This Valentine’s Day, choose eco-chic gifts that will please your sweetie and the planet at the same time. Take your pick from these stylish and sustainable treats.
Lindsay & Edmunds use only the finest quality organic Belgian chocolate to make their mouth-watering petits morceaus (little morsels). Their gluten-free, vegan-friendly Grand Sampler contains truffles made with organic dates, almonds, coconut and cognac, and heart-shaped white, milk and dark chocolate hearts topped with hand-candied orange rind. ($28; www.wholefoodcentral.com.au).
Chocolate heaven for Valentine’s Day
Drink a toast to your honey’s health and happiness with Fleury Fleur de l’Europe sparkling wine. This was the first grower in the French province of Champagne to convert to biodynamics in 1989, and it remains a leader in this category ($90; www.champagnegallery.com.au). Serve your fizz in chilled Luigi Bormioli champagne flutes, made from recycled glass ($29.95; www.homecouture.com.au).
Looking for a pair of pretty earrings or a necklace for her? Or some stylish cufflinks for him? Check out the elegant and affordable recycled — or “upcycled” — jewellery by designer Ben Manning at Utopian Creations (www.utopiancreations.com.au). Manning uses pure silver discarded by the photographic industry and copper from mobile phone chargers to make the highest quality sterling silver. Each piece is hallmarked and carries a special environmental symbol, and is beautifully packaged in an organic cotton drawstring bag and recycled cardboard box printed with soy inks.
The most romantic and fragrant flower arrangements are to be found at Blumin (www.blumin.com.au). Choose from lush peonies, old-fashioned roses, dahlias, and other nostalgic favourites. Other unique offerings include Blumin’s organic herb posies and tussie mussies, or “talking bouquets”, which include a “message” spelled out by the symbolic meanings of different flowers (eg: rose for love, ivy for fidelity, hydrangea for devotion and so on). Bonus eco-friendly factor: wherever possible, the flowers are grown without pesticides.
Your say: What are you hoping for this Valentine’s Day? What is the best gift you have recieved? Share with us below…
