Dearest readers,
Sometimes when I’m down in the stacks researching answers to
your latest dilemmas, I enjoy taking a stroll down Ask Umbra archives lane.
Here
are some sparkly tidbits I culled from my past advice on lessening your impact on
that sweet little romantic holiday, Valentine’s Day. Have any of your own
sustainable loving tips or stories? Let me know in the comments section below
or shoot me an email.
Break up
with your blow-up doll
And that jelly vibrator, while you’re at it.
Lots of popular sex toys are made of PVC—a fancy name for vinyl (no
vinyl, that’s final)—or with plastic-softening, hormone-disrupting phthalates.
Heat and agitation from use can cause toxins to leach from the toys—not hot. Get the
full Ask Umbra answer.
Pull the
e-card
About a billion Valentine’s Day cards are
sent globally each year. Don’t let your Valentine greeting be just another
number: Save some paper (and a few bucks) by sending your snookums a well-selected e-card instead. Get the
full Ask Umbra answer.
Channel
Martha Stewart
Eschew conventional consumption, and get a
little crafty for your Valentine. Put together some memorable photos, write a
poem, or bake a tasty vegan
chocolate cake. Get the
full Ask Umbra answer.
Sweeten the
deal
If traditional is your middle name, then your
parents were a little odd, no? Anyway, perhaps you’re inclined to give a more
classic V Day gift like chocolate. Because of issues like child labor, low
wages, pesticide use, and deforestation, pay careful attention when picking
sweets for your sweetie. Look for chocolate that’s both fair-trade and organic.
Get the full Ask Umbra answer.
Turn on
the green light in the bedroom
Set the mood in your boudoir with
sustainable hemp sheets,
dimmed lighting, organic
massage oils, and vegan condoms. Then pop in a steamy movie—An Inconvenient Truth, perhaps?—and let
the magic begin. Get the full
Ask Umbra answer.
Lovingly,
Umbra
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