Green Ideas for a Valentine’s Day Date

With Valentines’ right around the corner, what to buy is on the minds of many. The pressure of buying cards, gifts, chocolate, and all the extras can often distract us from the environmental impact of this holiday. It is estimated by the National Retail Federation that in the U.S. alone, $15.7 billion was spent on Valentine’s Day in 2011. Now that’s a lot of money, but the environmental consequences of this are also quite significant.
Every year, nearly 145 million cards are produced, which is definitely concerning as the paper industry contributes approximately 10% of global carbon emissions; almost 55 million roses are shipped and bought worldwide, with the production of merely 12 000 roses releasing over 35 000 kg of CO2; even a night out for a nice dinner has its impact, as every year nearly 3.3 million tonnes of food waste is thrown away by hotels, restaurants, and bars. All of this waste for one night of the year.
So this year let’s show our environment some love and quit this bad habit! This Valentines’ make the effort to reduce spending on wasteful products and instead stay at home and have a romantic night in.