Valentine’s day is the second largest card giving holiday following Christmas. Cards are thoughtful, but may come in not so eco-friendly ways by being laminated and put in a paper envelope. Small gift items such as balloons, and stuffed animals are cute, yet often thrown out. Lastly, chocolate is a huge gift giver, however, it is not always produced in the most ethical way. Here are some gift ideas and ethical, eco-friendly considerations when buying your loved one gifts, because we at Holistic Pest Solutions love Earth.
Buy Fair Trade Chocolate
58 million pounds of chocolate is purchased for Valentines day, but chocolate has its own social and environmental damages. The cacao industry includes forced labor, deforestation, and economic inequality. While buying chocolates, look for the Fair Trade logo which indicates ethically produced chocolate. Additionally, when picking between chocolates, you can look at a spectrum to see how ethically produced they are.
Buy Properly Sourced Jewelry
It is important for mining companies to mine their resources responsibly. Often in gem cutting, dust will get into workers’ lungs and harsh chemicals are used that produce toxic waste. When buying jewelry, be on the lookout for companies who try to use ethical practices and are transparent with their mining processes. Some brands to consider are: Smiling Rocks, and Luna Rose. Also consider buying second hand jewelry!
Give intangible gifts
Instead of buying a tangible gift, plan some quality time with your loved one. Some date ideas may include cooking together, watching your favorite movie, painting/ taking a paint class, writing them a poem, having a picnic, etc.
Buy Long-Lasting Presents
Buy thoughtful presents that will be long lasting to your loved one such as: mugs, pieces of art, or much needed items like quality kitchen equipment (that you could maybe then use to have a cooking date.) Other eco-friendly ideas include:
- Homemade Soaps: Homemade soaps are often made with certified organic ingredients and no plastic. Plus, they smell great!
- Plantable Hearts: Instead of buying flowers at a local grocery store, consider buying plantable hearts. These hearts are made with eco-friendly biodegradable paper and have flower seeds embedded in the paper.
- Indoor plant/herb garden: Plants are good for the environment, although store bought ones may contain fungicide, and insecticides. Here is a list of plants that are clean air plants for your home.
- Soy Candle: Soy candles are also an eco friendly gift that offer a cleaner burn then other types of candles and contain no synthetic ingredients. Additionally, they are cruelty free, and usually come in amber reusable jars. Here we’ve found some nice aromatherapy ones.
Holistic Pest Solutions’ pest control treatments are mindful of our Earth and our clients. We LOVE our planet and suggest that you consider it when you make purchases and decisions about services for your home and your family.
*Our Environmental Commitment: Holistic Pest Solutions is committed to the preservation of our environment. Our goal is to nurture the soils and plant life of lawns and landscapes. Utilizing holistic pest control practices that cause the least amount of impact on the environment.
