Have an Eco Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us again. What is Valentine’s about for you? Is it about overpriced chocolates, overpriced restaurants and over-sized cards ? Read on to find out how to celebrate this occasion in a more ethical fashion.
If you fancy a eco-weekend away in Ireland the Eco Award winning Glenribbeen Lodge in Co Waterford might be just for you. Based in a nice tranquil setting between Lismore and Cappaquinn you can relax and meditate by the fish pond and even pick your own fresh warm eggs for your breakfast.
A simple way to show your love that won’t cost you an arm and a leg is to go on a nice romantic walk. The Kells Girley Bog Eco Walk is a wonderful 3.5 Mile walk through forest and bog. Over the course of this walk you are bound to see a wonderful array of birdlife, plant and animal life.
Instead of buying those overpriced chocolates why not make your own organic chocolates with this Chocolate Making Kit. The kit holds everything you need to create your own decadent and delicious chocolate using simple instructions and magic ingredients.
Instead of buying those overpriced bouquets of roses which your loved one will watch die in front of their eyes why not consider handmade Fairtrade Felt Flowers. Available in Parma Violet, Passionate Pink and Tempting Turquoise.
Go with a Plantable Valentines Card this year made from recycled paper and embedded with high-grade, pure North American wildflower seeds
Finally tell your loved one that they “light up your life” with a cute Sun-Jar. Available in Yellow, Blue and Pink the Sunjar will make for a lovely candle alternative if you decide to have a romantic night in.
Tell us your top Eco Valentines Tips for a chance to Win a €50 Shopping Voucher from Purchase.ie – Ireland’s Favourite Online Eco-store.
Winner Announced Valentine’s Day!
Donation to a charity or worthy cause on your loved one’s behalf, going to a worthy cause and its helping people in need. You don’t need to buy the person you love expensive cards or gifts to show them you love them 🙂 Or to be totally romantic, plant a tree, shrubs, flowers or even rose bushes and watch them grow……………together 🙂
A personalised home made card is more thoughtful and special. I also think making your own vouchers or tokens for your valentine is a great idea e.g. Voucher for a romantic walk at a destination of their choice, or a day of relaxation and pampering etc! There are great resources online for creating Eco friendly home made gifts, by recycling bits and bobs from around the home. Anything you create yourself for your valentine will always be unique!
Don’t have to have Valentines as an expensive day at all. I think for your loved one to make you a card means more than anything, can totally express how you feel about the person by designing your own card. As for a gift the nicest thing to do is to do something very special for your loved one. Last year i came home to rose petals from the door, up the stairs to the bathroom (roses from the garden). Had a warm bath waiting for me. Plenty of candles, to save on electricity too. Then a nice meal, followed by plenty of pampering, who needs cards, flowers, jewellery etc. Can show love with simple things in life.
If you’re lucky enough to be given a nice bottle of bubbly this Valentine’s Day, then why not keep the bottle and you can make some really lovely glassware and unusual pieces for the home with it. It might sound strange, but honestly, you can paint and decorate them and really add a touch of unique glamour to any room – I’ve tried it and lots of people admired my handiwork! If you’re not into art and design, then don’t forget to recycle the bottles at the bottlebank
A decent potted Rose which if planted and tended well could well provide your home grown bouquet for future years without the carbon footprint !
Vouchers Make up vouchers that can be redeemed for everything from a massage, hug to weeding the garden and taking out thetry bidh, whatever comes from the heart. Use a hole punch and ribbon, a stapler to hold your vouchers together. Breakfast in Bed Coupon, Walking the dog voucher, An hour of silence voucher, One hour control of the remote control, Big hug voucher, Washing the dishes voucher.
Ask the recipient what they would like added to the vouchers. Once you have the requests, all you have to do is make them a reality!
That should read taking out the rubbish lol
Rather than going out to an overpriced, overcrowded restaurant, why not make your loved one a romantic meal at home this Valentine’s Day. Try to source local produce, with few air miles; serve an eco-friendly, organically-grown wine. Lastly, my top eco tip is to turn off those lights and light some candles, so you can be both romantic and eco-friendly!
give the money you would have spent on a gift to the British Heart Foundation,then snuggle up warm under the duvet and turn off the heating
A homemade card, heart-shaped homemade cookies and a day out in the fresh air with a picnic is the best! We went swimming at the local beach Valentine’s Day a couple of years ago, good craic 🙂
A couple of years ago we went to a garden centre and bought a Plum tree on Vanentine’s Day. We haven’t got many plums yet but it is a nice tree.
