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Celebrate Green
Green your Valentine’s Day celebrations with tips from the authors of 'Celebrate Green'.
Wed, Feb 11 2009 at 5:52 AM
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(Photo: Holli Dunn)
Authors and mother-daughter team, Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell recently chatted with MNN about their new book, Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family and offered some easy and helpful tips for a fun and earth-friendly Valentine’s Day.
What’s the focus of the book?
Our primary aim was to provide earth and people-friendly tips and ideas for celebrating any occasion. People are living more consciously in their daily lives, but when it comes to celebrating, they often think, “It’s just one day” so green intentions fly out the window. Celebrate Green! offers hundreds of alternatives to help keep all the fun and meaning in celebrations while maintaining eco-values.What inspired you to write this book?
In 2007, we started the Green Halloween initiative for a healthier, more earth-friendly Halloween. The response told us that people were hungry for alternative ways to celebrate that weren’t necessarily more difficult or expensive or less fun. We knew that Halloween was not the only holiday in need of an eco-makeover, and that eventually, we’d write a book.
How can celebrating green help you achieve a greener lifestyle?
Here’s an example. After reading Celebrate Green!, many readers have said they’ll never use wrapping paper again. If someone made this choice as their first eco-friendly step, we hope that their avoiding wrapping paper might plant a seed. Once you start thinking about what your choices mean to the earth and other people, that consciousness begins to grow and expand.
Why go green this Valentine's Day?
Valentine’s Day is an important holiday to celebrate green because the top three traditional gifts have a significant impact on the planet. Think of the trees used for cards and the habitat, soil, water and farmers impacted by conventional chocolate and flower growing practices. If everyone chose to swap just one traditional gift for something greener, it would make a big difference.
How can adults green their Valentine's Day celebration?
- Look for 100% recycled or tree-free cards including those made from bananas and sugarcane. You can also make your own plantable seed cards.
- Give flowers grown with earth and human ethics in mind. Choose certified organic, Veraflora, or Fair Trade certified flower bouquets.
- Conventional chocolate is often grown with tremendous amount of pesticides and may be planted at the expense of rainforests and farmers’ health and well being. There are many certified organic and fair trade certified choices available -- we love Sjaaks and Theo.
- Jewelry is a top Valentine’s Day gift but mining metals and stones can have negative effects on the planet. Choose recycled metals and manmade stones or create a custom piece from jewelry you no longer wear. There are also great designers making eco-friendly jewelry such as Smart Glass.
- Prepare a candlelit dinner with two twists; you cannot speak (laughter exempt), and feed each other every bite.
- Make a book of coupons, each one good for a massage, bubble bath, or cleaning the house, clothing optional.
How about some kid specific green Valentine's Day tips?
- Talk to your child’s teacher about swapping green Valentine’s Day cards this year.
- Have your child find used and recycled materials from around the house that to turn into cards. For example, CD cases, mint tins, and small boxes make perfect cards.
- Encourage your child to create extra cards and deliver them to people whose Valentine’s Day could be a little brighter (such as at retirement communities).
- Send your child to school with organic and fair trade Valentine’s Day confections. Organic Candy and Natural Candy Store stock every variety imaginable.
MORE ON MNN:
All the Valentine's Day coverage an eco-geek could ever want.
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I think the great value of Lynn and Corey's approach is that it is simply useful. Specific tips for specific occasions makes it practical resource year-round.
Also, check out their blog: http://www.celebrategreen.net/blog/
Great ideas that I will be using!
I love that staying green is also about staying affordable, especially with the economy. Thanks for the great ideas on how to make that happen.
As we know kids learn from and model their parents. Starting a green holiday tradition and incorporating it into everyday life means that as our kids grow up it's something that will be ingrained in them and not something they 'should' do.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I love coupons! I have to give the coupon thing a try - now to come up with a list of things that I'll do!
I love Celebrate Green!! We are making our Valentine's Day Green again this year with ideas from Corey and Lynn! I love that they make each holiday more about the holiday and less about the sugar! I am also a huge fan of their www.greenhalloween.org too!
What a fabulous idea! Reusing things is such an easy way to go green! Love the book!
what a terrific book. I'm always looking for packaging and gift ideas that are "green". I've started purchasing fair trade certified chocolate as gifts and the products are delicious.
I need to make more careful choices going forward when it comes to holidays. It will be fun and will encourage others to go Green.
Let's all "Celebrate Green"
The dinner idea sounds like a lot of fun...don't think my boyfriend would last without talking for that long though! =)
Corey and Lynn's book gives wonderful cost and eco-savy ways to celebrate not just Valentine's Day, but everyday. I was pleased to interview this talented pair on my site back in October for Halloween.
http://www.freewebs.com/brynnacurry
The kids are always looking for things to do to help the planet. I am sure they can come up with lots of ways to make cool things for Valentine's Day and other holidays.
What great, inspiring ideas! One step at a time, we can make a difference!
I totally love this concept. It's funny how so many throw away all their best of intentions on the holidays. It's great to get alternatives on how to do it and still have a terrific day. I've had the good fortune to read their book and it's solid great information from front to back. I have implemented so many of the ideas in our daily routines. That's the best part. It's easy to do so you don't even realize you are doing it. Awesome article!
what a great idea!
This is a great book to own, not just for the ideas contained within, but also for the way it inspires you to think. It encourages new ideas and cultivates a brighter, greener future. This book introduces simple ideas and small changes you can implement to make the world a better place. I recommend it to everyone.
Fun ideas. The plantable paper cards are wonderful, I've been both using them and giving them as gifts. They actually work too!
Great ideas! also I follow a Co in Twitter the dedicates trees for Valentines!! http://twitter.com/TreesInstead
I have the Celebrate Green! book and find the ideas amazing and so unique. These are excellent tips to Celebrate Green this Valentine's Day! I hope more people will read and adopt Lynn and Corey's methods.
Great ideas! I especially like the coupon book idea. A great way to show someone you care wihtout an added expense. I think we will also start to re-use our cards to one another, each year writing a fresh new, heart-felt message. Thanks for encouraging us to go GREEN.