The Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood, and host travelers. From large multinational corporations to small, community-based cooperatives, businesses and consumers worldwide are involved in the Rainforest Alliance’s efforts to bring responsibly-produced goods and services to a global marketplace where the demand for sustainability is growing steadily.
With the help of the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal, you can make choices that spoil your loved one without spoiling the planet this Valentine’s Day. Here are five ideas to get you started:
- Rise and Shine
Kick-start your day with a cup of Rainforest Alliance Certified™ coffee. Then, surprise your love with certified blooms, often available at your local supermarket, and FTD.com. Rainforest Alliance certification is your assurance that coffee, flowers, tea, cocoa, fruit and other farm products were grown using methods that protect forests, soils, and waterways on farms that provide decent wages, housing, education, and health care to workers and their families. - Just Because I Love You Take a minute to let your loved one know how you feel by sending a romantic e-card. E-cards save paper, emissions, and money!
- Picnic in the Park Take a break from your work day with a picnic. Warm up with a hot thermos of Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee, tea or cocoa, and a sweet chocolate treat! Choose from a selection of delicious Rainforest Alliance Certified chocolates including Bissinger’s, Endangered Species, Newman’s Own Organics, and Vintage Plantations.
- Intimate Night-In
Enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner at home while saving carbon emissions and saving money. When selecting the perfect bottle of wine to complement your meal, look for wineries committed to sustainability. Willamette Valley wines use cork certified by the Rainforest Alliance to meet the environmental and social standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Mediterranean cork forests provide refuge for the Iberian lynx and other endangered species and support local farmers who sustainably harvest the cork bark without damaging the trees, leaving them standing for future generations.
End your evening with a super sweet delight — a chocolate fondue! Indulge in this decadent dessert using the same chocolates you brought along on your picnic, and look for organic, local, or sustainably-harvested fruit, too. - Romantic Get-Away Rekindle your love with a romantic get-away. Visit SustainableTrip.org to find hotels and lodges that conserve natural resources and contribute to the well-being of local communities. Recently launched by the Rainforest Alliance, SustainableTrip.org lists sustainable tourism businesses in the Caribbean and Latin America.
What are you doing to celebrate a greener Valentine's Day? Share your tips in the comments below.
