by Kade Agan
Ah, mid February. Large parts of the country are suffering severe amounts of snow, temperatures are dropping and tax day is a mere two months away. What could be more romantic than that?
Pretty much anything, really.
But Sunday was Valentine’s Day, the day when countless people pledged their love to others with all sorts of romantic gestures. Even singles treated themselves to a few luxuries. One of the most common ways of expressing mushy sentiments is with chocolates, and with good reason. Who doesn’t appreciate a bit of the sweet stuff? But for those of you scrambling to pick up the pieces from a less-than-romantic weekend, there may still be time to start making up for it. And while you're at it, take a moment to consider being kind not only to the special people in your life but also to the earth. Here is a wide variety of fair trade products that would bring a smile to anyone’s face this coming week or any other time of year:
• Theo Chocolate, a Seattle favorite, specializes in organic chocolate in a variety of flavors. If you indulge often enough already on this sweet treat consider a factory tour as a unique Valentine’s gift.
• Green & Black’s is a British chocolate company started in 1991 by a husband and wife team Craig Sams and Josephine Fairly (founder of Whole Earth organic food company and environment columnist for The London Times, respectively). In 1994 they earned the UK’s first Fair Trade mark for their Maya Gold brand.
• Sweet Earth Chocolates in California boasts a wide variety of “organic, fair trade chocolates for chocolate lovers everywhere” on their web site. You can buy wholesale or retail, and perhaps the most heartwarming gift of all for this Valentine’s Day: a Haiti Relief Bar that will see $1 from each bar go to Partners in Health.
• Green Promise offers a sizeable list of chocolate suppliers that are both organic and fair trade certified so you can find just the right gift.
• The Organic Consumers Association offers lots of great ideas on how to have a Valentine’s Day that’s ecologically responsible.
With all of these options there’s no excuse to not have a Happy Valentine’s Day next year, on Valentine's Day.
About Eco Encore
Eco Encore raises finds for environmental causes around the Pacific Northwest through online reselling of donated used books, CDs, DVDs and software. Since 2002 Eco Encore has shipped over 26,000 items to 51 countries, diverting about 25 tons of paper and plastic from local landfills.
It's easy to join the Eco Encore mission by donating or buying used media through our online bookstore.
