It’s that time of year again when love is in the air!

Whether you’ve been dating a couple months, married 30 years or even celebrating Valentine’s day with your friends or children, we thought we’d help you out with some ecofriendly ideas on how to have a sustainable Valentine’s Day this year.

Because what shows ultimate love more than loving our planet, right?

No more buying cheesy Valentine’s Day gifts at the checkout line or getting an “I Love You” bear that will be hid away in the closet within a week or secretly {and guiltily} thrown out in a year.

Instead, try some zero-waste Valentine’s Day ideas from the list below!

Buy Potted Flowers

What’s a more perfect Valentine’s Day gift than flowers?

The tip here however is to buy potted plants or flowers over the precut ones. Not only will your loved one be able to enjoy them for a longer amount of time, but they won’t come wrapped in plastic.

These beautiful flowers from nature are usually wrapped in layers of man-made plastic and/or Styrofoam at the bottom when you buy them from a store. If you can’t buy potted plants however, you can ask for compostable paper or twine to wrap the flowers together.

Choose Fair-Trade and Organic

Now that you got flowers, if you are a traditionalist, you might want to add some chocolates as well. Make sure to buy fair-trade and organic chocolate.

You will be supporting local famers by encouraging safe working conditions and sustainable wages for the workers. You are also limiting the exposure of pesticides to the workers, your loved ones, and the environment.

Cook A Romantic Dinner at Home

Look up a new recipe, put on some romantic and lively music, turn off the television and electronics, and set the mood with the perfect accent lighting using natural candles. Take the time to talk, dance and enjoy cooking together.

Incorporate as many whole foods into the meal as possible and try even to get all the ingredients from your local farmers market!

Make the presentation on point with fresh herbs and possibly heart shaped ingredients if you want to go all out!

Give Experiences, Not Gifts

If your significant other’s or child’s love language is quality time together, then this is the perfect gift to give! Buy experiences rather than gifts.

Take your hubby or wifey to a concert or show that they’ve been dying to see. Take your kids to wildlife reserve or park and spend time together to learn about the local animals and enjoy nature.

With our busy lives, sometimes it’s hard to make time to have deep conversations with your loved ones. Make it a priority this Valentine’s Day!

Create a Zero-Waste Beauty Basket

What girl doesn’t want beauty products? Gather some items that contain biodegradable or better yet, no packaging! Soaps, face scrubs, bath bombs and shampoos can all be bought in sustainable forms.

Get a couple bonus points by adding in a massage to that package as well.

Place the items in a reusable bag that can be used for shopping or arrange the gifts in a fair-trade basket made from ecofriendly material.

Buy from Ecofriendly Businesses

Lastly, if you are the person who wants to buy gifts for your loved ones, buy products from ecofriendly businesses.

By doing so, you are reducing the amount of pollutants into the environment and encouraging other businesses to do the same. If we demand more ecofriendly products, businesses will start to supply them.

Make this Valentine’s Day full of love. Show affection to your loved ones and show love to this remarkable planet.