Show some love to Mother Earth on Valentine’s Day!

This Valentine’s Day, why not show some love to Mother Earth?

Although many people associate Valentine’s Day with the mass consumption of flowers, confectionary and diamonds, we all know that the day is really about our love for people.

Try these small but meaningful changes on 14 February to show your appreciation of your loved ones, and the environment they depend on.

1. Dump the car for the day

Try ditching your car for the day and travel by bike, foot or public transport to work, school or a date night.

Using more sustainable modes of transport not only reduces carbon emissions and cleans the air, but will keep you fit and active whilst saving you money.

2. Dine with veggies

It’s well known that upping the amount of veggies you eat is great for your heath, but did you know that it’s also great for the health of the Earth?

If everyone in the EU cut their consumption of meat, dairy and eggs in half, we would see a 40% decrease in the emissions of the harmful gases that causes the warming of the Earth.

And when you take into account that the area needed for animals to graze and to grow feed takes up about 80% of all agricultural land, the potential savings in greenhouse gases emissions are enormous.

Recent research suggests that if we returned the land to its natural state, there would be a double carbon profit: We could remove 98.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by changing land use, in addition to the 61% reduction in agricultural production emissions achieved by the drop in meat production.

Choose the veggie option on the menu this Valentine’s day, and help to keep Mother Earth cool.

3. Gift memories

Give the gift of memories and experiences.

Try finding an activity based present, such as tickets to a show or a concert, a trip to the country-side or coastline, or a voucher for a special meal.

These make for thoughtful and unique gifts, and reduce the amount of ‘stuff’ that clutters our Earth.

Alternatively, you can buy a present using the ‘Amplify’ portal, where your purchases automatically support climate causes (NB: you can select Global Action Plan as your favourite cause on Amplify!)

Making conscious choices about how we behave as consumers helps to cut down the amount of waste we produce, reducing the need for landfill and incineration.

4. Forget Me Not Flowers

Swap cut flower bouquets for a more eco-friendly potted plant.

Cut flowers only last a very short time and have a very big environmental impact: They are grown using vast amounts of water and pesticides, and are often flown across great distances.

Potted plants last much longer than the plastic wrapped bouquets, and also provide the added bonus of naturally removing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen throughout the day.

If you opt for a native plant that will spend its life in the garden, you’ll be helping to protect biodiversity. The perfect gift!

5. Reusable Cups

For your next coffee date, why not use a reusable coffee cup?

Almost 200 million coffee cups are disposed of in Ireland every year – that’s the equivalent of 22,000 coffee cups every hour! Many of these cannot be recycled and end up in our oceans, grasslands and landfill.

More and more cafés are offering a discount on your coffee when you bring your own cup.

Why not ask your local café and ask if they offer this initiative?

6. Donate in honour of someone special

For something truly unique, consider making a donation in honour of someone you love.

You can make a donation to Global Action Plan, or you might want to plant a tree in our forest.

However you express your love this Valentine’s Day, taking action and making small changes for the planet will help make our world a more loving place.