Green Hands USA: America Volunteers

It feels like the right thing to do to buy your Valentine chocolate and flowers, doesn't it? But how many thousands of miles did those flowers travel before they became your Valentine's bouquet? And does that heart-shaped box of chocolate from the drug store contribute to global warming? Yikes, what's an eco-minded lover to do?

Here, for those of you who care about the environment as much as you do your loved one, are five eco-friendly ideas for this year's Valentine's Day:

1. Go recycled. Cards are great, but the process of making paper has a laundry list of environmental side effects. Make sure the card you buy is printed on recycled paper. Or better yet, make your own cards. You can design them on your computer and print them out (on recycled paper, obviously).

Oh, and skip the e-cards. Yes, they save paper, but that's going one step too far. (Unless you give both paper and e-cards!)

2. Give eco-friendly chocolate. One of my favorite companies is Endangered Species Chocolate. Their products are available from a wide range of retailers (check your local natural-foods market) and are certified organic. Give 'em a try.

3. Give something that lasts. Skip the flowers, which have a huge footprint when it comes to greenhouse gases (no pun intended). Plus, flowers don't last; they fade and wilt and get smelly, and is that really the right message for Valentine's Day.

Don't worry, there's an alternative: The World Land Trust will let you protect an acre of rainforest in your sweetie's name for just $100. That's more expensive than a dozen roses, but it has a much bigger impact.

If you must give flowers, give a potted plant. It will last as long as your love, and help clean the air at the same time.

4. Give sustainable jewelry. Why spend money on natural diamonds, which are mined with harsh chemicals (often under slave-like labor conditions), when man-made diamond is cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and better looking? There are also a number of companies that sell eco-friendly gold, which often comes from reclaimed metal and has a much, much smaller environmental footprint. Ask your local jewelry store what they have available.

(If you're shopping last minute, consider estate jewelry. Better to re-use than to buy something new and costly to the environment.)

5. Take a hike! If the weather is right, take your Valentine out for some fresh air, some bird-watching, an organic picnic, and some fun memories. When the day is over, you can come home for some snuggling, content in the knowledge that you enjoyed the environment you helped to protect.

Happy Valentine's, my eco-minded friends!