Stay in & have sex all day sustaining yourself with locally sourced nibbles
Take the train/bus to your date destination 🙂
Once darkness falls I will be surprising my hubby with a candle lit home made dinner and the candles will be left alight saving electricity all night long 🙂
Chocolates – buy fairtrade/organic!
Cooking dinner – buy local/organic/seasonal food. Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute meals has amazing recipes that won’t need the oven to be turned on for 3 hours – you can even cook enough for a couple of days! Dine by candle light (non toxic and bio degradable). Any leftovers can be used the next day – heated by microwave – using less energy than an oven!
Cards – I personally am not big on cards as i think they are a waste of trees and money, but if i am sending one i keep an eye out for cards using recycled materials or i purchase cards by a local artist or charity. ISPCA is my go to charity 🙂
Flowers – Try to source locally grown flowers that haven’t been smothered in pesticides. Or even better, give a gift of a plant!
Nature walk/cycle! – The joys of living in Ireland is that there are loads of nice places to walk/cycle , if not right outside your door then within a short driving distance. It’s free, it’s healthy and it gives you time to yourselves to chat.
Jewellery – look in second hand shops for nice little vintage pieces. There are also recycled/fair trade jewellery lines.
Keep all/any wrapping paper! I haven’t bought wrapping paper in years. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Do out IOU for each other like a massage or one minds the babies while the other person has time to themselves. And a night under the duvet with candels perfect.. Who needs expensive dinners and a night in the hotel
A small bunch of flowers(hand picked or from the likes of Lidl) delivered in person is more meaningful than a huge fancy pancy bouquet delivered by some florist!
We dont have a lot of money ever around this time of year , trying to catch up after the christmas does be hard on our pockets , but to celebrate valentines day we both help each other cook a dinner , we light a candle and we both write a little poem to each other , im not that good at poetry but i put into words how much he means to me , my partner is very good at writing poetry and i love what he writes for me ,
i recycle our valentines cards i reuse them every yr same card since we got together and he never has copped on after 15 yrs lol i am allergic to flowers so we get the kids to bake a heart shaped cake and decorate it its more personal and doesn’t cost alot and they feel like they are making valentines fun for mam and dad
Going for a walk in the woods followed by a homemade meal made from organic food presented in a hamper.
to save yourself money for valentines day you could make ur loved one a card find nice photo’s online of the both of you and a nice verse and print it off.Instead of spending money in a restuarant do a candlelight dinner at home and have some quality time together.You dont have to spend a fortune to let someone know you care instead of buying chocalates bake your loved ones their favourite dinner or dessert 🙂
Even though it falls on a Tuesday this year… I would much rather have breakfast cooked for me than dinner. It is such a novelty. For those who are working…pancakes can be cooked the night before and heated under the grill. (it is nicer than leaving the batter in the fridge overnight) Smother in fairtrade chocolate sauce and sprinkle with dessicated chocolate sauce. Any excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast is welcome!
turn off the lights early and share a bath – maybe the other way round would be better lol
For my eco and budget valentine i will make my husband a handmade card which i have started already and two for the kids too and i will cook him a nice homemade dinner and eat it by candlelight saving the elctricity when our two children are in bed i will then put on some nice soft romantic music and we will dance and drink the wine.
I make my own eco friendly soaps and bath and massage oils (no paraben!!) and after a lovely, romantic homemade meal we have a bath together… The after is private…
my valentines eco friendly idea would be to get all your eco friendly buddies to wrap christmas boxes of chocs and tins of biscuits cds dvds etc which are leftover from christmas and most likely still in pristine condition ..and of course with ribbons and bows and all things romantic then go along to the homeless and svdp and make somebody happy on valentines day..
Shower together!
Nice walk in the park with the dogs and a nice picnic
Then in the evening nice curry and lovely candles 😛
The thought should count and not the amount of money invested.
Then something unexpected for the surprise (or shock) factor.
I might opt for a home made meal of stuff we saw when we were on holidays
in sweden and greece. Together rounded up with some desert which is made
from a kind of rum chocolate mix (so that it is nearly flamable).
Plant a tree
Instead of fancy gifts and getaways, this year me and my significant other will be going for a romantic walk in the local woods with our two babies(the dogs!), after he gets my home made card and gift ( I’m making a voucher booklet for him, eg. “This voucher is good for one breakfast in bed”) It’s cute, eco friendly and costs nothing but a little bit of time, and just a little bit of a creative imagination 🙂 Then a candle lit, home made dinner and curling up infront of the fire!
