How could I talk about Valentine’s Day without mentioning chocolate. Perhaps my favorite thing in the world. In case you haven’t noticed, I am an absolute chocolate fanatic. But, 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.

For Valentine’s Day make sure you give your “sweetie” chocolates that are not only delicious but also responsibly produced. These organic hand-crafted and tea infused artisan chocolates from the Tea Room will do just the trick. They are delicious, organic and handmade locally in Napa valley. With 16 in a box you’ll be sure to get your fix.

Who doesn’t love a beautiful bouquet of roses or tulips for Valentines Day? They’re so beautiful—well, at first. Then, after only a few days, they dry up and droop down. This Valentine’s Day, rather than giving a gift that wilts, why not give a gift that grows over time? A symbol of your love . . . (hah, so cheesy).

A little planter pot of flowers or herbs will provide fresh scents, beauty, and enjoyment use for ages—truly the gift that keeps on giving. The best part is that homegrown flowers and plants cut back on your carbon footprint. By going local—and what could be more local than your own windowsill—you’re avoiding purchasing foreign flowers that come with hefty carbon emissions generated from transportation and shipping.

Ensure your plants and flowers last until next Valentines Day by keeping them well fed and healthy with Bonide’s Organic Plant Food.

 photo courtesy of fothergills.co.uk

Who wants flowers when you can get snacks? 1-800-Flowers offers a fantastic Organic Gourmet Sampler Basket will no doubt appeal to your loved one’s good taste. Non-processed pretzel sticks, chocolate cookies, ginger snaps, organic cheddar cheese crackers . . . what could be better? Adorably arranged in a traditional natural drop-handle basket, he assortment even comes with a chocolate coffee bar, chocolate-cinnamon crisps box and dark chocolate espresso-vivani if your Valentine is a chocolate lover (like me). If you’re Valentine is a bit more health conscious the basket also comes with spicy herbal tea sachets, banana chips and organic spicy brown mustard. All in all, a sensational selection of snack foods you won’t feel guilty about.

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.

Call them nerdy, geeky, even dweeby, but they’re the savviest people we know. Rather than waste precious natural resources on the latest energy sucking technology, get your gadget guru something green this year. There are plenty of options to choose from.

Juice Bag
Get ‘em mobile solar. Yes, believe it or not, your giftee will be able to charge all of his or many gadgets through this super hip solar panel bag. Not only does it look cool, but it will also easily charge cell phones, iPods, GPS or anything with a 12 volt unit. Solar energy is a great alternative to regular electricity. In one day, the sun provides more energy than our population could use in 27 years. Make the switch to sunlight — it doesn’t pollute and it’s free.

To boot, Juice Bags fabric is made from recycled 2-liter soda bottles. Each bag keeps up to 8 soda bottles out of the landfill!

Apple 17″ MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo Notebook
Since 2001, all Apple computers and displays have earned the original (2000) ENERGY STAR® rating. Now Apple is taking it to another level of energy efficiency and recently created the Apple Mac and the Apple MacBook Pro either in a 15.4 inch screen or 17 inch screen, all of which have received the impressive Energy Star 4.0 certification.

The 15.4 inch MacBook Pro, is “especially green” because, it’s the only model that uses LED backlighting in order to eliminate the use of mercury and extend battery charge.

Apple iMac 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 20″
If your giftee is a lover of desktops or you simply don’t want to fork over the money for a laptop, give the energy efficient and energy star certified (but only 2.0) Apple iMac 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 20″ desktop processor.

Casio PAG50T-7V Solar Triple Sensor Men’s Titanium Watch
Give a timepiece that combines style, function and eco-chic. Featuring a barometer, altimeter and thermometer the harnesses the power of the sun (or any light source, even artificial) so your giftee will never have to change the battery–ever.

1. Give Green
Support companies who care about the environment. From stocking stuffers to big-ticket items there are endless green alternatives to all your holiday favorites.

2. Wrap Well
According to Robert Lilienfeld’s book, “Use Less Stuff: Environmental Solutions for Who We Really Are,” Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year. The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week.

Trim your trash and bypass the wrapping paper this holiday season. Get creative! Wrap gifts in old maps, magazine tears, unused fabric, and bits and pieces from your junk drawer. If it’s a fun and carefree gift, why not use the Sunday comics? Your recipient will be impressed you took the time to add a personal touch that doesn’t add, but subtracts, from the holiday trash heap.

3. Buy Online
Shopping online is healthier for the environment. E-tailers avoid the necessary cost of heat and electricity to run a storefront and you’ll lower your carbon emissions—when you shop online, you can literally travel the globe without using any fuel.

Shopping online is especially great if you recycle your purchases’ shipping materials—peanuts, wood shavings, shredded newspaper and bubble wrap can be reused. Or, drop extra packing materials at local private mailing centers. Call the Plastic Loosefill Council’s Peanut Hotline at 1-800-828-2214 for the names of a mailing center that collects them in your area.

