Embracing green and ecofriendly lifestyle choices is, in my view, an act of love—love for the planet and all its natural resources, love for our environment, love for tomorrow’s children.

As we gear up to celebrate Valentine’s Day, I can’t help but feel ambivalent about the way marketers and advertisers want me to mark the occasion.

As a society, we tend to go overboard on holidays and fall prey to marketers who entice us to buy chocolate and candy, jewelry, flowers, champagne, cards, and gifts for those we cherish.

But this holiday needn’t be about flagrant consumption (although a little chocolate never hurts). After all, where do all those cards and envelopes, unwrapped packages, and boxes end up? It all seems so wasteful and harmful to the environment.

There are so many green ways to feel and spread love. If romance is in the picture, why not take a simple approach and prepare a home-cooked meal made with local ingredients, and enjoy it by candlelight?

Yet Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be exclusive to those with sweethearts to lavish with love and attention. I prefer to view Valentine’s Day as a time to celebrate and toast a whole host of beloved friends and members of a larger family.

Whichever way you choose to spend February 14, I wish you a green Valentine’s Day.

With love,

Nancy Meyer