Who’s looking to have a sustainable Valentine's day this year? SKOOT has you covered from things to do throughout the day, to a cheeky little recipe that will show your loved ones how much they mean to you. We also have some top green gifting ideas; from houseplants, to perfume to eco-friendly shavers.
Valentine's Day Activities
1. Baking
What better way to show your love than to pour your heart into some sustainable recipes. Pick ingredients from sustainable brands, and try shop local so that the ingredients haven’t created a huge carbon impact being imported. When you bake your own goodies you are also limiting the packaging used to make them look “pretty” but normally just end up in landfill.
We suggest this recipe from Love Food for making a heart shaped cake. We’ve popped the ingredients below but check out the full recipe for the method.
Ingredients
- 100 g butter, softened
- 100 g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 80 g self-raising flour
- 30 g cocoa powder
Icing
- 50 g butter
- 50 g 72% cooking chocolate
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 250 g icing sugar
2. Staycation
There are so many beautiful places to visit in the UK, and sometimes it’s easy to forget you don’t have to go far away to have a holiday.
Instead of travelling to Europe, why not try renting a cute little cottage in the British Countryside? Nothing more cute and cosy than a cup of hot chocolate, wrapped up in front of the fire together after an evening stroll through the meadows!
If you're looking to take a sustainable trip away we have just the blog for you! Why not whisk you and your partner away to SKOOT’s favourite sustainable hotels in the UK. And when you travel don’t forget to offset your carbon by driving with the SKOOT Ride App or even better you can offset your whole carbon footprint via the SKOOT Carbon Calculator.
3. Picnic
Sometimes the weather in February isn't the nicest but if you do get an opportunity why not pack up some food, drink and maybe some blankets for the cold weather and pick a location that has meaning to you both.
Take in what nature has to offer and sit back and relax and enjoy each other’s company.
Just make sure you take your rubbish with you!
4. Stargazing
Isn’t this just the most romantic thing ever?
Try and find a place with as little light pollution as possible. Bring some blankets, bring some hot drinks and snuggle up under the stars. What a magical way to appreciate nature and each other. You might even be lucky enough to spot a shooting star!
5. Dine at a Sustainable Spot
When going out why not try and support local restaurants rather than big chains.
Do some research, and find somewhere nearby that uses local produce. There are also so many cool places these days that have zero-waste policies, or prioritise sustainability such as the popular Silo London.
Gifts for Your Loved Ones
Sometimes it’s hard to find someone a gift that doesn’t cost the planet as well as your wallet. We’ve picked out some cool gifts that you can give or create for your loved one!
6. Spread the Love with a Houseplant
While it might be nice to receive flowers, unless you live in a hot country, which sadly England is not, chances are your flowers are flown in from somewhere like the Netherlands (90% are) meaning your little blossoms have a high carbon footprint.
Why not give a houseplant instead which will last for much longer (baring you give it a little bit of love too) and maybe even one with flowers on it so you can watch them grow, just like your love for each other? We know it's a little bit soppy but we had to get it in somewhere.
7. Try a Card Alternative
According to GWP Group, one tree can produce about 3,000 cards, which sounds like a lot, but we send around a whopping 1 billion cards, which adds up to over 300,000 trees. Could there be a more sustainable way to express your love?
Why not look into seeded paper cards when you're done with them rather than throwing them away you can plant them in the garden and watch them grow. You can remember that card every time you look out of the window.
8. Choose Fair-Trade Chocolate
Choosing fair-trade chocolate means you are already supporting sustainable farming, helping pay farmers a living wage and fighting exploitation of both local communities and resources, such as illegal deforestation and destroying wildlife. You can also pick chocolates that include more planet friendly ingredients like coconut oil instead of butter.
It’s not that sweet to cost the planet over choccies.
9. Eco-friendly products
So many products these days have a more sustainable alternative, you just need to do your research. For example, Aphrodite makes a natural spa set that is perfect to pamper your loved one. The set includes soap, bath salts, a facial towel, exfoliating jutte mit and a candle. It’s also vegan friendly!
10. Give the Gift of Carbon Offset
Why not choose to remove the carbon footprint for a loved one this V Day? With the help of us at SKOOT, you can purchase carbon offsets for a month or for a year and enable them to be greener. Although it may not be the most romantic present It’s probably one of the most thoughtful gifts. Showing your love for the planet at the same time sounds pretty warm and fuzzy to us.
We hope these little suggestions have been helpful. There are plenty of ways that you can let people know that you love and appreciate them while still keeping the environment in mind. We love to hear some of your sustainable Valentines Day ideas. Send us a DM on Insta.
If you have any questions or you want to find out more about decreasing someone’s carbon footprint for them then please get in touch at [email protected].
