Our Top 4 Ways to Love The Planet This Valentines

Love is in the air

Valentine's day is fast approaching and this year many people are looking for environmentally sustainable ways to celebrate. It has never been more critical to ensure that we are protecting the planet and our environment. Because love is in the air, we wanted to show you four ways to be more sustainable this Valentines.

1. Plant Don't Buy!

Planting wildflowers is a great way to spread the love, give back to your local environment and prepare your garden for Spring!
In the UK there are many wildflowers that look great in any garden without requiring a lot of maintenance. They also provide an incredible home for a variety of various insects and animals. Bees and other pollinators will be drawn to the bright pink of Ragged Robin. Birds will love eating the seeds of Common Knapweed. Hedgehogs will build themselves a cosy home amongst Dog Rose!

2. Careful Card Choosing

A great way to reduce your waste this Valentine's Day is to lose the wrapping and put down the cards. When choosing a card this year ask yourself, will the card be recyclable? Often cards that include decorations such as glitters, charms and musical devices are hard to recycle because of all the different components. However most modern-day plain cards are printed on completely recyclable paper.
If you want to make your Valentine's day card even more sustainable, you can buy cards with seeds embedded into the paper. When the festive period is over, your loved one can plant it into their garden and wait for flowers to bloom!
Just like embellished cards, most type of wrapping paper cannot be recycled and end up in a landfill. If you have to wrap a present, search for a recyclable paper or even make your own with old newspaper.

3. A Vegetarian Valentines

This Valentine's you can even make your romantic dinner more environmentally friendly. Eating meat can come with a large carbon footprint, so switching to a plant-based diet can help save the environment whilst also being delicious!

4. Thoughtful Gifting

When celebrating with your loved ones, it can be easy to spend money on flashy gifts. However, many gifts will end up unused and will be destined for the landfill. That's why it is super important that you buy environmentally-friendly presents that will be useful for many years.
For a make-up wearer, a reusable make-up wipe would be a great way to help reduce their waste and carbon footprint. These handmade wipes from The Zero Waste Maker on Etsy don't only look great, but they are affordably priced, too!
You can also use Valentine's day to donate to a favourite charity. Does your partner have a favourite animal? Adopting an endangered animal with WWF will be a thoughtful gift that will help protect wildlife. Do you love walks in the countryside? Donating to the Woodland's Trust will help ensure that our forests are protected for years to come.

Invest in your future

Loving the planet can also help your career. Investing in the IEMA Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management will give you a foundation of knowledge that will help you transform your business into a more sustainable one.
By enrolling on this course, you will have the knowledge and skills to create a sustainable future, and you will be in a position to:

• Become recognised as a competent environmental AIEMA professional and practically manage positive environmental change
• Help companies to achieve environmental compliance by having a good understanding of environmental law and policy
• Help to develop a cultural shift by promoting the best environmental practice
• Reduce organisations' negative impacts on energy, waste, water etc. and improve profitability
• Open up new and rewarding career opportunities in environmental management and increase your salary potential