Responsible People Tree travel…

Posted by: Katie

Wow, here’s an offer and a half! Fair Trade fashion pioneers, People Tree has teamed up with online travel directory, responsibletravel.com to celebrate the launch of their new Summer Collection with a fantastic competition.

Win a holiday and a holiday wardrobe!

To win a luxury weekend break for 2 in Devon, plus £300 worth of vouchers for a Fair Trade holiday wardrobe to match, all you have to do is answer this question:

Both People Tree and responsibletravel.com projects support communities in Peru.

Which of these regions is NOT found in Peru:
a) Amazonas
b) Cusco
c) Himalayas

Enter the competition

Find out more about the holiday, the competition and terms & conditions

20% off at People Tree

And if that wasn’t enough, they’re also offering a 20% discount at People Tree when quoting this special code, RTJUL08, to redeem the offer. You can also place orders at www.peopletree.co.uk or over the phone on 0845 450 4595.

Be quick though as the offer ends 8th July 2008!

Filed under Fair Trade, Holidays, Fashion | Comment (0)

Saving the earth- in style

Posted by: Wendy

When I first agreed to review Green Chic by Christie Matheson, I admit I was not prepared to be inspired.  Aside from the fact that the book arrived with another  unrequested book from the same publisher called  “Porn Stars Secrets of Sex”,  (note- bad practice for publicists)  the idea of combining the drive for style with earth friendly tips seemed dubious.    After all, it seems almost the purpose of fashion magazines to make us perpetual consumers. 

Although I have never  been much on following the latest style trends , having a family and  raising children who need the newest flair  or ever lowering  waistline to their jeans  has made me a consistent if reluctant consumer over and over again.  Green Chic  offers  well researched facts and suggestions  on everything  from home care, to transportation,  and  of course the fashionista staples of clothing, hair and makeup solutions.

What made me want to go back to Green Chic, was that Matheson, admits early on to being  a new environmentalist ,  and  she shares an  authentic journey of  transforming  her own life decisions based on her research.  I appreciated the places where she choose to  give up favorite fashion practices like nail polish as well as some that she couldn’t – deodorant.   Her honest  tone made the book  feel like a conversation I would have with a friend and not a preachy  list of “should do’s”.  

Where her book made a real impact in my own life choices was when I read the chapter about giving up  shopping bags.   From Christie,  I learned that  worldwide,  we use and throw away over a trillion shopping bags- Here in the US  that translates to  an average household disposing of  1000 plastic bags in a year.  Most of these bags end up in landfills where they take hundreds of years to degrade  and  because of their petroleum base they release toxic chemicals into the air, ground and water.  Even worse many bags end up in streams and rivers where they poison hundreds of thousands of animals per year.  The ten billion paper bags we use in this country, requires fourteen million trees to be cut down.  This is a problem where individual choices can go a long way.   And it felt  like a transformation of sorts, the day I decided I wasn’t  going to use another  disposable bag-paper or plastic.  So even when I have to run out to retrieve the bags from the car,  the satisfaction of  making this small but powerful change is liberating.  

Feeling free from any life habit inspires you to try out others and so the slow process of change which sustains itself  also inspires itself.    Christie’s also offers some great research for Bedroom accessories, which although it didn’t include my favorite love products, made a seriously good argument for organic cotton sheets.  Another shift I plan to investigate soon.  So even if you have never thought of yourself as fashion conscious ,  Green Chic is a great resource for  making informed and thoughtful choices on a  path to making your life greener and the world a little healthier.   

See the following link to purchase. www.amazon.com/Green-Chic-Saving-Earth-Style/dp/1402210825 

Filed under Sustainability, Families, Fair Trade, Shopping, Fashion, Health | Comment (1)

Brighton World Fair Trade Day event - Sat 10 May

Posted by: Katie

We are really excited about our World Fair Trade Day event this Saturday 10 May!

