February has long been marked as a month of romance. St. Valentine, a priest who many believe Valentine’s Day is named after, lived for romance and some accounts say he even died for it. 

There are many legends and myths about St. Valentine — one of them has it that he was killed for continuing to perform marriages for lovers despite a ban by Roman Emperor Claudius II (because Claudius thought being married stopped men wanting to go to war). But the truth is, no one really knows the origins or even identity of St. Valentine.

Nevertheless, since about the 14th century (according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, although again accounts vary), Valentine's Day has been celebrated as a day to express love and affection to friends, family, and loved ones. However, those expressions of what is arguably the greatest human emotion, can also cause a lot of harm to our environment and planet.

Among all the global holidays, it’s only Christmas that generates more card-giving than Valentine’s Day with, according to Yale University, over a billion cards given away. 

Alongside gift wrapping and boxes, cards, cut or artificial flowers, chocolates, and all the other romantic paraphernalia traditionally associated with the day, showing love can be quite taxing on the environment. According to Waste360, Valentine’s Day in the US alone generates carbon emissions equivalent to driving around the world 3,993 times.

The good news is: there are a lot of ways to express your love ethically and sustainably.

You can find some sustainable gift ideas right here, and this year we’ve also specially-designed some digital Valentine's Day E-cards for you to share with the Global Citizens in your life. Perfect for showing your favorite people you care, without harming the environment. 

Bonus: They are infinitely reusable and you can always find them here whenever you need them. All you need to do is download them to your device and share with your loved ones over social media, email, and more.

1. You're like a tree. I can't breathe without you. 

2. Be my sustainable sweetheart.

3. My love for you is solar powered - it's constantly renewed.

4. I may be single, but I don't use single-use plastic.

5. I don’t need paper, but I need you.

6. Are you the environment? Because I care about you.

7. Our friendship is like recycling, it’s never ending.

Spread the love and save the planet? We like the sound of that, and we hope you do too! Let us know if you'll be sharing one of our e-cards on social media by tagging us @GlblCtzn across all major platforms. 

Global Citizen Life

Defend the Planet

7 Cute & Sustainable Valentine's Day E-Cards to Share With Global Citizens in Your Life

By Tife Sanusi