Love in a Carbon Neutral Climate

The top 10 Low Emission Romantic Gestures:

♥ Plan a Romantic Get-Away:

Forget Paris. Not only is it a cliché, the air miles are a carbon footprint nightmare. Plus the plane will be full of sugar-ridden children en route to Disneyland. Instead, book into the fabulous BrookLodge, Macreddin and have dinner at the Strawberry Tree, Ireland's only certified organic restaurant. www.brooklodge.com 

♥ Dinner a deux:

Prepared with love, a home cooked meal is the ultimate romantic gesture. Be sure to create a dish with organic ingredients - free from artificial nasties like pesticides, fungicides and antibiotics, these ingredients are produced with tender loving care by growers and farmers who give a damn about the earth.

♥ Home-made Valentine's Cards:

Use recycled cardboard and not only are these eco-friendly, they have the added advantage of being freely available at any hour of the day or night. No late night crisis when you realise the newsagent is closed and you've forgotten to buy a card. Rummage around in the green bin for a bit and voila!

♥ Share a Bath with your loved one:

Bathing alone is a shocking and shameful waste of precious water. Double up and help save the planet.

♥ Give the Gift of Chocolate:

It's obvious and not very original but we're suckers for good chocolate. Remember to choose fairtrade and organic. We like Irish chocolatiers Blakes, based in Galway.  www.blakesorganicchocolate.ie

♥ Sustainable Undies:

Hmm...we're not convinced knickers are the most romantic gift but if you're going to do the lingerie thing, remember that  polyester is tacky, itchy and destined to live in landfill for millennia. Visit http://www.enamore.co.uk for stylish designs in sustainable fabrics including organic hemp, soya, cotton and silk.

♥ Flower Power:

A bouquets of roses may represent the universal Valentine's gesture but this just makes them dreadfully tedious in our book. Not to mention the fact that they often come courtesy of some rather unsavoury labour practices in foreign countries and may be grown using all manner of toxic chemicals. Choose local, sustainable and organic or ditch the flowers altogether.

♥ The truth about Diamonds:

We're all in favour of grand gestures but when it comes to jewellery, be sure it's not at someone else's expense; the human cost may be too high. Choose conflict free jewellery. www.brilliantearth.com

♥ Beauty Baskets:

The Beauty route is frought with danger so check the ingredients. No toxic smellies please - trust us, there's nothing romantic about sodium lauryl sulphate and parabens. Choose ethical and organic beauty brands like Dr.Hauschka. With fairtrade projects in countries like Afghanistan, local farmers are encouraged to grow roses instead of poppies which are used to support the opiate trade. More info @ www.drhauschka.ie

♥ Be Resourceful:

Dateless? Don't worry. Hug a Tree. It's the eco thing to do.