences – Setting aside some quality time together in this fast paced world will leave you with cherished memories and an even closer bond. Grab your friends or other half and book a staycation or activity.
- For those whose love is won through food you could bake them a cake or even better; pick the recipe, buy the ingredients and bake a cake together. We have eco friendly cup cake cases available online if buns are more your thing.
- Support local & ethical by buying Irish made chocolate from sustainable suppliers.
- Love starts with loving yourself. Practice self-care, have a nice shower with a lovely smelling soap bar, slap on that body moisturiser you’ve been waiting to use. We sell Irish made body and skin care products including bath soaks and body moisturiser, plus reusable razors and beard oil.
- Write a letter to your future self. Call it a love letter or a letter of intent. Talk about how you’ve taken care of yourself, shown yourself love and allowed yourself to grow. Write down all the reasons you’re proud of yourself for LOVING YOU! We have Irish made notebooks available online if you want to make this a monthly practice.
- Do nothing. Yep just chill out. Don’t feel pressured by marketing to buy things you don’t need or don’t want.
If you do want to buy your loved one a plastic free, sustainable Valentine’s day gift or treat yourself, check out the range of zero waste products at Green Outlook. Postage is just €3 and if you order by 3pm Monday-Friday it will be posted with An Post that same day.