Greg Valerio of Cred Jewellery is going to be telling us all about the process of seeking Fair Trade certification for gold and diamonds. So if you’re on the lookout for an ethical engagement or wedding ring, are confused about conflict diamonds and focused on Fair Trade, it really is a must.

The event takes place this Saturday 10 May at The Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton.

If you happen to be in Brighton on Saturday and can tear yourself away from the beach for an hour or two, we’d love to see you there…!

Midday – 2pm – fair trade stalls and information stands

2-3pm – speaker event – ‘Fair Trade that glitters’ - raising awareness of the social and environmental issues surrounding gold and diamonds (going beyond conflict or blood diamonds) and the route towards fair trade certification that Greg Valerio of Cred Jewellery has been spearheading.

Greg will be talking about his experiences to date and what future he sees for fair trade gold and diamonds. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.

3-4.30pm – chance to chat to local ethical businesses

4.30pm – late! – chat some more in The Cricketers pub over the road (The Cricketers, Black Lion Street, BN1 1ND)

The event is free but donations to cover costs will be gratefully accepted.

You are very welcome to come along to all or any part of this day-long event.

Hope to see you there!

Katie & Jamie
www.ethicalweddings.com

Filed under Events, Hove, UK, Fair Trade, Uncategorized | Comment (0)

Planning a hand-made, eco wedding

Posted by: Vicky

As mine and Jez’s big day approaches and most of the preparations in place I thought I would steal a little time to reflect and share my experience in planning our eco and ethical wedding.

Right from the start we wanted our wedding to reflect our everyday values and beliefs, how we live and work. Although we didn’t tell anyone until the summer, our plans started last spring, looking for all of the main wedding necessities - a place to have the ceremony, a place to celebrate and someone to provide food.

Ceremonies & Celebrations

Finding a place to have the ceremony was easy, neither of us wanted to get married in church and the cost of using a hotel or other licenced venue ruled that out immediately. So, register office it was to be. We didn’t choose the one in Nottingham city as it isn’t very pretty and would be further for our families to travel so we chose one in a nearby town which has a walled garden and is just as easy to get to via public transport.

Party Venue
Looking for a place to celebrate and a caterer went hand in hand because of course the venue needed the facilities to prepare and serve food and the caterer had to be happy working in the chosen venue. It took me a little while to catch on to the idea of having a celebration in a village hall, I don’t know why but I think I originally got the idea from an Ethical Weddings blog post. I had spend days and days scouring the internet for a suitable place in Nottinghamshire, again hotels were just too expensive and many places wanted to provide their own food but I was determined to find an ethical caterer of our own.

Ethical Caterer
Luckily after the great realisation that a village hall would be just right for us, I narrowed it down to two possibilities, visited them both and chose one immediately, a charity run hall not far from the register office. In-between times I was glued to my computer searching for a suitable caterer and in Nottinghamshire that isn’t easy. I think in total I found 3 caterers that could provide local, organic and fair trade food but when I called Cate from C8TER I need look no further. Right from the start Cate reassured me with her friendly, professional and flexible approach and her attention to detail. She’s knowledgable about sourcing local and organic food and after sampling her cooking I’m really looking forward to the meal on the day!

Dressing Up

Luckily, finding a dress happened quite quickly, although I expected it to be difficult. In fact initially I didn’t see myself with a traditional wedding dress and thought I would buy a pretty organic cotton dress or something similar. However, wedding fever soon took over and I got carried away with the idea of having a bridal gown. At this point I can’t say too much as Jez hasn’t seen the dress and I don’t want to give anything away.

Oxfam Bridal
Once I knew I was going to get a wedding dress I also knew where I wanted to buy it - Oxfam Bridal. So, last July my mum and I excitedly set off to Leicester where the nearest Oxfam Bridal store is. Unfortuntaly I didn’t find the dress for me on that first trip but I was heartened and encouraged by how nicely they had set up that separate part of the shop and the variety of gowns. The next nearest Oxfam Bridal shop is in Bradford and that shopping trip was the ultimate in making the most of public transport - All tied in with a business meeting and a visit to see some friends I managed to get from Bradford train station to the Oxfam store, pick a dress, try it on, buy it and get back on the train all in about 30 minutes! I was so pleased that I’d found something that was just right and was really impressed with the choice and facilities in the Oxfam shop. The staff there were excited and fussy which made it even more special.

