Make your Valentines Day a ‘green’ one!

Published 9 February 2015 ● Last Updated on 6 April 2021

An open letter to all the men who have intentions to plan something special this Valentine’s day (For those who have no such intentions, this is an absolute must read)… from a woman ♥.

February 9, 2015

My dear Hubbies and Boyfriends,

Are you drawing lots on which of the past Valentine’s day surprises to recycle for your wife/partner this year- red roses, dinner at an expensive restaurant and red roses, chocolates (don’t bother, she is aiming to be 2 sizes smaller this year) and red roses or any other such?

Please stop right away. Instead take a few moments out to look at this step-by-step guide on how to make your Valentine’s day special and dare I say, eco-friendly.

Start by asking her out on a date. No its not obvious. She may just decide to go for a girls night out if you don’t ask her soon :-). How about sending her a text or an email to block her evening on Saturday, the 14^th of February 2015? Hopefully she is not busy, and replies in the affirmative, here are a few suggestions on what you can do on the D-day,

1) ♥Sweep her off her feet♥: Put away your phone and FB / Instagram / whatsapp for the entire evening. Yes, yes FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is an inevitable phenomena & we are all affected by it, but surely you can escape from it, just for a day!

2) ♥Fix a romantic dinner♥ : This will be a true blue surprise (if you have kids, try to send them away to the parents for a sleepover (if possible!). Feb 14, 2015 is a Saturday!( Feb 14th, 2016 is a Sunday, not too bad!)

– Cook dinner at home for the two of you. Whether it is something which involves minimal cooking (even microwaving is allowed) or a la-Jamie Oliver gourmet spread, she will love it! A special bottle of wine added to the spread will be delightful! Put out all the lights and bring out the candles, your own version of a very romantic ‘Earth day’.

-Alternatively, you can fix a picnic basket & go for a walk by the east coast early evening to enjoy your dinner with the setting sun. Just put together simple sandwiches, pick up a nice bottle of wine and a mat to sit on. And you are sorted! No lights or candles needed. So zero damage to the environment.

3)♥Talk, talk, talk♥: Whether at home or by the beach, sit back and reminisce about when you first met. Recount a special milestone or a moment spent together every year after that. If you met her less than a year back, then talk of a moment for every month that you have known each other! The best part would be when you both realize that i’ts tough to stop at just a single incident every year (or month as the case may be) because ‘there were just so many’. Here again, you are doing your bit to reduce your carbon footprint as no electronic gadget (Phone, Tablet,TV) is being used.

4)♥The gift♥: Keeping in line with the theme of eco-friendly, for gift ideas have a quick look at Hong Kong based etailer, www.Phatrice.com. They curate and provide a platform for end users to buy environmentally friendly and upcycled goods. One of the featured socially driven brands on this website that caught my attention and curiosity was Emi & Eve. Emi and Eve partners with local with craftsmen and women in Cambodia to upcycle war remanents in Cambodia and create exquisite jewellary and clutch bags. Now that’s what I would call a socially responsible endeavour! You can always buy upcycled jewellary from our favourite jewellery transformer, Shikha Lamba (Read: Shikha’s Blog on jewellery transformation). If you and your girl prefers stylish and quirky upcycled items different from jewellery and bags, you can look at Etsy.com.

5) ♥The finale♥: Clinch the moment by saying a few sentences to her which tell her how much she means to you. If you can create your own, bravo, you get extra brownie points for that! But if not, that’s fine. Getting inspired is very acceptable (Try Valentine’s day quotes or any other such online inspirational spots). Be sure to practice and perfect the lines so it seems genuine and natural. Take my word, this will surpass all possible expensive gifts you have ever given her and will be one of her best Valentine moments ever!

6)♥What not to do♥

– Make sure not to talk about the in-laws, to-be-in-laws, the kids, to-be-kids

– Do not get work into the evening at all

– Do not discuss the bank balance or expenses for last month or that expensive outfit she bought

– Not the insurance cover, the big house the neighbor bought, the bigger car he owns

None of that.

Let this evening be just about the two of you.

If you and your valentine are way too young and prefer doing something fun and outdoors rather than just sitting down, eating and talking, you can tap on the brilliant eco friendly tips to enjoy your date in Singapore from Kat Julyan who runs her blog www.katjuju.com. Here are her handy tips on Green Dating: 10 Eco Friendly Date ideas in Singapore.