This Valentines Day you may prefer an foreign wine to the local selections below. If the local selections below don’t satisfy your taste for the exotic then at least try to go for an organic foreign. Several countries including, but not limited to France, Italy, Spain and Chile, boast organic vineyards. Spain, for example offers two organic wines. One from Cellar Vinos Piñol and another, Genium Ecologic, named for its environmentally responsible production.

The vineyards of Château Bousquette, a 50 acre family estate in the South of France also grows certified organic grapes. Italy also offers several organic vineyards, as does Chile with such popular wines as the Vinedos Organicos Emiliana Natura Carmenere.

A romantic Valentine’s Day dinner usually includes a lovely libation. My preference, luxurious red wine.

This year, if you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day in the US, why not go local with a domestically produced wine? A local bottle will ensure your wine comes complete with a lower carbon footprint.

California is especially famous for fantastic vineyards such as the Landmark Vineyard in Sonoma. Landmark’s Syrah is an excellent complement to any romantic dinner. With, “dark plum, peach and black raspberry fruit, roasted coffee bean, chamois and vanilla,” the wine is sure to work well for a decadent desert too.

Other popular domestic wines come from such wineries as the Frey Vineyard of Mendocino County, the Bonterra Vineyard also of Mendocino County and Ravenswood, a popular vineyard in Sonoma Valley.

For a complete list of wines harvested in California click here.

Valentine’s Day isn’t complete without chocolate. But before we indulge in our annual chocolate overdose, lets not forget that like coffee, chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, a crop harvested in some of the most economically disadvantaged regions of the world. Many of these regions lack sound labor laws and environmental policy.

Organic and fair trade certified chocolates, however, are guaranteed better for you, the earth and cocoa bean farmers.

For one, organic products typically come from environmentally conscious companies that harvest in a sustainable manner. Additional fair trade certification ensures that your chocolate comes from farms that value safety and just labor practices.

An excellent chocolate option for this Valentine’s Day is (seen here).

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Here’s a poem to get us in gear . . .

Roses Are Red,
Violets Are Blue.
This Year Make Them Green
And The Planet Will Love You.

Ok, ok, I never said I was a poet . . .

What I’m trying to say is that Valentine’s Day can be pretty wasteful. Just consider all of the aluminum foil candy wrappers, tree-killing cards and carbon-costly exotic flowers. The, “day of love” is quite harmful to the planet.

With green going mainstream, however, it’s never been easier to make Valentine’s Day both sustainable and special. Just put in the extra effort to consider your lover and the planet. For example, if you’re giving your sweetie chocolates, make sure they come from a company with commitments to the environment and fair trade labor. Or, want to surprise her with flowers? Heighten the surprise with a homegrown pesticide free bouquet. And of course, if the night calls for a romantic dinner, make sure your wine selections are local and organic.

It’s easy. Over the week, I’ll give you the ultimate Valentine’s Day green gift guide. Stay tuned.

Photo courtesy of AP/Winfried Rothermel.

In addition to bamboo, cork is an excellent alternative to wood flooring. An amazingly versatile, cork” is so flexible, light, and impermeable that it can be used for everything from bottle stoppers to buoys to insulators. Cork is even used in musical instruments!

Cork is completely sustainable and easily recyclable because it comes directly form the outer bark of the cork oak tree. Therefore, it negates the need to cut down trees, allowing trees to continue releasing oxygen.

Cork is especially great for floors because t’s softer and more buoyant than hardwood. Acting as a cushioning pad, it is an excellent choice for those areas—kitchens and workrooms—requiring you stay on your feet.

Roll of cork flooring. Credit: ArtConcepts Store.

Of all the wood flooring choices available, bamboo is considered the most environmentally friendly. Bamboo is not only highly sustainable—a renewable resource that grows with little water—but also using bamboo avoids using the world’s already dwindling timber resources.

Bamboo is not a tree. In fact, it is a giant grass. And just like the grass on a lawn, when bamboo is cut it’s root system is unharmed, healthy and regenerative. Best of all, bamboo has the ability to grow to maturity in 4-6 years while hardwoods take decades to achieve maturity. Once cut, most hardwoods are left lifeless. Whereas after bamboo is cut, it is able to grow again and again.

An image of carbonized bamboo flooring.

If you love the cozy comfort of covering your floors, but don’t want to deal with the environmental and health issues brought on by synthetic carpet, consider this great eco-option: a recycled plastic rug handcrafted by Thai artisans. These ones pictured here are sold by Gaiam, a company that ensures their laborers receive fair-trade wages for their craft.

These rugs were made entirely from spent soda bottles. I’m not sure of the exact science, but according to a recent product review on amazon.con, recycled plastic is exceptionally durable and perfect for those spots that endure heavy ware and tare. As Amazon’s review explains, the carpets are made of multicolored polypropylene strands. These strands are strong and stand up to foot traffic in mudrooms, kitchens, or anywhere else there are plenty of comings and goings.

Best of all: little to no maintenance is required — only a spray from your hose. Plus the rugs are reversible. Choose from aqua reversing to yellow or rust reversing to gold.

The first cardinal rule of green flooring is “no carpets.” According to TheDailyGreen.com’s guide to greening your floors, “carpets and the pads beneath them are made with synthetic fibers derived from petroleum and are glued together with urea formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogenic substance and it leaks from your carpets and pads into the air.” Then there are all the detergents used to clean a carpet–few natural cleaners are able to penetrate such heavy artificial fibers.

In sticking with carpet-free floors, the best options include bamboo, reclaimed wood,  cork. These hardwood and natural floor coverings are easy to install and usually less expensive than premium carpeting. Best of all, flat floors don’t collect dust and allergens.

If you love the cozy comfort of carpet then consider softening your hard floors with an organic wool or cotton area rug. These smaller and greener rug options are available in a wide range of colors, patterns and sizes.  Plus they’re better for the planet because they’re made of organic materials and don’t include harsh synthetics. Best of all, they’re easier to clean and disinfect than wall-to-wall carpeting.

Green Your Floors

Going through a renovation? Looking to remodel or replace your floors? What about those old dingy carpets? Eeeek! It all sounds overwhelming already.

Many questions arise when considering flooring. Should you use hardwood or linoleum, linoleum or carpet, or maybe hardwood and an area rug? Then, what about all the wood used to make floors? Or what about the chemicals in linoleum cement? And what about the carpets—made with synthetic fibers? Carpets are not only derived from petroleum, but also glued together with urea formaldehyde, a harsh chemical and suspected carcinogenic substance. Then, of course, there are the obvious questions of cost, quality and maintenance.

A great way to avoid renovation-related anxiety is to choose “green floors.” Green floors are made from sustainable or recycled materials, which not only last longer than conventional flooring, but also ensure a healthier environment for your home. A healthier home and a longer lasting carpet will end up saving you time and money . . . and who doesn’t need to save those?

Stay tuned. This week I’ll give you a day by day guide to greening your floors.