I realise that for some people the thought of buying their bridal gown from a charity shop sounds terrible but its probably the single item that I’m most pleased with and I’m so happy that I did manage to find it at Oxfam.

Bouquets and Posies
I had a mixed experience trying to find a suitable florist for my bouquet. Initially I was going plant some tulip bulbs in the garden, ask our families to do the same and make my own bunch of flowers nearer to the time. Then I came to my senses and realised I know absolutely nothing about keeping or arranging flowers once they’ve been plucked from the ground and decided to seek professional advice.

I spoke to a few different florists, some of whom were sympathetic to the idea of having a green and ethical wedding and others who just looked baffled when I asked about locally sourced flowers. I’m not picky, I think all flowers are beautiful and so I wasn’t going to dictate exactly the type of flower I wanted as long as it was grown as nearby as possible and were roughly in the colours I wanted. I chose a florist called The Rose Bower in the end because they were the most helpful and were willing to find out what seasonal, locally grown flowers would be available at this time of year before I’d even decided to use them. I can’t wait to see mine and Beth’s (my bridesmaid, niece & guest GGG editor) tulip bouquets when I go to collect them on the morning and they will have only travelled from the next county, Lincolnshire.

Invitations & Decorations

After organising the food and venues the rest of the planning was quite easy. I love making things and wanted something individual, so I decided from the start that I would make the invitations, menus, favours, name places and decorations myself.

Bunting!
The village hall is quite typical in that it really needs a lick of paint and looks quite grubby in daylight but I like a challenge and so last September Jez, his mum, my parents and I went off armed with notepads and tape measures to figure out how we could transform it into a beautiful place to celebrate. From then on I spent months finding large pieces of fabric and sheets to drape around the room, some from charity shops and some from ebay. I also bought some pink, yellow, green and white cotton to make my own bunting. I have metres and metres of the stuff and my friends at our craft group, Stitched Up, found it quite amusing that this cotton bunting never seemed to end!

I love bunting, it always seems to cheer me up. I’ve even had a small piece hanging up in the house for a few weeks.

RSVP
Because the venue is near to a maypole (which I used to run around and around when I was little) we’ve ended up with a maypole theme and the spring colours lemon, pink and green. So, I was very lucky when I asked my graphic designer friend if she could design me a motif for invites, menus etc using that theme. What she came up with was beautiful and I just what I wanted. I bought all of the recycled card, paper and envelopes I needed from Eco Craft who delivered it very quickly.

We asked our guests to RSVP via a website we’d built. The website also provides details of transport, directions, local hotels and so on to save from using up any more paper than necessary.

Tables, Favours & Name Cards
Aside from card for invites and menus I bought some lovely recycled paper which has confetti embedded in it. From this I made little origami boxes (which I talked about in my ‘Origami Genius!’ post) and will put in each of them a bulb from my Dad’s garden - these are our guests’ favours.

The name places are hand made, natural fruit lollipops with no artificial colours or flavours from sweetstall.com and I have added little labels to each one for our guests with a little picture. Jez and I have a house rabbit so our labels have loved-up bunnies on them, ahhhh. The others have butterflies, hearts and flowers.

Also, to decorate the tables we painted some plant pots white and decorated them with our colours and theme and soon I will be planting in them primroses or another spring flower which have been grown by a gardener just a few miles down the road.

The day before the wedding myself, Jez and an army of sisters and nieces and my mum and dad will spend the day putting all of these decorations together, hopefully creating a lovely room for eating, drinking and dancing.

