Happy Valentine’s Day! Give your sweetheart a smooch and let’s take a look at the environmental impact of this Valentine’s Day!

All the fun and enjoyment of Valentine’s Day comes at a price. And that price usually is the environmental impact of shipping millions of flowers and sweet goods across the world. According to the great fact finder, Pablo Paster, Americans import $300,000,000.00 (Three Hundred-Million Dollars) worth of flowers each year from countries like Columbia. Although its very likely that Columbia has a sophisticated parcel distribution system and efficient air-freight capabilities…there is still a hefty price to pay for sending 2 pounds of flowers. Literally every 2 pounds of flowers contributes, “…more than six pounds of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.”

But that’s just talking about flowers. Think about all the useless packaging and materials that are discarded for Valentine’s Day. First there are the semi-popular aluminum love balloons. Think these balloons are biodegradable? Think again. Aluminum Foil Balloons stick around for centuries. Or what about all the uneaten Valentines Day Candy? Think about how Halloween candy piles up on the shelves the day after the festivities are over. There are literally tons of candy waste every year from expired candy. And since Valentine’s Day is famous for chocolate, the shelf life is much lower than holidays like Easter which is attributed with jelly beans. Unlike chocolate, jelly beans can survive in their hard shells for years without going bad (much)…and if the jelly beans are in their original packaging, a consumer could enjoy them centuries later.

Some alternatives to all this overconsumption of physical material on holidays like Valentine’s Day include singing a song, or
giving a hug or simply cooking a sexy home-cooked dinner for your loved ones. Trust me, these things work and your soul-mate or valentine sweetheart will love it!

-Sol
Stay Huggable Sol System!