Zero Waste Valentine’s Day celebration

Every day should be a time to be sustainable and less wasteful. Not even February 14, the day of love, should be an exception. Yes, it is almost a cliche that this day is a highly commercialized and devastatingly wasteful holiday. But if you are really determined enough, you can have a Zero Waste Valentine’s Day celebration.

I asked bloggers and influencers about how to celebrate Valentine’s Day in an eco-friendly way. Get inspired in their ideas. Find ways to love Mother Earth in the feast day of the Saint of Love.

Kayaking – Emma Kelly of Our Wayfaring Life

Our best life is one that is a collection of experiences shared with those we love and who love us. As full time travellers discovering new places and our love of nature has grown. So has our desire to lessen our footprint on the earth.

Our ideal Valentine’s Day therefore would be one together, kayaking on a lake, river or bay and being in nature. 
Follow this with a picnic lunch, eaten on a picnic blanket overlooking the water. The meal would have to finish with a vegan chocolate cup cake cooked by my husband prior in our caravan.

For me the romance is in being together, the quiet of the kayak on the water and the sharing of a meal. It is the shared memories, making time for each other and never about stuff. 

Sail through Whitsunday Islands, Australia – Emily Brett of Whitsunday Rent a Yacht

If you want to take the one you love on an eco-friendly,  romantic escape, take them on a sailing holiday through the Whitsunday Islands in Australia.

The Whitsundays are made up of 74 islands, most of which are national parks. With pristine beaches, turquoise water, amazing reefs to snorkel and access to secluded beaches, you’re sure to find the perfect setting for a Valentines Day celebration.
 

For couples, holidaying on your own yacht is extremely romantic. You will have complete privacy and be able to make your experience as adventurous or as relaxing as you like. You can put the sails up for a true eco-friendly holiday, or cruise with the motor on.

Romance is all about doing something special and being together. Enjoy days of swimming, hiking, resort hopping and sun baking. And each evening, come back to your floating hotel for champagne at sunset, time under the Australian stars and going to sleep with the soothing sounds of the ocean knowing that when you wake up, you’ll be able to do it all over again.  

Dancing Boat Cruise with Digital Gift – Rosa Sedeno

This year we are actually celebrating Valentine’s Day instead of the usual stay at home frugal life we live. We are going to a dancing boat cruise in the city and I am excited!

We haven’t had a date night in months and with three children and our busy lives, it is needed. We have agreed not to give each other cards or flowers that will die within a week for years. 

But I still wanted to have give him a momento to show my love for him. I reached out to some of my friends in different places of the world to write down on a piece of paper or meme “Rosa love is so big , it has  reached XYZ” along with a pic of where they are at.

I am gathering all the pics digitally and making him a slideshow that I’ll send him on Valentine’s day. I’ve seen it on another group and thought it was genius! It’s free, no waste because I’m not printing it out and best of all: it is from the bottom of heart. 

Before we head out, we make sure we spend some time with them. For our kids, we usually spend the early part of the evening making treats for each other. It gets the boys excited and we all get to make wonderful memories together. 

Being frugal and zero waste does not have to feel boring or restrictive.  Just spending time together is all what’s needed during Valentine’s day.  

Home Date Night – Lisa Sharp of Green Oklahoma

Skip the crowds and the waste and stay home for Valentine’s Day. It can still be very special. Set up your table with a nice table cloth, cloth napkins, your best dishes,  light some soy wax candles, and turn on a romantic playlist. Then cook your partner’s favorite dinner, maybe even find a copycat recipe for their favorite dinner out.

If you both enjoy cooking then you can even cook the meal together for even more time spent together. Put all of those devices away and really connect with each other without all of the distractions we are usually facing.

Mindful Valentine’s Night – Lucile Hernandez Rodriguez

For Valentine’s Day, choose to celebrate mindfully. You don’t need to buy anything for your significant other to show them your feelings. Instead, spend the evening celebrating your relationship with a few mindful activities:

• Meditating: start the evening by emptying your mind and being fully present in the moment with your partner. My advice is to try an easy meditation technique.
• Cooking your favorite meals together: spend some time crafting the perfect evening, enjoying the other’s company while working together on a common project.
• Journaling: journaling is an ideal way to time to look back on how far you’ve gone together. Take some time to reflect and feel gratitude for your relationship.

These activities will make you feel closer as a couple and understand your partner better. So, this Valentine’s Day, opt out of all the clichés such as buying flowers, fine dining and choose to do something that brings you together.

Memories, not things for Valentine’s Day – Cati Sykes of Quarter Life Crisis Traveling

I’ve always said to my better half: I don’t want things, I want memories. This is a rule we always follow and Valentine’s day is no exception.

For any celebration, wherever we happen to be in the world, we’ll go out and do something special together. That might be go for a hike, visit a castle or even stay in to cook a special dinner and watch a movie.

Any presents, therefore, are often recycled and handmade mementos of our adventures together. Ticket stubs, leaflets, menus: you name it, we’ve squirrelled it away to turn into a keepsake. And trust me, they always make the best Valentine’s presents.

What’s more thoughtful than making your loved one something? So we sit, in each others arms, fondly remembering those special memories we make together. 

Now you don’t get that from buying some Valentine’s Day tat from the card shop and we’re showing the planet some love at the same time. Win win.