Valentines’ Day is right around the corner and you may be wondering how best to celebrate this holiday ‘o love while keeping your mother (Earth) in mind.

Fear not, fellow greenies, loving your sweetheart and your planet can go hand-in-hand when you think outside the conventional V-Day box.

Here are a few pointers:

Cards – Traditional Valentine’s Day cards are made from virgin trees. Now that’s not spreading the love. Instead, choose cards made from 100% recycled or tree-free stock, or make your own from similar materials. Want to create something truly unique? See below for inspiration.

Gifts – Top gifts for Valentine’s Day include chocolate, jewelry, flowers and lingerie. You don’t have to go the conventional route just because you want to stick to tradition. Look for gifts that are made sustainably and ethically and remember that sometimes the greatest gifts are free and don’t require wrapping.

Activities – Just about any game or activity can be tweaked for Valentine’s Day. To green it up, use reused, reusable and recycled materials or find activities that don’t require “stuff” at all. Or, put a little sexy fun into the idea of “reducing” by cooking dinner with your sweetheart sans clothes and, in lieu of a card, use body paints to illustrate your love for your partner. A body poem will definitely earn bonus points.

Our top ten picks:

We made this whimsical “card” out of an old pair of scratched reading glasses. (The glasses slide into the recycled paper “case.”) We’ve also made cards out of mint tins, lids, boxes and more. What do you usually throw away that might be re-purposed? Your love will love your creativity and effort.

Go sexy and sustainable with lingerie made from bamboo, organic cotton or other soft, eco-fabulous materials. Check out Cosabella, Urban Fox and Sweet Skins. If you happen to live in Europe (or your sweetheart does), you’ll both go ga-ga over G=9.8 and Green Knickers.

Why do we love chocolate? Let us count the reasons… the luscious taste, the aphrodisiac affect, the health benefit. But the conventional chocolate industry has some dirty little secrets you can learn more about here. Look for organic, Fair Trade, and bird-friendly options available in all shapes, flavors and price ranges. (For a limited time when you purchase a copy of our book, Celebrate Green! you can add a box of Sjaak’s organic, Fair Trade chocolate at no cost except for shipping! Click here for details.)

Ah, roses. The quintessential symbol of blooming love. To keep your symbol green this year, look for organic or VeraFlora Certified and Fair Trade options. Choosing an eco-bouquet is a gift to the Earth and to the farmers who grow and prepare the flowers because conventional flowers, such as roses, may be doused with up to 1,000 times more chemicals than conventionally grown food. Look for florists selling locally grown flowers or contact Organic Bouquet

If you’re thinking of giving the gift of glam, consider artisan made jewelry that is hip and eco-friendly. We love Smart Glass (in photo) made from re-purposed glass and Green Karat’s responsibly indulgent jewelry made from recycled metals and gems.

Pamper your partner and the planet with sustainable luxuries for the body. Vintage Body Spa makes organic and Fair Trade confections for the skin, so eco-yummy you’ll want to eat it. We especially love their line of chocolate body polish (pictured) and shea butter lotion.

When giving the gift of wine, look for locally produced organic or biodynamic wine with sustainable real cork stoppers. We’re fans of Cooper Hill and Badger Mountain. Where to buy? Check your local grocery or even big box store or better yet buy direct from a winery near you. (Here’s an idea, how about taking your sweetheart on a V-Day tour.)

Celebrate your love this V-Day with a gift basket filled with ethically sourced, all natural, organic and chemical-free romantic goodies such as Good Clean Love’s oils and body butters, Earth Erotic’s phthalate-free “toys,” a 100% beeswax candle from Big Dipper Wax Works, and a DIY booklet filled with coupons redeemable for a massage, a movie, a love letter, and a dinner for two.

No matter what gift you’re giving, if you’d normally consider wrapping it, don’t. Instead, make your gifts fashionably fun by dressing them up in fabrics such as the one pictured above by Bobo, or make your own from fabric remnants or silk or cotton scarves. Or do away with wrapping all together and hide your gift/ gifts (adults love a good treasure hunt, too!) or wrap your gift in what your love really wants – you.

