Green Your V-Day

The time is almost near and Cupid will soon be here!! I love Valentine's Day and always have - my Mother made it a very special day. Granted, she's the best Mom there is so she made every day special but V-day was especially so, and with every meal there was something red! She would make something wonderful for breakfast and lunch, but dinner was the most special - with lots of red yummy food and she would have little presents for each of us kids at our setting and the eating area would be decorated in reds and pinks. You're the best Mommy - I only hope I can be half the Mom you are!

I know it's a "marketing" holiday and I truly believe that you should treat your loved ones like it's Valentine's EVERY day and do random special things, but I still think it's a fun day! Here are some ways to make your V-Day GREEN:

-In lieu of flowers, buy potted plants so there is no waste after a week AND you're giving something that will help clean your loved one's air!!
**Best air cleaners include: Janet Craig dracaena, Peace Lily, & Rubber Plant, amongst others.

-If purchased flowers are what will make your love the happiest, then buy organic flowers from Organic Bouquet, California Organics, or Manic Organics Flowers...Whole Foods now carries some organic flowers as well - so check your local natural food stores...Look for in-season, locally-grown flowers!
**The commerical flower industry is very scary with unfair labor practices, excessive consumption of natural resources such as water, and a ridiculous amount of toxic chemical use (that are illegal w/i U.S.) that pollutes our environment and harms the workers that work on the flower farms, who often suffer from skin and respiratory problems, fatigue, blurred vision, and premature birth. The flowers are fumigated, sprayed with pesticides, and soaked in preservatives...Do you really want that brought into your home for you and your loved ones to breathe in?

-Buy organic fair-trade chocolates - yummy!! I love Dagoba and Green & Black...
**Non-organic cocoa is 2nd only to cotton in terms of the most pesticides used on the crop, which is scary as exposure to pesticides is being increasingly linked to various kinds of cancer. Buying "fair-trade" ensures that the employees and farmers that harvested the cocoa beans were treated and paid fairly and sustainable environmental practices were in place.

-Look for Valentine's cards that are made from recycled paper content....or make your own for a much more personalized touch from materials you already have...or send an Evite card or e-Card!

See, even a holiday like Valentine's that evokes the color red can be made green...Happy Valentine's everyone!