If you’re really on top of your environmental game, buy gifts online that are easy to ship such as linens or clothing that won’t require excess packaging.

Sources:
Use Less Stuff: Environmental Solutions for Who We Really Are,” by Robert Lilienfeld and Dr. William Rathje, published by Ballantine Books. Copyright 1994 -2000 Robert Lilienfeld.

61. Recycle your power tool and cell phone rechargeable batteries.
62. Donate your old computer.
Giving away your old computer can do a lot of good, too. Not only does it keep potentially hazardous materials out of landfills, it also puts a computer in the hands of someone who needs it.
63. Use a Mug.
If you’re like the average American office worker, you go through around 500 disposable cups every year. Keep a mug at your desk and use it.
64. Drink Organic.
65. Buzz Fair Trade Organic.
66. Soothe Organic.
67. Reuse your plastic bags or bring a tote to the grocery store.
It can take up to 1,000 years for plastic bags to degrade, depending on sunlight and air exposure.
68. Insulate your house by caulking and weather-striping doors and windows.
69. Close off unused areas in your home from heat and air conditioning.
70. When it gets really cold, put on a sweater before cranking up the heat.

71. Run energy star washing machines, but don’t overload them.
72. Use moderate amounts of biodegradable detergent.
73. Air-dry your laundry when possible.
74. Set energy star refrigerators to 38°F, freezers to 5°F, no colder.
75. Take the roof rack or case off your car when it’s not being used. It decreases the aeordynamics meaning you’ll use more fuel. Also empty the boot/trunk to make it lighter.

31. Take the live earth pledge.
32. Keep your car tuned.
Keeping your car in good working condition will make it safer and more fuel-efficient.
33. Use glass instead of plastic.
Plastic packaging leaves chemical residues on foods stored or heated in it.
34. Use organic skin care products.
35. Clean up your spills with cloth.
Twenty-seven million trees a year are destroyed to support our paper towel addiction. Clean up your spills with cotton kitchen towels or old clothes.
36. Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows.
37. Opt for small-oven or stove-top cooking when preparing small meals.
38. Compost kitchen and garden waste, or give it to a friend who can.
39. Clean the lint screen in clothes dryers.
40. Support Organic Cotton
41. Carpool
Most cars on U.S. roads carry only one person.

11. Green your office.
12. Use natural cleaners instead of chemical cleaners.
13. Give organic.
14. Stay warm in winter by layering up.
15. Plant Trees and Turn Down the AC.
If you live in a hot place, plant trees to produce shade. Trees surrounding a house can reduce the temperature inside by 10 to 20 degrees. Lower indoor temps mean less electricity for your AC, saving you hundreds.
16. Use energy saving lightbulbs like CFLs. They might costs a bit more but they last a lot longer and are better for the environment.
17. Insulate your house.
18. Wash clothes in cold water
When it comes time to do the laundry, you can cut your energy use and washing costs in half by switching to cold water. Of course use an Energy Star washing machine.
19. If really ambitious heat your above ground pool with solar power . . . .

Leisure Peter Palm’s Solar Heating System Premium Above-Ground Kit
Heat for your above-ground or in-ground pool for free with this solar heating module. Kit includes diverter valve, mounting hardware, and two 6′ hoses and clamps.

20. Go lead free with organic toys for your children.
21. Reduce
22. Reuse
23. Recycle.
24. Drive a hybrid.
When in the market for a new vehicle, consider buying a hybrid. That will reduce your smog pollution by 90 percent compared with the cleanest vehicles on the road today.
25. Sleep in eco luxury.
26. Reduce your junk mail.
Cancel catalogue subscriptions and ask to have your name removed from the Direct Marketing Associations database.
27. Use front-loading washers. You’ll save energy and money.
28. Indulge Organic.
29. Turn off your lights when you leave a room.
30. Line Dry Your Laundry

5. Walk, Bike, Skateboard
Think long-term with those numbers…. over 10 years, a 2-car family spends $180,000 on car-related expenses. Over a 30 year career, that works out to $540,000. By just taking one day a week off from driving you could save $77,142 that’s a college education, a major renovation to your house, an early retirement.

Even if you only replace a few trips a week with a bike or walking or carpooling, you’re doing your part to help and save on gas money at the same time. Of course, you’re also staying healthy. Walk your kid to school, bike to the corner store, carpool, skateboard, or take the bus, whatever your favorite mode of transportation, anything is better than driving solo.

The “Bambino” Professional Bamboo Mini-Longboard Skateboard is a great eco-alternative to driving. Bamboo is an excellent eco-material and sustainable alternative to hardwoods because it is a fast-growing grass that can regenerate itself in just 4 week. For more on Bamboo click here, here, and here.