History of Valentine’s Day

What better time is there to celebrate love than during the Valentine’s season?  That being said, there is definitely a balance to strike in between the true purpose of Valentine’s Day – appreciating love and your loved ones – and showing that appreciation with gifts that won’t harm or pollute the Earth. We’re featuring a variety of products and ideas that merge the loving spirit of Valentine’s Day with products that you can feel good about – because they’re good for the Earth!   

But first, to fully appreciate Valentine’s Day, let’s delve into its origins, as reported by Britannica.com. The mid-February celebrations can actually be traced all of way back to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which celebrated fertility, paired men off with women based on a lottery system. It wouldn’t be until the end of the 5th century when Christianity was in full-swing that Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day. Naturally, Valentine was a popular name in the olden days, so nobody is quite sure just which acclaimed Valentine the day is named after. One version of the legend claims that a priest named Valentine signed a letter “from your Valentine” to a woman he had befriended and by some accounts, healed of her blindness.  Thus came the birth of Valentine’s cards! The other commonly accepted origin story is that a priest named Valentine married couples in secret against the orders of the emperor. The marriages were done to spare husbands from having to go off to war leaving their loved ones. Either theory is quite lovely, and supports why St. Valentine’s Day is associated with love.  

 So, now that we’ve had a bit of history lesson, let’s fast forward to the 2020s. As you know, the environment isn’t in a great place right now. Between climate change and the ever-growing plastic waste affecting our land and ocean environments, it’s important for each of us to do everything in our power to be more eco-friendly, and reduce the use of single-use plastics. While yes, most Valentine’s Day cards are paper rather than plastic, it still takes lots of energy to recycle paper. Plus, a lot of the paper cards outfitted with glitter and metallics actually are less likely to be recyclable. There are still material alternatives that are kinder to the Earth, and we’re pleased to share some of those with you.  

Growing Greetings Love Cards 

There’s nothing quite like a proper Valentine’s card that is sent via snail mail. While paper cards tend to be unsustainable, our Growing Greetings cards have a little something extra that makes them especially eco-friendly, and fantastic for direct mail campaigns. Every card contains a package of seeds that can grow into edible microgreens and are ready to eat in just 7-10 days. The cards can be printed with any design of your choice, and feature a hemp mat for the seeds to sow. We use only organic seeds and recycled materials to make these unique, eco-friendly greeting cards. After all, what says “I love you” more than fresh microgreens? 

Heart Seedsticks™ 

Our heart-shaped Seedsticks™ don’t just make the perfect Valentine’s greeting, but they double as a very long-lasting bouquet, as well. The Seedsticks are able to be planted to grow into whatever seed they are filled with. For an added love-themed touch, we recommend the use of our Nigella Love-In-A-Mist flower seeds. We also strive for all of our printing to be as green as possible, making a more eco-friendly product for you. Not only are our printers certified to ISO14001 environmental standard, but they are also certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).  

The Growbar

One of our newest products, the Growbar has all the fun of giving a sweet Valentine’s chocolatey treat with none of the calories! Growbars are styled to look like chocolate bars and although not edible straight out of the box; many varieties include edible plants! Every Growbar contains a themed seed collection within fertile coir bars. The bar just needs to be unwrapped, popped into a tray, and be watered. Within just 6-8 weeks, healthy seedlings will be growing,  and will be ready to plant in pots or in the garden. The coolest part? The Growbar is 100% eco-friendly, as the coir is made with coconut fibres a sustainable alternative to peat. The film wrap is recyclable, and made from sugar cane, which is 100% biodegradable. Even the card packaging is recyclable. 

No matter how you decide to show the love this Valentine’s Day, we urge you to try to do it in the most eco-friendly way possible.