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Speaking Point: Only second to Christmas, Valentine’s Day reeks the most havoc on our environment. From pesticide heavy flowers to the insidious side of many chocolate production factories, how do you show your lover a proper Valentine’s while being good to the planet? We will explore some eco-friendly options that will still have you coming out smelling like a rose.

Speaking Point: When choosing flowers: For those want to have flowers delivered use an organic, fair-trade vendor like organicbouquet.com– with organicbouquet.com, in addition to getting eco-friendly flowers, you can also choose from a wide variety of bouquets that will have a portion of the proceeds go to a charity of your choice. Choose from organizations such as Amnesty International, The Nature Conservancy and the American Lung Association. And if you think that these eco-friendly flowers are going to be way more expensive than traditionally grown ones, you are wrong! For a dozen red roses, a Valentine’s Day Classic, you can get Fair Trade roses for $49.95, the exact same price as those “other” non-fair trade guys!

Speaking Point: If you really want to go “Green” with your flower choice, a native potted plant is the perfect choice that will keep reminding your honey about your special gift for the next year, instead of just the next week. It is important to choose plants that are native to your area so you can limit the influence of non-native, possibly invasive species. You can find some beautiful, local plants at native nurseries in your area.

Speaking Point: So what about chocolate? Chocolate is a multi-billion dollar international industry that has been tied to human rights violations for unsafe and unfair working conditions. But we all love chocolate, right? Luckily – there are some absolutely delicious, eco-friendly options for you and your sweetie! TCHO is some of the most amazing chocolate around. In fact, Martha Stewart conducted a blind taste test where TCHO was the clearly the winner. TCHO, the only chocolate factory in San Francisco, believes in a No Slavery policy on all their chocolate and has developed TCHOSource, to partner with growers and coops and transfer knowledge about growing and fermentation to enable farmers to become premium producers and create a relationship of mutual self-interest that goes beyond Fair Trade.

Speaking Point: Many fine food stores are also selling fair-trade chocolates such as Divine Chocolates and other organic, fair-trade varieties. You can find these brands at local stores like Whole Foods, Bel-Air Markets, Raleys and even some Safeway stores are getting in on the act. You will know a fair-trade chocolate because it will be clearly marked on the packaging. Those participating in fair-trade chocolatiering do not want to keep it a secret!

Speaking Point: Finally, what about all that paper that is produced just for Valentines Day. There is cards, wrapping paper, gift bags! Try to minimize your use of virgin paper products, wrap your gifts in recycled paper as well as purchase only Valentines cards that are printed on recycled paper. Many stores that carry organic foods will stock these Valentine’s Day eco-options as well as online and in specialty stores.