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Whether you love it or hate it, today is Valentine’s day ^[5]. Some may argue the holiday is a Hallmark fabrication to encourage consumption of useless goods, but whatever your thoughts, its a nice day to show your loved ones that you care and even treat yourself to some love as well. Of course, you can easily do all of this without fancy jewelry or chocolates or flowers. The best gifts come from the heart, and simply cooking a special dinner for someone would make a much appreciated treat. If you do want to go the route of more traditional gifts, here are some of our green suggestions:

Flowers
We much prefer living plants to cut flowers – they provide the oxygen that we breathe and last a lot longer as well. But if you’re a sucker for long-stemmed roses or other bouquet options, there are some organic flower companies like Organic Bouquet ^[6]. Or, make a last minute run to your local farmers market. We must say, though, that at $23 for a long stemmed rose, a potted plant is much cheaper, greener and better in every way.

Cards
Escape the cheesy Hallmark monopoly and make your own! The personal touch will go a long way with friends and loved ones who are tired of cliche Valentines day lines. And even for the artistically-impaired, never fear. As the old adage goes, it’s the thought that counts. Really.

Chocolate
We love organic options like Vere Goods ^[7], Dagoba ^[8], and Green & Black ^[9]. Fortunately for you last minute shoppers, you can find these varieties at most local gourmet/health food stores. Green & Black’s even has a store locator ^[10] function on their website.

Jewelry
We’ll talk a bit more about this later – but look to eco-minded jewelers like GreenKarat ^[11] for environmentally friendly fancy jewelry.

Green Underthings
Check out our post on Sustainable Skivvies ^[12] for more on sexy eco-friendly undergarments