Cake, Wine & Water

One of the nicest things about planning a wedding is that people really want to help and be involved. Jez’s mum is brilliant at making and decorating cakes and there was no question that she would be making ours. We decided to go for a traditional fruit cake (with organic ingredients) as well as Fairtrade chocolate cupcakes. Jez’s mum and I spent a lovely weekend making all of the little white sugar flowers for the main cake and hearts and butterflies for the cupcakes.

Guests will will take home slices of cake in pretty white recycled card boxes from The Tiny Box Company. Rachel at The Tiny Box Company was so obliging, helping me to choose the right size box and keep within my budget - This was the very last thing I bought and so I didn’t want to spend too much. It was a very speedy delivery too so I didn’t need to worry about any last minute hitches.

The bubbly and wine is all organic and Fairtrade and one of the types we have chosen is an English wine from Pennard Organic Vineyard.

I’m also extremely happy that we even managed to find eco friendly bottled water thanks to our Green Guy Gareth’s post ‘Bottled Water: Environmental Disaster?‘ . In that article Gareth mentions Belu Water, a carbon neutral company whose profits go towards clean water projects. So, I contacted Belu who very helpfully found me a local supplier, Lee & Fletcher, who delivered the water to my door in just a couple of days!

I Do!

The rings are the last thing I’m going to talk about although I’m sure I must have forgotten something. I’ll probably give an update afterwards anyway so I can show pictures of the decorated venue and my dress, which won’t be a secret by then.

Looking for rings was quite a strange experience. We wanted to get antique or second hand rings because that is the greenest option available - I always work on that principle and used it throughout the wedding planning. I guess we were a little niaive thinking that we’d be able to pop into one of the many antique shops in Nottinghamshire, pick up two gold wedding bands and be on our way. Apparently this isn’t the case.

After going into a few shops, looking at every other type of antique ring but finding no wedding rings one lady told me that they just don’t sell them because people are too superstitious to buy them. She said that if a wedding band was brought to the shop it just got sent for scrap! What a waste! I was so disappointed. However, the internet is a fantastic thing and after a quick search I not only found John Clive Jewellers but two perfect second hand rings in exactly the right size!

When I look back I’m proud of what we’ve achieved. Not everything is 100% green, we’re having a fancy car to take us to the register office and a disco in the evening but all-in-all I think we’ve done really well.

I’ll be in touch again at the end of April to let you know how it all went!

Filed under Families, Gardening, Recycling, Events, Love & Relationships, Fair Trade, Food | Comments (9)

Guest Editor: Claire Watt-Smith - Fair Trade Fashion

Posted by: Vicky

Having started 2008 on a rather gloomy note, what with the rise of interest rates and the prospect of an economic slump, it was surprising, yet reassuring, to see that the levels of ‘fast fashion’ purchasing seem to have levied off. The discount fashion market has slowly been declining for the first time in a decade.

In particular, Primark, George at ASDA and Matalan have seen sales drop by 1%. Conversely, higher priced retailers have seen sales increase by 4% (Connie Tran, City AM, February 2008). This has been a welcome response to hundreds of independent, organic, fair trade and eco-friendly shops and sites who are pleased and relieved to hear that the ‘fast fashion’ bubble may have burst.

With this in mind, it is important to carry on supporting our local independent retailers, spreading the ‘fair trade’ word and encouraging more resourceful production. Fair Trade Fortnight in 2008 saw sales of fair trade goods rise to £493 million (www.fairtrade.org.uk). This is very encouraging, and hopefully we will see 2009 sales being even higher.

There are more and more companies who are focusing solely on fair trade accessories, gifts and more. Fair trade is not just limited to chocolate, tea and bananas, but can be associated with all products. However, seemingly, it has been proved that the fresh produce areas of fair trade have received more publicity and thus more sales than other sectors. Indeed in the UK, fresh fair trade produce makes up 52% of the total fair trade market (www.talkingretail.com). For example, fair trade coffee sales rose to over £117 million in 2008 (www.fairtrade.org.uk) and 8 million fair trade cups of tea and hot beverages were drunk in 2008 (www.fairtrade.org.uk).

