Are you looking for sustainable Valentine's Day gifts for women and men? Then you've come to the right place! The Day of Lovers on February 14 each year is ideal for surprising your partner with a particularly beautiful gift idea.
In our Disposable society Unfortunately, on Valentine's Day, more and more things are given as gifts that pollute the environment and are not long-lasting. Fortunately, you can counteract this trend with the simplest of means. Just give lasting love instead of short-lived stuff!
In this article, I would like to introduce you to unique, sustainable Valentine's Day gifts that are guaranteed to make your loved one happy and protect the environment at the same time. I'll also briefly show you whether Valentine's Day can be sustainable at all and what is important when choosing a gift. Let's go!
Is it even possible to have a sustainable Valentine's Day?
Who thinks of Valentine's Day gifts, probably has directly Bouquets of roses, Heart confetti Gift cards and heart-shaped balloons before our eyes. Flowers end up in the organic waste garbage can shortly after the Valentine's Day surprise - and confetti, gift cards and balloons also generate a lot of paper and plastic waste.
Valentine's Day generates billions in sales for retailers - it is a day of consumption. In addition, many manufacturers produce their Products tailored exactly to this special day - so that the goods are superfluous on all other days of the year. This also ultimately results in more waste, which can be attributed to our desire to buy.
Valentine's Day as we know it today is therefore not so environmentally friendly. However, its sustainability can be demonstrated by with the right, minimalist gift ideas and meaningful activities, as well as targeted waste avoidance and Conservation of resources in everyday lifeoptimize pretty well. So a sustainable Valentine's Day is basically possible.
What should a sustainable Valentine's Day gift be like?
Are you looking for a fair, environmentally friendly and really nice Valentine's Day gift for men and women? The "for him" or "for her" doesn't really matter - the important thing is that your Gift idea comes from the heart and brings real joy.
The right gift for a Valentine's Day that is as sustainable as possible has above all one or more of the following properties. Your gift is...
- constant: Make sure that the joy of your gift doesn't fade quickly. It should really give the recipient long-term pleasure.
- fairtrade: Make sure that your gift ideas come from a fair manufacturing process where everyone in the supply chain is paid fairly.
- resource-saving: The Valentine's Day gift of your choice should not only be durable, but also produced in an energy-saving way and packaged in a waste-avoiding way. It should also biggest environmental problems of our Time, such as climate change or deforestation, but ideally contribute to solving them.
Basically, when choosing the right gift, make sure it suits the person receiving it. Just remember that the, what should touch the heart must also come from the heart.
10 gift ideas: Which sustainable gifts are suitable for Valentine's Day for women and men?
Now you know that a sustainable Valentine's Day is absolutely possible - and what is important when choosing your gift. I would now like to give you the promised, sustainable gift ideas as a small source of inspiration that are guaranteed to please Valentine, the patron saint of lovers and the namesake of this special day.
1. give away canning jar as solar lamp
A wonderful, sustainable gift idea for Valentine's Day is a Fairtrade solar lamp from sun glassproduced in the townships of Johannesburg. The solar module in the lid Stores energy during the day and emits it again in the form of light during the night if required.
Decorate the contents as you liketo make your partner happy. Whether it's beach sand, flowers, concert tickets, spa vouchers or a love letter - you know best how to surprise him or her in a positive way.
Here you can get the solar canning jar:
2. give a gift of long-lasting, native flowers
In fact, cut flowers and especially the red, long-stemmed roses for Valentine's Day often come from rose farms in Kenya. The cultivation is unfortunately Very water intensive - and also the Long transport route is anything but sustainable.1 Incidentally, roses from greenhouses in Germany or the Netherlands require even more energy.
Accordingly, you should For Valentine's Day, give the gift of native plants in pots that the recipient will enjoy for a long time to come.. For example, tulips, flower bulbs or daffodils - to name just a few early bloomers.
3. give away natural cosmetics
Natural Vanilla shower gels, Ayurvedic shampoos, essential oils, lemongrass lotions, tea tree oil soaps or Wellness care sets are always a great gift for Valentine's Day. Often you can get them without a wrapping, so that the Make bathrooms even more plastic free lets.
Here you can look for natural cosmetics:
4. give away animal sponsorship
A wonderful Valentine's gift can also be a Sponsorship for endangered species such as tigers, elephants, gorillas or rhinos. Also for rescued animals or unplaceable animals You can sponsor dogs, cats, cows, pigs or sheep at sanctuaries and animal shelters.
This creates a special bond with a great animalwhile at the same time the animal and Species conservation promoted will.
You can inquire about adopting an animal here:
- WWF (Sponsorship for wild animals)
- Let the animals live e.V. (Sponsorship for rescued animals)
Other gift idea: You can also plant or have a tree planted for your loved one, which you can then admire together as it grows. It's very easy to do, for example here at Treedom.
5. give away a backpack made from marine litter
Another beautiful and sustainable Valentine's Day gift is a durable waterproof backpackwhich is largely made from plastic waste from the oceans. Whether for shopping, hiking or commuting to work - a minimalist, sturdy backpack will serve your favorite person faithfully forever.
Here you get the backpack:
6. give away jewelry
A classic gift for Valentine's Day is, of course, jewelry. Whether Earrings, cufflinks, necklaces, bracelets or a watch - All of them are also available in a sustainable form. For example, hoop earrings made from recycled silver or cufflinks made from maple wood from sustainable forestry.
