A night in a castle, homemade gifts, British grown flowers, an organic meal and atmospheric candlelight - there are lots of ways to spoil your loved one this Valentine without spoiling the planet.
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Add some spice to your relationship
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Cook a romantic candle-lit meal for your loved one and have them eating out of your hand. Try to select seasonal, British-grown ingredients to lower your carbon footprint. Add some chillies and turn down the temperature by one degree to counter the extra heat! And remember to recycle all the food packaging that you can and compost any leftovers.
If you’re eating out, try a sustainable eco-friendly restaurant. There are loads of eco restaurants across the country covering everything from fine cuisine to pizza. Search online to find your nearest one.
Homemade gifts have much more meaning that a shop brought offering, so why not knit, sew, stick or plant your way into someone’s heart?
Be creative
Put your thinking caps on and make something you know your partner will love.
Consider making a photo jigsaw. Just print out a favourite picture of the two of you on a piece of thick card and cut it into pieces using a craft knife. This great Guardian article explains how. Or they if are a romantic, how about making a scented Valentine heart or a CD of their favourite love songs.
All wrapped up
Ever fancied trying your hand at knitting? There are loads of great, free patterns online from anything from jumpers to bobble hats. If you’ve never knitted before, try a simple pattern for basic scarf
Plant your love
Plant a tree in honour of your loved one. Try a crab apple tree, which is the ‘tree of love’, or a rose bush instead of the traditional bouquet.
Make your own Valentine’s cards using recycled paper and old magazines. Or send an ecard.
Buy recycled
If you haven’t got time to make something yourself, buy gifts made from recycled products. For something more traditional, try British grown flower bouquets or British-made, organic or fair trade chocolates.
Turn off the TV and learn a new skill together. You could take a class or buy a ‘how to’ book and do it from home. If all couples in the UK turned off their TVs this Valentine’s Day, it would save them nearly £770,000 and over 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Go potty for pottery
As Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze showed us in Ghost, pottery is sexy. And you get something to show for your toils at the end of the class. You never know, you could be making your own tableware in no time. There are lots of pottery classes across the country, run an online search to find your nearest one.
Dance the salsa
Grab your partner, throw on your dancing shoes and shimmy and shake to the sensual sounds of the salsa. Salsa is a lot easier to learn that it looks. Lessons are great fun and suitable for every level and ability. Salsa has become really popular over the past few years so there is bound to be a class near you. Classes are usually held at sport centres or pubs – so ask around or check online.
Cook up a storm
Food is a natural aphrodisiac, and if you’ve ever watched Nigella Lawson, you’ll know there’s some rather sensual about cooking it too. Try adding some British-grown truffle oil to your dishes, according to the Independent it’s the best aphrodisiac there is.
If you’re planning a romantic Valentine’s weekend away, why not stick to the UK rather than heading abroad? There’s loads of romantic breaks in the UK from spa weekends in Bath to stays in luxurious, medieval castles. Take the train to reduce your carbon footprint. Or if you are driving, make sure you adopt smart driving techniques to reduce your fuel costs and CO2 emissions. UK drivers could save more than £6 billion per year in reduced fuel costs by adopting smarter driving techniques.
Other low impact options to consider are walking or cycling holidays. They are both great ways to spend time together, see the country and get fit.
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Book your romantic weekend online and get electronic tickets to save paper.
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Find your local suppliers of British produce >
Knitting patterns for a basic scarf >
Make your own Valentine’s cards >
Send a Valentine’s ecard >
Buy gifts made from recycled products >
Read the naked truth about aphrodisiacs >
Find out about spa weekends in Bath >
Stay in a luxurious, medieval castle >
Get information on smart driving techniques >
Find out about walking holidays in the UK >
Find out about cycling holidays in the UK >
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