However, as well as sourcing fair trade goods why not look for companies who use recycled and natural materials? It is amazing what one can recycle and re-use to create something new and original. By supporting smaller boutiques you are helping them to become more established and hopefully more successful. Perhaps try, even if it just once a week, to support your local florists, butchers, fishmongers and market stall workers. To them, sales mean everything. To supermarkets, your money means next to nothing. It is vital we encourage young entrepreneurs and not to succumb to the corporate world. By shopping at boutiques, both on the high street and online, one receives a more personable service, as well as a unique and individual gift. Try not to succumb to the lure of the high street where not only the products are generally produced in sweat shops, but also the choice, as well as the quality, is limited. With over 320 fair trade towns in the UK (www.fairtrade.org.uk) why not look to see where your nearest fair trade town is?

Claire Watt-Smith
CEO BoBelle
www.bobelle.co.uk
Fair Trade Fashion
Organic Cotton Baby Wear
Hand Made Gifts

Filed under Fair Trade, Shopping, Fashion | Comment (0)

Playing fair

Posted by: Wendy

Raising my boys on healthy doses of competitive sports over the years, I have had many opportunities to talk about what it means to have a game feel fair, regardless of win or loss. Teaching young players a healthy respect for their teammates, their opponents and the opportunity to do their best is what most of us parents really want our kids to get out of their sports experience. Now there is a company FairTradeSports.com that has taken the idea of respect and not only made it their ball’s trademark design, but brought the idea of building respect into the games of life to a new level of social entrepreneurship.

This company is a model of what good business can do and bring to our global community. By aligning themselves as a Fairtrade Labeling Organization they are committing to paying their partners in production a living wage for themselves and their families. If adults can pay for shelter, food, clothing, medical needs, emergencies, and expenses for education, then children no longer have to contribute to family income.

In addition the company also pays a 20% premium, which is used for improving the lives of the workers, their families and their communities. Programs which have been instituted include community clinics and healthcare insurance - a first in this industry - as well as micro-credit loans and more. These are major improvements for the some 44,000 people in Pakistan who are involved in making 70% of the world’s soccer balls at wages far below any standard of living.

Somehow, when I consider the number of balls my boys have gone through in their soccer years, it seems like I should have known some of this, but like most of what we buy, their source and the labor that went into it is disturbingly not part of the marketing package. In addition with all the good that you can do buying one of these fair trade balls, the pricing is remarkably competitive to what you would pay in any store.

So its a win-win all they way around. We get to throw our purchasing power into some truly respectable projects supporting the people in the world who make our games possible, and with every toss or kick, we teach our children through words and actions, that the real goal is in playing fair. For more information or to get one of these great balls for your kids upcoming season go to www.FairTradeSports.com

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Filed under Business, Families, Sustainability, Fair Trade, Shopping | Comment (1)

How can a web design company be green & ethical? - Part 5

Posted by: Vicky

This is my final installment of articles about our experiences at Make Hay of working to be a green and ethical company. This article is related to my previous posts where I talked about using ethical suppliers and encouraging others with your ethical policy.

Just to recap, the previous articles were:

Part 1 - Powered by the Wind
Part 2 - Waste? What Waste?
Part 3 - Be a Smart Consumer
Part 4 - Live your Policy

PART 5 - MAKE ETHICAL FRIENDS

Starting out with an ethical business was sometimes an isolating experience for us. At that time there was not the huge number of like-minded entrepreneurs around us and we were often told that what we were trying to do was a bad idea.

If it wasn’t for the enthusiasm of the people we met via green blogs, directories and networks life would have been much more difficult.

Making ethical business friends does not necessarily mean you are running an ethical business but it certainly motivates you to keep learning and working harder to improve. Seeing more and more new ethical businesses appear shows that the market is growing and consumers want more responsible services. I strongly believe that there’s power in unity and making links with these businesses allows us to share ideas, good practice and collectively raise the profile of ethical entrepreneurship. If, collectively, ethical businesses can influence business practice as a whole then eventually ethical business won’t be unusual or alternative but just the way things are done.

