Valentine’s Day is around the corner and you may already be out shopping for your sweetheart. And, on average, you will be expected to spend $116.21 on gifts, meals and entertainment. But before you do any last-minute shopping, consider how much of a potentially negative impact just one day can have on the environment.
Greeting Cards
Greeting cards are the most popular gift given on Valentine’s Day. Who doesn’t like to receive those heartfelt declarations of love? Unfortunately, those are like bleeding hearts for trees. According to the Greeting Card Association, 190 million cards are given to loved ones every year. Christmas is the only other holiday when people give more greeting cards. Though some cards may be kept as keepsakes, most just end up in a refuse dump. If you must buy a card, buy those labeled as recyclable and/or made out of recycled paper. Or, better yet, send an e-card or make your own on the computer and secretly place it on your partner’s computer desktop. If you receive any cards, be sure to place them in your recycle bin or send your cards to the St. Jude’s Ranch for Children Recycled Card Program.
Flowers
Red roses have always been a symbol of love and a popular gift for Valentine’s Day. In fact, more fresh flowers are bought for Valentine’s Day than any other holiday. The Society of American Florists estimates that 198 million roses were produced for Valentine’s Day last year. Many flowers are grown using harmful fertilizers and pesticides. These chemicals can cause pollution and biodiversity loss of various plants and animals. In addition, most flowers are imported which requires the use of energy during transportation. When purchasing flowers, consider buying local, organic and/or fairtrade plants like at. Once the flowers have died, don’t throw them in the trash – compost them!
Chocolates
And then we have the ever-so-popular heart-shaped candy boxes. According to American Greetings, more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold. The problem is that a lot of the cocoa in the chocolates is produced using forced child labor. Some of these children are taken from their families and live on cocoa farms where they are often abused and live under inhumane conditions. When buying chocolates, purchase from Fair Trade and organic retailers. Once the candy has been eaten, send the wrappers to be recycled or get creative and make it into a long-lasting heart clock.
I’ll spare you any more gory details! But don’t despair, when it comes to Valentine’s gifts, there are always green alternatives… it just takes a little ingenuity and insider secrets.
I have had the most unforgettable experiences through the Earth Expeditions program. I traveled to Costa Rica, Belize and Guyana while pursing a master’s degree in biology with a focus on global ecology and environmental education. My personal studies and missions delve into insect conservation. It helped me to become motivated and have a vision for Green Matter. I highly recommend the program for anyone that wants to see the world, learn about conservation and find ways to make an impact.
Earth Expeditions offers global conservation and education programs through courses, degree programs and collaborations with other organizations in Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. The aim of the program is “to build an alliance of individuals with firsthand knowledge of inquiry-driven, community-based learning for the benefit of ecological communities, student achievement, and global understanding.”
The program is offered online so you can participate from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet access. Students spend 10-11 days during the summer at one of 13 locations around the world – Kenya, Belize, Namibia, Guyana, Costa Rica, Thailand, India, Baja, Hawaii, Borneo, Australia, Amazon, Mongolia.
In addition to individual global field courses taken separately or abroad studies with undergraduate coursework, you can also opt to enter several master’s degree programs.
To learn more about this unique Web experience, visit.. Dragonfly Workshops
Download and share the Earth Expeditions flyer.. 2014 EarthExpeditions Flyer
Ever wondered how green the state is where you live and/or work?
MPH Online, an independent online resource for public health students, published a cool, interactive map that shows each state’s rankings on seven environmental categories including mass transit, renewables, recycling, water quality, air quality, gas, carbon dioxide and overall.
Here you can see the environmental rank ratings for Ohio, my home state:
Click the map to find out your state’s environmental impact and let us know what you think.
Insects make up the largest and most diverse group of organisms on the planet. They are a critical part of the global ecosystem as well as nearly every aspect of biotechnology from agriculture to biomedical science. Also, insects are one of the best tools for inspiring an interest in science and nature in children and the general public.
Aaron T. Dossey, PhD, biochemist, post-doctoral entomological researcher and founder of All Things Bugs, is bringing together entomological organizations and institutions from across the country to show off everything that entomology and insects have to offer at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in D.C. from April 27-29, 2012. This is the first entomology section at what is considered to be the nation’s largest celebration of all things science and engineering!
Read about our ento section on SCIENCE BLOGS!
Over the past year, Green Matter, along with The Entomological Foundation, Daniella Martin of Girl Meets Bug and others, has partnered up with All Things Bugs in its search for entomology contributors, sponsors and volunteers… and we still need any help we can get. Donations of any kind – time, monetary, entomological and educational materials, brochures, etc. – are welcome and encouraged!
Some of the sub-topics that will be covered by the themes of our booths include the following.
- Bees and Pollinators
- Insect Zoos and Live Insect Displays
- Cutting-Edge Insect Technology (cyborg beetles, genomics, biomedical science and agriculture)
- Insects as Human Food
- Biodiversity, Systematics and Taxonomy
- Entomological Education and Outreach
Share this information with other bug lovers and then plan that road trip to see all the cool bug stuff! To offer assistance or for more information, feel free to contact Michelle Harris at michelle@greenmatter.org.
The boots that Santa has to fill for Christmas leave a HUGE footprint behind in the winter snow in December. Ethical Ocean took a look at Santa’s environmental impact and tried to help him run a slightly more eco-friendly operation. Learn the dirty truth about Santa’s 122 million-mile trip and the ways he and his elves can make more of a Green Christmas.
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