Treat Yo’self
5 Tips for Sustainable Self-Care this Valentine’s Season
By: Katherine Prior | @sweet.sustainability
With Valentine’s Day just behind us, it’s important to remember the love we must give ourselves and the self-care we all deserve. So how can you practice self-care more sustainably?
According to Forbes, $20 billion will have been spent this Valentine’s day, resulting in a large increase in waste, fossil fuel use, and unnecessary consumption.
Holidays and celebrations can be a difficult time to maintain our eco-friendly habits. Remember to focus on what you CAN do and that a little planning can go a long way!
I hope these tips help you to plan some fun, at-home, sustainable self-care this Valentine’s season and the rest of the year! Don’t be afraid to share this with your partner who might need some sustainable self-care ideas too! :)
1. Choose Fair Trade Chocolates
Approximately $1.7 billion is spent on Valentine’s Day chocolate and candies each year (National Retail Federation). The majority of these treats are purchased from brands that use unethical and unsustainable production standards. Choosing Fair Trade, artisanal chocolates not only taste better, but also support ethical labor standards for cacao farmers and laborers, as well as more sustainable production lines.
Some great Fair Trade chocolate brands are: Alter Eco and Tony’s Chocolonely
2. Plant, Don’t Pick!
Approximately $2.1 billion will be spent on flowers alone this Valentine’s Day, most of which are tossed after just 2 days (National Retail Federation). Due to the amount of resources they require to grow, be transported, and sold, this is incredibly unsustainable.
Consider getting a potted plant this Valentine’s season or donate the money to plant trees instead. You can even grow your own veggie or herb garden.
3. Avoid Fast Fashion Intimates
Intimates from fast fashion brands are extremely unsustainable as they’re most often non-biodegradable and have an extremely short product lifespan, due to poor quality manufacturing and next to no donation value.
If possible, choose ethical brands that use natural fabrics, use what you have, or for the most sustainable option, skip the intimates entirely!
Some sustainable and ethical underwear brands I love are: Organic Basics, Cosabella, and Brook There.
4. Skip the Hallmark Card
Approximately $1.5 billion is spent on Valentine’s day cards each year in the U.S. alone and unfortunately, most end up in the trash (National Retail Federation).
If you enjoy writing your loved ones a personalized message or want to write yourself an encouraging note, consider up-cycling paper in your recycling bin to make a D.I.Y. card, or gift an e-card! If D.I.Y’s aren’t your thing, check out Aya Paper Co for some beautiful, sustainably-made cards that are sure to be saved and cherished for years.
5. Gift Sustainably!
If you’re looking to treat yourself to a little something, buying a sustainable gift can be challenging amongst the countless ads for Valentine’s Day junk that we see this time of year. When I’m buying a gift at any time of the year, I tend to look for gifts that fit within one of these three categories:
i. Gifts that can be used up, such as food, tea, wine, soap, a subscription, or a playlist. These can easily be found in sustainable packaging and won’t create unnecessary clutter.
ii. Buy something that you know you or your loved one needs and that will last. Some ideas that come to mind would be SAOLA Shoes’s sustainably-made shoes, Made Trade’s sustainable and ethically-made linens, or a personalized print from an Etsy shop.
iii. Gift an experience. Planning a fun day for you (and your significant other) makes for a great affordable and sustainable gift. Some COVID-friendly ideas are: going for a hike, taking an online cooking class, an at-home spa day, a paint night, or at-home wine tasting! You can also gift the Climate Journal Project’s journal books!
Kickstarter has named the Climate Journal Project as a #ProjectWeLove. We have reached about 88% of our goal so far and only have 4 more days!
Join other environmental activists and the CJP network by following us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to follow me, @sweet.sustainability, on Instagram too!