Community Working

Another way that we have made friends here at Make Hay is by getting involved in local community groups and activities.

Some businesses align themselves with a charity and donate a percentage of their profits to that charity. This can work well for larger companies but for small businesses like ours there is another, more creative way to provide useful, substantial support; and that is to volunteer your expertise.

We are actively involved with a few community groups in this way. For example, we provide free Green Hosting and voluntary web designs services to All Ours. This is grassroots service which holds social sessions and cooks healthy, organic meals for people experiencing mental ill health. For the Gedling Fairtrade Group we provide voluntary web services and work on the steering group to raise awareness of Fairtrade issues in the local area. Additionally, we are currently providing voluntary web consultancy to the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust with a view to building them a new, accessible website this year.

Whatever type of business you run it is highly likely that you have a product or service that you can donate to someone who needs it. You don’t have to have lots and lots of spare money (and most small businesses don’t) just be able to give up a little of your spare time.

Making friends with individuals and groups within your community allows you to make tangible changes by doing what you do best - your ethical business.

What do you do?

Well I’ve talked quite a lot about Make Hay and the things we do to be an ethical business but there is always room for improvement and new things to learn.

I’d love to find out about other business owners’ experiences (good or bad), practices and ideas. Contact me at Make Hay, I’ll look forward to hearing from you!

Filed under Business, Media, Fair Trade, Nature & wildlife, Health | Comments (2)

Fashion made fair sample sale

Posted by: Katie

Yep, back again to Brighton is the Fashion Made Fair sample sale - much too good (in both the ethical and fashion sense!) to be missed…

From Friday to Sunday come along to Fabrica to take your pick of the best fair trade and ethical fashion.

They’ve got howies, People Tree, Kuyuchi, Terra Plana, Tonic T’s, THTC, Ethletic, Sandbag, Bamboo Clothing, Daryl Black, Amira and Green knickers… all available at up to 80% off!

The sale kicks off this Friday 5.30pm -8.30pm and continues Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am -4pm.

See you there?

Katie
www.ethicalweddings.com

Filed under Events, Fair Trade, Fashion | Comment (1)

Fair Trade Fortnight

Posted by: Clare

Today sees the start of Fair Trade fortnight.

There’s more to Fair Trade than just food. It’s not just bananas, cocoa and coffee; Fair Trade can apply to clothes and even toys.

It’s about partnership with the suppliers in developing countries, making sure they get a fair price for their products, whilst ensuring decent working conditions and fair terms of trade, even for the smaller producers.

There are those who claim that retailers are jumping on the proverbial bandwagon to sell us Fair Trade products, but does it matter if they are? Fair Trade sales reached nearly £500 million in the UK last year and that’s down to consumers voting with their wallets to make a difference.

Certified Fair Trade products are easy to spot - they’re allowed to carry the Fairtrade Foundation’s mark.

The Fairtrade Foundation’s message for Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 is that, whilst sales of Fairtrade products continue to soar, change is still not happening quickly enough for the millions of the world’s poorest farmers who remain trapped in ‘trade poverty’. With 2 billion working people earning less than US$2 a day and many of these producing the products we put in our shopping baskets, the Fairtrade Foundation believes that it is critical to increase the momentum for change through Fairtrade in 2008.

Some argue that Fair Trade could be fairer, as much of the profit is still in the processing of the raw materials, which is often done in developed countries. As shoppers, we need to keep putting pressure on the major (and smaller) brands to do as much as possible to support the growers. In the meantime, Fair Trade at least ensures the farmers are getting a fairer deal.

The Fairtrade Foundation expects there to be over 10,000 local events during the fortnight. Find out if there’s a Fairtrade event near you. There’s a Fair Trade bus touring the country and local events range from coffee mornings and wine tasting to concerts and talks with producers.

