CleanScapes Tip: Waste-free gifts this Valentine's Day

Sweet Treats

Show your love for the planet and your sweetie by giving waste-free gifts this Valentine’s Day.

At your fingertips are a colorful variety of new experiences to share – trapeze lessons, guided snow shoe walks at Mt. Baker with the US Forest Service, Woodland Park Zoo’s Valentine’s Day Enrichment Celebration, or simply discover a new hike together. On your way home, you can make a nice dinner together or eat out at a favorite restaurant.

Chocolate fans, look no further than Seattle’s Theo Chocolate or Fran’s.  Buy Theo Chocolate at Third Place Books, Ballinger Thriftway, Bartells, Fred Meyer, Beach House Greetings, and Central Market.

Take a tour together and stock up for a private tasting. Prefer donuts?

Local favorites like Frost, Mighty-O and Top Pot will not disappoint.

If you plan to shop, it is easy to find unique gifts made by local artists at neighborhood farmers markets. Other ways to shop green include purchasing items made from recycled content or items made from renewable resources, such as bamboo. And when you shop, don’t forget your reusable shopping bags!

The Big Picture

In many households, Valentine’s Day is a major shopping holiday for kids and adults of all ages.

As you make your plans for Valentine’s Day, consider all of the sustainable alternatives available for cards, sweets, jewelry and creative alternatives to show your love for one another.

By supporting local artists and businesses, and giving experiences instead of more stuff, you can help reduce packaging waste and conserve natural resources.

Reduce first. Reuse what you can, and then Recycle.