{"id":29008,"date":"2020-02-12T16:41:48","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T21:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/?p=29008"},"modified":"2021-12-06T06:30:27","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T11:30:27","slug":"6-ways-to-break-up-with-plastic-and-food-waste-on-valentines-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/29008\/6-ways-to-break-up-with-plastic-and-food-waste-on-valentines-day\/","title":{"rendered":"6 ways to break up with plastic and food waste on Valentine\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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You are probably wondering what kind of Valentine\u2019s Day blog article would focus on a \u201cbreak up\u201d. Well, welcome to our funny, not so romantic, blue-sky world. Our blue sky Valentine\u2019s Day is filled with kindness, gender equality, positive vibes, love between all species, less plastic and mass consumption and more DIY gifts and local organic food!<\/p>\n\n

Sounds amazing, right? Well here are 6 ways you can break up with plastic and food waste, and enjoy Valentine\u2019s Day even Mother Earth would approve of! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

1 – I love you! I love chocolates! I love my planet too!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Valentine\u2019s Day is one of the most important days of the year for the chocolate market. Some chocolate companies are rising to the challenge of making sustainable chocolate, but many others are still ignoring the climate emergency we are facing. For example, deforestation has accelerated in the past years in West Africa, the source of two-thirds of the world cocoa.<\/a> Before buying chocolate, it\u2019s important to discover where and how the cocoa was grown and produced, and understand benefits the most from the industry? It’s not easy to find answers to all these questions, but companies which produce organic and ethical chocolates<\/a> can make our life a bit easier. <\/p>\n\n

But if all else fails – and if you have time – the best option is to make your own chocolate! This way you\u2019ll not only be certain of what and where your ingredients are coming from, but you\u2019ll also be avoiding unnecessary wrappings. The majority of chocolate wrappings are not recyclable, and with Canada\u2019s recycling crisis<\/a>, we need to avoid packaging by reducing it at the source. If you and your loved ones are chocolate friends (no shame there), most bulk stores offer a great selection of unwrapped chocolates<\/a>. Because why show love with heart-shaped boxes of individually-wrapped chocolate<\/a> when options with less packaging are the options we want to choose, for our beloved planet. <\/p>\n\n

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\u00a9 Dennis Reher \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

2 – Spread the (home made) love<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Did you know that an estimated 40 million Valentine’s cards are exchanged in Canada<\/a> each year? Just think of all the plastic wrapping for each card, the paper produced, the emissions spent to deliver them, and then the waste when they\u2019re eventually thrown away after reading them.  But there\u2019s still a way for you to express your poetic and creative skills without all of this waste! Try your hand at making your own card from upcycled materials! And instead of sending your card by post you could give it to your loved one, friend or colleague in person. I can assure you seeing their cheeks getting red in real life is way more gratifying!<\/p>\n\n

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\u00a9 Radim Nevyho\u0161ten\u00fd \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

3 – The perfect outfit <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Now that we\u2019re aware of the pollution coming from the textile industry, we don\u2019t want to buy a new outfit on every occasion. It\u2019s not ethically and financially acceptable but it\u2019s understandable to enjoy looking nice at special events! Let\u2019s take a look at some options we have to exchange or buy second-hand outfits<\/a>, borrow<\/a>, or rent outfits<\/a>! <\/p>\n\n

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\u00a9 Radim Nevyho\u0161ten\u00fd \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

4 – Eco-friendly dinner<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

More and more people are aware of the climate impacts of food and are striving to eat a low-carbon, plant-based diet. A great way to reduce our carbon footprint is to think seasonally and find out what foods are being grown where we live. By making a delicious, healthy, plant-based food with locally produced ingredients, you can make a lovely eco-friendly dinner. To help, you can find plenty of plant-based recipes here!<\/a> <\/p>\n\n

If you\u2019re simply not in the mood to cook, and you don\u2019t have time for grocery shopping even if it is supposed to be \u201ca special day\u201d, not to worry! There\u2019s an increasing number of delicious plant-based restaurants everywhere (for example in Toronto<\/a>, Vancouver<\/a>, and Montreal<\/a>) where you can dine with your favorite person and still skip the dishes. <\/p>\n\n

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\u00a9 Mitja Kobal \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

5 – Make love, not waste<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

This Valentine\u2019s Day consider ditching plastic-wrapped, bouquets of flowers and packaged chocolates and give your loved one an unforgettable experience instead of material gifts! Consider whisking your loved ones away on a (romantic) weekend getaway in a treehouse, or spend the day ice-skating, tobogganing, or exploring local winter festivals. Not only will you be making the most of winter, but you\u2019ll be boosting your endorphins as well! Another great way to get to know your date is to learn something new together. Consider visiting your local museum, art gallery, take a pottery class, or even have a laugh at a comedy show!<\/p>\n\n

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\u00a9Creative Common \u2013 Mark Bonica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

6 – Breaking up with plastic relationships<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Some breakups are unavoidable, but they can be a fresh start and filled with positive changes! Like an awkward ex, it sometimes feels like plastics are everywhere I go. I pass them on the street, at my grocery store, at my favorite restaurant, and even on my holidays.  But no matter how often we see that awkward ex, we cannot take them back! Stay strong – you can do this! It was a toxic relationship, and we need to ban it from our lives. But how do we do this? Environment Canada recently released this draft science assessments on plastic pollution<\/a> which is a good start, but we are urging Trudeau’s government to go further and ban problematic and unnecessary plastics as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n

It won’t be an easy conversation for the Prime Minister, who will need to make the plastics industry understand that between him and single-use plastics, it’s over. What would such a break-up look like? We have an idea \ud83d\ude09 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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It\u2019s time to reclaim Valentine\u2019s Day! If this day is about love, how better than to shower our loved ones, friends, and colleagues with chocolates, meals and experiences that don\u2019t harm the planet! 
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By: Laura Bergamo, communications officer for Oceans & Plastics, and Mojgan Mohammad, communications officer for Food & Nature.<\/em><\/p>\n

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You are probably wondering what kind of Valentine\u2019s Day blog article would focus on a \u201cbreak up\u201d. Well, welcome to our funny, not so romantic, blue-sky world. My blue sky Valentine\u2019s Day is filled with kindness, gender equality, positive vibes, love between all species, less plastic and mass consumption and more DIY gifts and local organic food!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":29006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"6 ways to break up with plastic and food waste on Valentine\u2019s Day","p4_og_description":"

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