From chocolate and cards to jewelry and flowers, Valentines Day is a commercialized holiday that generated over 18 billion dollars in 2013. This year the OFS encourages you to think more sustainable when planning and purchasing gifts for Valentines Day. Whether spending the day with your significant other or hosting a get together with your friends or co-workers, these tips will help you reduce waste and sustain your love while sustaining the environment. We have created a list of the top five ways to incorporate sustainability into Valentines Day this year.
- Snail Mail with a Twist: The most popular purchase on Valentines Day is paper greeting cards that cost around $3 dollars each. This year you can mix it up by making a homemade card out of recycled paper, making your own Paper Mache card, or going paperless and creating an e-card to send to the one you love. Not only will your card be more sustainable for the environment, but it will be more economical for your pocket book and “SOS” will appreciate the extra effort you put into creating a unique card just for them.
- In with the old: Repurposed gifts make old items new treasures for your loved one. The first way to incorporate reuse into your valentines day is by making something new out of old or extra material. Pinterest has a multitude of DIY projects that can inspire your up-cycled projects. The second way to turn someone’s trash into your treasure is by shopping at one of Fayetteville’s local resale consignment stores.
- Local Love: Who doesn’t enjoy a hardy meal shared with a special someone? Candle lit dinners save 100% of the electricity typically generated from overhead lights. There are several ways to make your Valentines Day dinner more sustainable. If staying in, we suggests shopping local at Fayetteville’s indoors Farmers Market (Saturday from 9:00-1:00) or Ozark Natural Foods. This will allow you to cook a delicious meal with locally grown produce. If eating out there are a multitude of restaurants committed to serving the highest quality local cuisine. No matter where you dine, there are many ways to create a meal that sustains not only your love but our love for our local community as well.
- Vehicle-less Valentines Day: Stay in and enjoy a movie night at home or invite your neighbors over for a game night. Live in town? Take a romantic walk to the Fayetteville Square or check out night life on Dickson Street. Keeping it simple will reduce waste, conserve gas, save money, and decrease the amount of carbon emissions created by traveling over the weekend.
- Give a gift that sustains: No matter who you’re celebrating with, make sure to strategically select a durable gift that won’t just be tossed in the trash. Still searching for a last minute gift? See some of our top choices for the occasion:
- Purchase a ticket to Ozark Slow Food HOOP-LA 2015 for a fun night out filled with the best local cuisine! The event will be held April 8th at the Garden Room in Fayetteville.
- Make your way downtown to hear some live music
- Take a bike ride to Baum Stadium to see the Razorbacks take on North Dakota
- Purchase a ticket to Robert Ford’s Look Away at Theatre Squared