Several studies have shown that philanthropy creates a chemical reaction in the brain similar to food, drugs and sex. So, if you want to create that warm-a-heart glow this V-day it could be as simple as making a charitable contribution or donating your time to a worthy cause (something you can do along side your love). Consider non-profits that are in line with your partner’s values and passions. Go to Just Give for ideas on where to start.

Want more ideas on how to celebrate green this Valentine’s Day and beyond? Visit Lynn & Corey at www.CelebrateGreen.NET

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Oprah and staffers at The Oprah show took on the challenge of going meatless for an entire week!  If  Oprah can do it, so can you!  Staffers say that going vegan for a week not only changed their bodies but their psyche.  Oprah’s vegan-guru, author Kathy Freston, claims that eliminating meat has a host of benefits such as, flawless skin, shiny hair, and nails that grow faster.  And, she claims, weight loss is a breeze.  Of course, there are also many environmental benefits. I’m even considering trying it with my daughter’s next week!  Are you up for the challenge? Follow the link for more great info!

You can also follow us on twitter!

Blogger Laurali Star can also be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

(These ideas were featured today on Northwest Cable News)

Eek! It’s Valentine’s Day card time! What are you sending to school?

Packs of pre-made cards are typically made from virgin trees. With schools across the country celebrating this day ‘o love & friendship, imagine how trees are needed to supply all the cards!

100% Post-consumer waste cards can be hard to come by, so here are a few fun, green ideas to consider as an alternative.

Seed embedded card

Wool felted hearts

Sole Mate “card”

Catch more of Lynn & Corey’s eco-Valentine ideas on CelebrateGreen.net.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

On Valentine’s Day, when we’re enjoying the chocolate given to us as gifts by the people we love, most of us are not aware that there’s a side to chocolate that’s not too sweet.

That’s why Green America has launched a National Week of Action, February 4-14, 2011, for screenings of the film The Dark Side of Chocolate.

During the week of action, Green America is also asking us to send a special Valentine’s Day card to Hershey’s CEO, David West, asking him to “have a heart”, eliminating child and forced-labor by shifting to Fair Trade Certified cocoa. Further, Green America has a similar online letter-writing campaign, asking Hershey’s to commit to sourcing 100% Fair Trade Certified cocoa by 2012.

What Fair Trade Certified chocolate means:

• Chocolate was produced without human trafficking and without forced or child labor
• Chocolate was produced under standards that protect environmental and human rights.

To get involved in the cause, gather friends and family together to host a screening of the The Dark Side of Chocolate. Get your screening kit here.

Blogger Laurali Star can be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest grocery chain, recently announced it’s commitment to healthy food at affordable prices.

In a speech by Leslie Dock, Wal-Mart’s Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs, credit is given to First Lady Michelle Obama, and her “Let’s Move!” campaign for being “the catalyst” of Wal-Mart’s initiative.

The First Lady later takes the stage, praising Wal-Mart’s move as “a great victory” for families. (According to a YouTube news report, this is the first time that Mrs. Obama has ever publicly endorsed a private retailer.)

According to Sustainable Life Media, the “nutrition charter” is rooted in five components* aimed at making it easier for moms to afford healthy foods for their families:

1. Reformulating thousands of everyday packaged food items by 2015 by reducing sodium 25 percent and added sugars 10 percent, and by removing all remaining industrially produced trans- fats. The company will work with suppliers to improve the nutritional quality of national food brands and its Great Value private brand in key product categories to complete the reformulations;
2. Making healthier choices more affordable, saving customers approximately $1 billion per year on fresh fruits and vegetables through a variety of sourcing, pricing, and transportation and logistics initiatives that will drive unnecessary costs out of the supply chain. Wal-Mart will also dramatically reduce or eliminate the price premium on key “better-for-you” items, such as reduced sodium, sugar or fat products;
3. Developing strong criteria for a simple front-of-package seal that will help consumers instantly identify truly healthier food options such as whole grain cereal, whole wheat pasta or unsweetened canned fruit;
4. Providing solutions to address food deserts by building stores in underserved communities that are in need of fresh and affordable groceries; and
5. Increasing charitable support for nutrition programs that help educate consumers about healthier food solutions and choices.

*Elements listed are directly quoted from Sustainable Life Media

What do YOU think of Wal-Mart’s move?

p.s. We love Rodale’s ideas for how to “Be your own Wal-Mart.”

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Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.