Sustainable Valentine's Day Date Ideas

Valentine's Day should not be about store-bought cards, chocolates shipped halfway across the world, and hot-house flowers. It should be about simply spending some quality time with the one you love. Sustainable Valentine's Day date ideas are those which allow you to reject things in favour of experiences. Whether you are enjoying the first flush of a new-found love, rekindling the flame, or celebrating a long-lasting connection, consider these romantic ideas:

Get Creative Together

Finding romance can be as simple as making time to do things together. Sustainability often involves learning new skills. DIY projects, arts and crafts and a wide range of creative projects can help you live in a more eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable way. They could also provide a range of date ideas for Valentine's Day. For example, you and your loved one could:

• Stay in and work on an upcycling project or crafting project together. Grab some eco-friendly chalk paint, for example, and restore an old piece of furniture. Or work together on crafting a new, useful and beautiful item for your home.

• Attend an exciting workshop or take a new class. How about a pottery workshop? How about learning how to work with green wood? Why not learn basket weaving, or another ancient craft? There are plenty of ideas out there to choose from.

Connect With Nature as You Connect With Each Other

A sustainable Valentine's Day date does not need to cost the earth – either literally or metaphorically. You can forge a closer connection with each other by simply spending some time in a beautiful natural setting. Nature's beauty can often give romance a helping hand. Consider, for example:

• Getting up early for a morning stroll and watch the sunrise together.
• Hiking to the top of a nearby peak or a viewpoint overlooking the ocean or a stunning view.
• Cycling through a beautiful woodland or forest to find a secluded glade you can call your own – just for a little while.

• Enjoying some time on the water – in a kayak or canoe, for example, or on a sailing vessel.
• Heading out into nature on horseback, on a carriage ride, or even on a sled drawn by huskies in snowy climes.

Get Your Hearts Racing

There are plenty of ways to get out there and enjoy the natural world. If you are an adventurous couple, enjoying a more adrenaline-fuelled experience could be a great idea. Get your hearts pumping as one in an eco-friendly way by enjoying, for example:

• Winter sports like skiing, snowboarding or tobogganing on pristine white slopes.
• Ice-skating – perhaps on a man-made rink, but better yet wild-skating across a frozen lake.
• Or, in warmer climes, wild swim in a beautiful natural setting.
• Or enjoy a white-water rafting adventure.
• Perhaps you could also consider soaring through the skies – hang gliding, for example, or paragliding. Fly without resorting to the use of fossil fuels.

Enjoy a Sustainable Valentine's Day Meal Together

The way to your loved one's heart really might be through their stomach. The right Valentine's Day meal can really set the tone for your celebrations. A sustainable meal will be one which is made, with love, using fresh, local, seasonal and ideally organic ingredients. You could simply head out together to a local, sustainable restaurant for a romantic meal. But better yet, why not take the DIY approach?

You might even consider shopping together for the ingredients earlier in the day. Date ideas might include:

• Heading to a farm to pick your own produce.
• Browsing the stalls at a local farmers' market.
• Enjoying tasting sessions at the sites of local food or drink producers.

Once you have picked up all the ingredients you need for your special celebration meal, you could:

• Enjoy a picnic in a beautiful natural setting.
• Or if the weather is too cold to dine outdoors, set up a picnic on a rug in your living room.
• Cook together in cozy domesticity.
• Set a romantic table with eco-friendly tableware, beeswax candles and flowers or foliage and dine together at home, indoors or in your garden.

Spend a Night Under the Stars

If you want to prolong your Valentine's Day date and stay out overnight, there are plenty of sustainable options to choose from. If you find it difficult to get the space and time for romance in your daily lives, a night away from home could be just the ticket.

Of course, you could book sustainable travel options and sustainable accommodation in a hotel or other establishment. But for real romance, why not consider a winter camping excursion? There is, perhaps, nothing more romantic than snuggling beside a roaring fire and spending a night under the stars. Adventurous couples could consider a winter wild camping adventure. But glamping options offer a more luxurious camping experience.

Choose experiences rather than things this Valentine's Day for long-lasting love and memories that will last a lifetime.