Valentine’s Day can have a significant environmental impact due to the increased consumption of gifts like flowers, cards, and chocolates. However, there are ways to celebrate sustainably.
Environmental impact
· Carbon emissions: The carbon emissions from Valentine’s Day gifts can be equivalent to driving around the world thousands of times.
· Transportation: Flying flowers from other countries contributes to carbon emissions.
· Packaging: Plastic wrapping and other packaging can increase waste.
· Balloons: Balloons can take hundreds of years to biodegrade and can harm animals.
· Climate change: Climate change can impact the availability of flowers and the health of the plants.
Sustainable ways to celebrate
· Buy local: Choose local, seasonal flowers to reduce transportation-related carbon emissions.
· Reduce waste: Choose gifts with minimal or recyclable packaging.
· Make your own: Make your own cards, candles, or desserts.
· Prioritize experiences: Plan activities like cooking a meal, spend time in nature, go for a hike, or having a movie night at home.
· Support sustainable businesses: Choose eco-friendly and sustainable businesses.
· Plant something: Plant a tree or garden together.
· Write something: Write a letter or poem.
· Share a growing gift that keeps on giving: think of herbs, a fruit tree or even pot plants as alternative gifts that bring joy
Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to do something nice for anyone in your life you appreciate! As you celebrate, remember to keep sustainability in mind.
Why leave the planet out?
Valentine’s Day is heavily commercialized, with stores carrying a wide array of chocolates, cards, flowers and stuffed animals. While many people enjoy exchanging
gifts, the environmental impacts are alarming . According Waste 360, on Valentine’s Day, U.S. citizens buy:
· 36 million heart-shaped boxes.
· 180 million cards.
· 198 million roses.
· 881 thousand bottles of sparkling wine.
· 58 million pounds of chocolate.
The environmental impact adds up to more carbon emissions than would be created from driving around the world 3,993 times. That’s not a reason to swear off the holiday altogether. It’s just a big incentive to celebrate more sustainably.
In the UK, February 14th produces an extra nine million kilograms of CO2 due to the obligatory gift-giving, meals out, and activities between partners.
· 25 million Valentine’s cards are sent and (most) disposed of in the UK annually
· More than 17,000 tonnes of cardboard packaging waste is created on February 14th across the UK – from chocolate boxes and delivery boxes for online gift orders
· The UK creates nearly 7,500 tonnes of plastic packaging for Valentine’s gifts
· Brits spend around £85 million on sweets for Valentine’s Day
· Average spending on sparkling wine increases by 103% and Champagne goes up 52% on Valentine’s Day
· Just over two-thirds of Brits (68%) plan on spending between £1 and £50
· 4 million bouquets of flowers are bought in the UK for Valentine’s Day
About 250 million stems of flowers are sold globally each Valentine’s Day
How long does it take for Valentine’s Day waste to decompose?
A few days or weeks after Valentine’s Day you’ll likely want to throw away that drooping bouquet of roses, empty prosecco bottle, and deflated love heart-shaped balloon. Chucking them out with general waste could lead them to landfill where they struggle to break down and add to pollution and carbon emission levels.
Recycle, reuse, and recover waste where possible as otherwise popular items from Valentine’s Day can take a long time to decompose:
· Flowers – between six and 12 months (in a well-managed compost pile)
· Chocolate boxes – six to eight months (with no added materials)
· Plastic packaging – 20 to 500 years
· Balloons – 450 years
· Wine bottles – up to 4,000 years (if at all)
Please have a sustainable and loving celebration. Show your passion for the planet and your other half with a low or zero-waste Valentine’s this year, showing the earth some love.