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Green Journal: My Valentine
February 11, 2008

To the great relief of my husband, I am not a believer in the trappings of Valentine’s Day. I never understood why there has to be a specific day dedicated to expressing love when there are 365 days of the year to be affectionate.

Since personal notes have been replaced with mass produced cards, Valentine’s Day is now the second most profitable day for greeting card companies – the first being Christmas. Industry research estimates that ONE BILLION valentine cards are sent every year worldwide and that women purchase over 80% of them. Don’t forget about the flower industry which sells close to 200 million stems of roses for this day alone. And then there are chocolates, jewelry, lingerie, perfume, and the list goes on and on.

I am not turning my back on love and romance, just the commercialization of it. I think it’s clear how I feel about greeting cards. And we’ve talked about the dilemma of cut flowers (plus there’s a good article in NY times last week about this very topic). Last year, my little one made a bouquet of flowers made from pink tissues and pipe cleaners. My husband planted some tulips for me in our flower bed. That was plenty enough for me.

In the past, I’ve compiled eco-friendly gift lists. However, this time I’d like to go one step further and skip gifts altogether. A hug and a kiss from my loved ones will do.

CindyC at Organicpicks

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