Nothing beats homemade/grown: flowers, food, cards, poems, home brew… we’ve tried it all, even songs (feel free to share our songs “I Love Her” or “Everything You Bring Me” at reverbnation.com/digress with your loved one). And remember less is more… less clothes, more…
Husband comes home, house is in candle light no lights on, barbeque outside under the stars and warm snug blanket and also an outdoor fire burning. Followed by Snuggles afters on the couch inside with home fire lighting (smokeless fuel) with the same snug fleece blanket and remembering all the good days you’ve had so far and the so many good days to come! washed down by home brew elderberry wine…..
Breakfast served in bed with a nice home made card and an iou inside for some jobs that need to be done around the house but have been put off. This would make a perfect Valentine’s Day for me.
I’m a guy and not afraid to show my romantic side to my wife. 🙂
I will bring her coffee and toast in bed and take care of our son while she relaxes in bed.
Then later she will enjoy a bubble bath with candles I run for her while I take our son out on his bike so she has full quiet time to relax.
Later on that night she will cook dinner for us a family and when the little man is asleep we will exchange homemade cards and gifts we came up, like foot rub coupons etc.
We will spend some quality time together enjoying each others company before enjoying an early night.
Oh and I always make sure I am on nappy/household duty to give her a break from it all.
A handmade card with a handmade voucher book. Promises for favours … ahem … a nice meal with veg from the garden, a nice dessert to share. Lit candles, flowers and some good romantic music. Then snuggle up together and use one of them vouchers i made
My eco Valentine begins like this, Tell your fella instead of buying you a bunch of Roses, buy you a rose bush due to bloom this time next year, so you can have your very own rose forever, blooming in your garden & instead of going out for a meal, choose a menu you both like, get him to go to the store and buy all the ingredients and then you cook it, M & S do a meal deal for €12.50 no preparing necessary all done for you you’ll have a cheap nite in no need for a taxi but you need a babysitter but think of all you’ll save especially in this present decline. so instead of putting your romantic nite off, you can be surprised how a romantic nite in can turn out. Way to go all you lovers out there. Happy Valentines Day.
Candles instead of electricity … more romantic and energy saving. , sharing a bath together saves water as well!!!!
Kids in bed. Nice home cooked meal. Get all cuddly on the sofa watching a good film. Nice glass or two of wine. what more could you want. spending the night with the one you love.
Buy an ISPCA gift card for someone and help animals too, they really need it at this time of year
Breakfast in bed with own fresh laid hens eggs, homemade cards and time spent together to talk to each other instead of tv blaring in back ground.
If you have kids, a creative eco-friendly idea for Valentine’s Day is to get outdoors. It doesn’t cost much, it’s a nice way to get some fresh air and a wonderful way to get the kids (and family) to fall in love with nature again. If weather permits, you could pack a picnic lunch and enjoy a meal outdoors. If not, then maybe just a walk…look at the trees, do some bird-watching, maybe take some pictures or pick up some beautiful fallen leaves. Whatever you choose to do, reconnecting with nature is a wonderful thing to do on Valentine’s Day!
Breakfast in Bed, Homemade Valentines Card, A day spent together enjoying a romantic walk and a Homemade Candle-Lit Meal. Who needs all the expensive things in life as simplicty is the key and to show your love to your partner needs no great cost. Happy Valentines Day…
Valentines day should be special with just the two of you enjoying each other, so everything should be what you have done yourself, no shop bought items all hand made by yourself, I like to try and think of something different each year, this year I have a heart shaped stone which I found on the beach and I have painted my boyfriends name on it, and will put it under his pillow, then in the evening a home made meal with candles and we will cuddle up with our favourite film and eat home made chocolates.
The winner is…………….
Siobhan Murphy!
THIS YEAR WE DECIDED TO MAKE OUR OWN VALENTINES CARDS, WE MANAGED TO SAVE MONEY AND HAVE LOTS OF FUN WITH OUR TWO CHILDREN MAKING 7 DECORATING THEM!!!MY HUSBAND GAVE ME THE DAY OFF FROM COOKING,HE MADE US A LOVELY FRESH SALAD ( ALL INGREDIENTS FROM OUR POLY-TUNNEL) ALONG WITH SPAGHETTI IN PASTA SAUCE AND FOR DESERT WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY DAUGHTER HE MADE BLUE BERRY (WHICH WE GROW IN OUR POLY-TUNNEL ALSO) MUFFINS, WHICH WERE YUMMY !!lOVE DON’T HAVE TO COST A THING !!
SIOBHAN HAS A GREAT IMAGINATION… FOR FEBRUARY… BLANKET UNDER THE STARS IN IRELAND…