14 Fantastic Plastic-Free Valentine’s Day Gifts
Nothing says, “I love you” better than not burdening your sweetheart with more planet-polluting single-use plastic. Use our tips and ideas below to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day in a manner that is sweet for you, your loved ones, and the planet.
1. Give an Experience
Plan a trip, visit a museum, go to a concert, visit a roller rink, take your honey bowling, take a day off of work and go skiing or snow tubing, or go see a movie. If money is tight, why not pack a picnic and invite your Valentine to go for a walk or hike with you? Spending time with someone is the real gift, and if you put a little thought into a fun, interesting, or amusing experience, it’s bound to be a winner.
2. Provide the Perfect Cuppa (Hold the Plastic). Since many tea bags release large amounts of microplastics into each cup of tea, giving your Valentine everything they need to enjoy delicious, plastic-free tea is a very thoughtful and loving gift. If you live near a coop or natural foods store, you may be able to buy loose tea in bulk. If not, you should be able to purchase a tin of loose tea at the store. Don’t forget to include a metal, glass or ceramic tea infuser to complete the present.
3. Give a Home-Baked Treat
Bake up some sweets for the sweet and make sure to wrap your delicious home-baked treats in paper, pretty cloth, a reusable bag, or a glass storage container (which you can politely request to get back.)
4. How About a Massage?
A massage from a talented masseuse is truly a Gift. Do some research to find a great massage therapist and then either book the appointment for your Valentine if you know their schedule or get them a digital gift certificate (including tip) for the service.
5. Make a Home-Cooked Meal To Order
Everyone is busy and having someone else cook for you is always a treat. You can suggest a menu or let your Valentine choose. Build in flexibility to let them choose the date they’d like you to deliver your culinary masterpiece, too.
6. Give the Gift of a Clean Car
As acts of service go, cleaning someone’s car (inside and out) is pretty high on the list. If it’s appropriate, you can take their car to be cleaned or if that would be odd, you can get them a gift certificate (or even a series of passes) to a local car wash or detailing service.
7. Give the Gift of a Clean Home
For many people, a clean home may be the very best gift you can give. If you’re good at cleaning, you can perform this service yourself or, if you’re not a seasoned scrubber with time to spare, you can hire a reputable cleaning service to do the job (just make sure your Valentine is comfortable with the idea first.)
8. Give a Gift Certificate to a Package-Free or Zero Waste Store
If you are fortunate enough to have a zero waste or package-free shop in your town or neighborhood, you can support it while also giving your Valentine a fun shopping spree to purchase plastic-free essentials. If not, look online for an e-version like EcoandMe, ZeroWaste Store, Package-Free Shop, or consider a gift certificate to a great plastic-free refill service like Blueland, Meliora, or Plaine Products.
9. Give a Subscription
If you know your Valentine’s taste, get them a subscription to something you know they would enjoy, whether it’s a streaming music, TV, or movie service, or an online magazine.
10. Give a Virtual Gift Card
Even though we’re down on PVC plastic gift cards (more about that here), there are plenty of companies and local businesses who wisely offer digital or paper gift cards. Bookstores, music, coffee, clothing, and much more are all good options for your Valentine.
11. Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate
Chocolate may be a Valentine’s Day cliche but that does not mean it’s not a universally well-loved gift choice. Just make sure to choose a set of bars or a box that is wrapped in foil and/or paper, rather than in plastic.
12. Give a Great, Eye-Opening Read
We’re big fans of Eve Schaub’s informative, humorous and down-to-Earth book, Year of No Garbage: Recycling Lies, Plastic Problems, and One Woman’s Trashy Journey to Zero Waste. Click here to read more about the book and its hilarious, committed author. We encourage you to purchase the book from a local independent book store rather than on Amazon or another big etailer. If you don’t have a local bookshop, or your local bookstore does not have the book in stock, you can buy it directly from the publisher here. Another good new title is journalist Matt Simon’s book, A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies from Island Press. If you can’t find this locally, you can order it from the publisher here.
13. Give a Bookstore Gift Certificate
A gift certificate to your local independent bookstore is a lovely way to support a local business while ensuring that your Valentine will enjoy hours of reading enjoyment.
14. Make a Donation to Beyond Plastics!
Last but definitely not least, you can make a tax-deductible donation to Beyond Plastics and let your Valentine know about your gift. Gifts of any size are appreciated and make a difference in our ability to reduce plastic pollution to protect our health, communities, climate, ocean, wildlife, and climate. Make your secure, online gift here.