Valentine's Day—or, as one of my friends calls it, Singles Awareness Day—is fast approaching. As with any consumer holiday, an amazing amount of garbage will be generated this week and next, as drug stores chop prices to move their inventories (hello, Easter!). This afternoon I bought myself a tiny Russell Stover heart box and was amazed at how little candy there was for all that packaging! Fortunately, most of these boxes are recyclable, but as with water bottles and other beverage containers, the big battle is getting people to do it. I therefore urge you to discard only the plastic portion of your Valentine's candy—the rest can and should be sorted out with your paper and cardboard recycling!
By the way, there are a few other things you can do to make your Valentine's Day a little greener, starting with the flowers. If you're going to buy roses for your loved one, try to get organic! Ask your florist if they stock organic flowers—and if they don't, tell them you'd be more likely to buy from them if they did! If you're ordering online, you can definitely get organic flowers (as well as other natural and fair-trade gifts) from 1-800-flowers.com and FTD. Oh, and the website Save Our Environment has a few other suggestions for things like jewelry- and chocolate-buying in their eco-friendly Valentine's guide. Enjoy! ∞
