Sustainable Valentine’s Day

By Melissa Donahue, WPNC Naturalist

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and although it tends to be a rather commercialized holiday, it can be a nice opportunity to share time with the ones you love.  Rather than buying a card or box of candy that may immediately end up in the landfill, try one of these more sustainable ways to express your affection.

• Create a homemade card by making seed paper with native flowers. Toss the card in the garden and you’ll be watching your love bloom all summer long! Click here to learn how.
• Opt for a potted plant or a planter of herbs over cut flowers. Cook a meal together using your new herbs, or take an on-line cooking class!
• Buy fair-trade chocolate, or better yet - start a morning ritual of sharing a cup of cacao!
• Order a one-of-a-kind gift from a local craftsman or the Friends of Warner Parks online store. 
• Sip drinks through your reusable metal straws from the Friends of Warner Parks gift shop and take your Valentine on a virtual trip to a famous museum. Visit the Musee D’Orsay in Paris or the Guggenheim Museum in New York!

Or better yet, celebrate with a hike in Warner Parks. Choose a route with a scenic overlook to enjoy a special vista, and remember, this romantic opportunity is available to you and your loved ones 365 days a year. From our heart, to yours.