You can look for sustainable jewelry here:
7. give away book
You can also put a smile on your partner's face for Valentine's Day with a great book. Depending on what he or she is interested in, there are of course Romance novels but also interesting Non-fiction books or stylish Notebooks or diaries an.
Here are a few literary ideas for Valentine's gifts as inspiration:
- Romance novel "Kisses in a Kilt" by Anne Stevens*
- "Sustainable living for beginners" by myself*
- "The Minimalism Project" by Christof Herrmann*.
- "6-minute diary" for mindfulness and gratitude*
- Notebook with vegan leather cover and animal motif*.
8. give away reusable drinking bottle
A water bottle is a really cool Lifestyle gift, which is the Zero Waste Lifestyle or the most plastic free lifestyle and avoids microplastics in your own drinking water.
Why not gift your loved one a minimalist Stainless steel drinking bottle or a Glass bottle with swing top and unique motifs for Valentine's Day.
Here you get the two drinking bottles in different designs:
Tip: In another blog article, I will explain how you can Making tap water more palatable with the simplest of means simply by following your heart.
9. give away fair chocolate
Whether organic, fair or Bean-To-BarWhether it's a praline or a chocolate bar, chocolate always hits the right note as a sustainable Valentine's Day gift idea. In any case, opt for the Chocolate that your partner particularly likes.
Here you can find fair and environmentally friendly chocolate:
Tip: You can give your gift an even more personal touch if you prepare the chocolate treats yourself. For example, here is a great tutorial to make vegan chocolates.
10. give away time for two
Sustainable Valentine's Day gifts don't have to be physical. You can also give the gift of moments for two that will remain in your best memories and strengthen your love for each other. But what can you do together on Valentine's Day?
For example, how about a romantic day trip or cooking together followed by a candlelight dinner?
Here are Further ideas for activities on Valentine's Day that you can put into action:
- Organize a wine breakfast or wine tasting (vegan wines you can find here*)
- Bathing together in the forest (more under Forest bathing)
- Observing stars together
- Go to a vegan restaurant (Here you can find vegan restaurants near you)
- Making new plans together (e.g. determining the next travel destinations learn new language or in the vegan lifestyle start)
- Ask questions to get to know each other better (see Questions to get to know)
- …
Can you think of any other Valentine's Day activities that will bring you two even closer together? Then feel free to write me your ideas in the comments.
Frequently asked questions about Valentine's Day
What exactly do you celebrate on Valentine's Day?
On February 14 every year since the 15th century, people in England have celebrated the "Day of lovers". The day is now celebrated in almost every country in the world. However, it is banned in Russia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Iran.
The day is apparently named after St. Valentine from Rome. He lived in the Eternal City in the 3rd century and married couples there according to the Christian rite - despite the ban.
What rather speaks against Valentine's Day?
Valentine's Day was commercializedso that the retail trade is booming on this day. Natural resources are wasted in excess as a result of this social compulsion, which also generates a lot of waste.
In addition to the environmental aspects, Valentine's Day is, on closer inspection a superfluous traditionbecause you can give your partner pleasure every day and should definitely not wait for this one day a year.
What sustainable gifts to give for Valentine's Day?
Beautiful, environmentally friendly Valentine's Day gifts include a Solar canning jar, by Romance novel, Natural cosmetics, a Animal sponsorship and above all Time for two.
The Visit to a vegan restaurant with candlelight dinner, a Wine tasting or the Forging joint plans under the stars are particularly popular activities on Lovers' Day.
Pick Valentine's Day gifts from sustainable online stores
Here was still no suitable, sustainable Valentine's Day gift? Then I would advise you not only to look at Amazon* but also simply sustainable stores on the Internet.
For example, browse through the store of...
You're guaranteed to find the ideal gift for your favorite person 🙂
Can you think of any other sustainable stores or lovely Valentine's Day gift ideas that should also be listed in this article? Then feel free to drop me a note in the comments.
Sustainable Valentine's Day made easy!
In this article, you have learned about many potential gift ideas that can both have an environmentally friendly impact and bring great joy.
For a sustainable Valentine's Day, it is essential to avoid traditions that have a negative impact on the environment and to Putting love for your partner in the foreground. A heartfelt gift that suits the person receiving it is always the right choice.
"What is uttered from the heart alone, will win the hearts of others to your own."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (more at Love Quotes)
Finally, for an even more intense, loving and strengthened relationship with your favorite person, I can also recommend the Bestselling book "What I love about you" by Alexandra Reinwarth recommend. It serves as a mutual declaration of love to fill out. Get it here*.
Do you have any questions, tips or other ideas for really beautiful, sustainable Valentine's Day gifts? Then I look forward to your comment.
Stay sustainable and attentive,
PS: I also have you a collection of the best, plastic free gifts for valentine's day compiled. Feel free to take another look there as well. And if you want to know how to Plastic-free gift wrappingyou can also find out more in the linked blog post.
References:
- WWF Germany (2014): Water risk Germany - Case study 3 cut flowers from Kenya, available at https://www.wwf.de/fileadmin/user_upload/006Wasserrisiko_Fallbeispiel_Schnittblumen_aus_Kenia.pdf. [31.01.2024]. ↩︎
