It’s time we took Valentine’s Day back from Hallmark, FTD and Fannie May.

..(photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintagehalloweencollector/2173308587/

Show your valentine you love them by giving them a greener earth to live on.  Even better, why don’t we all ask Mother Earth to be our valentine this year?

ARE YOU GOING TO SAY IT WITH FLOWERS?

..(photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintagehalloweencollector/2173308587/

What you may really be saying is that you don’t care if areas of Columbia  (where most of our  cut flowers are being being grown these days)  are heavily pesticided while your carbon footprint just gained a shoe size flying flowers in refrigerated planes to your area.

Why not give a potted plant grown in a local nursery?  I’ve always thought potted plants have a better underlying message anyway.  Do you really want to say, “Here is something that looks good for the moment, but it’s going to wilt and drop its petals  no matter what you do.”

If you would rather send the message that your love is going to last, why not go to Heifer International and give the gift of trees planted in a part of the world facing deforestation?

I just learned from a UN report that if all the world’s trees were divided among all the world’s people, we would each have a piece of forest about the size of a football field.  That same reportsays that every year we are losing enough of our world’s forests to cover the state of Indiana.

You can give our earth a gift of trees for $60 or a share of seedlings for only $10.

What are we doing handing each other bunches of wilting roses?

DO YOU PLAN TO GIVE SOMEONE CHOCOLATE?

Put some conscience in your confectionary.  Instead of sweets for the sweet, let’s give some green to the greens in our lives.

Here is a link to some chocolates to consider. A few years ago when my daughter started describing how most chocolate is produced, I regretfully gave it up, then I discovered fair trade chocolates.  My personal favorite is Divine , a fair trade and 43% farmer owned chocolate company.  Speaking strictly for my taste buds,  it is the best tasting chocolate I’ve ever tried!  (and no uneasy aftertaste when the bar is gone either)

Here’s an even better idea of a sweet for your sweet.

Go back to Heifer International and give them a gift of honey bees that will be sent to a family somewhere from Uganda to El Salvador.  Those bees can provide a family’s livelihood and boost the whole village as they pollinate area plants.  This is an amazing gift that only sets you back $30.  How much were you going to spend on that box of chocolates?

What are you giving the earth for Valentines Day?