Filed under Fair Trade, Food | Comment (0)

Guest Editor: Kristine R. Surla - 6 Green & Gorgeous ways to celebrate St. Valentines Day

Posted by: Guest Editor

On February 14th 2008, Valentines Day rolls along beckoning us Green Girls (and Guys) to wonder how we can celebrate a holiday meant to embody the spirit of LOVE without necessarily feeding into the consumerist frenzy.

So I thought I’d write my first piece for Green Girls Global about ways to Green our Valentines Day celebrations with the true intention of celebrating our LOVE not only for our sweethearts, but also for Mother Earth. As a Green-solutions based Consultant and Holistic Health & Wellness Counselor for Eco Umbrella, here are some wonderful tips I’ve come up with for your green and gorgeous selves:

1. What’s Valentine’s Day without FLOWERS, right? Well, how about planting some lovely potted flowers in your yard with your honey instead of buying a bouquet. Or better yet, plant a tree together in honor of your love for each other (and mother earth) and watch it grow each year, change with the seasons, and grow some roots. If you must buy flowers, however, I’ve got a list of lovely florists that grow the ORGANIC kind – a much better alternative for the earth and your loved one. Just email me at KSurla@EcoUmbrella.com and I’d be happy to suggest some. Go for the local and organic kind if you can!

2. CHOCOLATE – a dear friend once told me that chocolate might be one of the best things about Valentines. I don’t know if I necessarily agree, but it has been part of the “tradition” as far back as I can recall. So what can you do? Give some lovely hints about how Organic Chocolate is the way to go both for the taste and overall impact on the environment. Fair Trade and Organic Chocolate is even better! Some yummy brands I’ve sampled are Seeds of Change which gives 1% of net sales to “advance the cause of sustainable organic agriculture worldwide”; Divine, which is Fair Trade Certified using Fair Trade Cocoa from a cooperative of “smallholder farms in Ghana”; and Travel Chocolate which is both Organic and Fair Trade. I picked some of these up from the most recent Green Festival in San Francisco.

3. So now we head to the ROMANTIC Candle-lit Dinner. Instead of going to an overpriced fancy shmancy restaurant, I suggest staying in and cooking a lovely organic meal together. If you’re a Green Girl with a garden, use some of the lovely fruits, vegetable and herbs you’ve been growing. Pick them off together, wash them together, cut & dice and slice them together and prepare a lovely romantic, personal and (soy-based) candle-lit dinner in the wonderful privacy of your own home. Who can resist an organic, home cooked, prepared-with-love meal? Food is the key to many hearts, including mine – especially the aforementioned kind.

4. But if you can’t cook, then make a lovely date and go to a local farmers market to pick out some fresh produce, lovely fresh baked breads, and some gourmet dishes straight from the local farms that may make their own cheeses from happy and free roaming cows & sheep. Try out some new organic produce that you’ve never had a chance to taste and share. Create your own lovely picnic basket fresh from the farmers market.

5. After a stroll through the local farmers market, take a bike ride or walk to a local park, beach, or desert – whatever lovely nature spot tickles your fancy - and have a romantic picnic. Bring your own re-useable utensils from home and enjoy each other’s company in nature – a wonderful way to celebrate with Mother Earth herself.

6. So I’ve covered the flowers, chocolate, romantic dinner and food as well as some potential locations out in nature, so let’s get to the best tip of all, and my most favorite…. – for the non-conformist in all of us, why not make Valentines a celebration with friends, family and loved ones instead. Sometimes its not just about the two of you, but about the community around you – so incorporate some of the tips from above and make Valentines a festive gathering of your most beloved. Invite your friends to celebrate Valentines with you together out on the beach or go for a picnic. Share the LOVE and maybe even make it a Tree Planting Valentines gathering to give a little back to Mother Earth herself. Make love with each other. Be love. Give love.

I hope you have a fabulous Valentine’s day in 2008!

Filed under Guest editor, Families, Fair Trade, Love & Relationships, Food | Comment (1)