Valentines day is around the corner and heart-shaped merchandise is flooding stores. It can be easy to get overwhelmed and end up reaching for the closest box of chocolate placed directly at eye level by rich advertisers. Or you can do a little bit of research and make the best choice for the planet and have a vegan v-day.
Chocolate
It’s 2020 and vegan options are everywhere. Chocolates, gummy bears and basically any dessert that you can imagine is available in vegan form. A lot of dark chocolate is already vegan but there are brands that specialize in plant-based sustainable chocolate.
My personal go to is Sjaak’s Organic Chocolates. They have a wide selection of chocolate, including the elusive vegan white chocolate. They offer fancy boxes for special occasions such as Valentines Day, Halloween, Christmas and Easter. Sjaaks sells cheaper, more traditional chocolate but also offers fancy, limited-edition treats such as dark and white chocolate peppermint bark in a tub.
For worldwide shipping, check out Garuda. Their selection of chocolate is more limited than Sjaak’s, but they offer other vegan goodies such as marshmallows and more. Obviously, it’s better for the environment if you shop locally. However, these vegan fair-trade options are also a great choice if you are conscious of your carbon footprint.
Flowers
Flowers are a popular Valentine’s day gift! But not all flowers are made equal. One way to make a greener choice is to go to a local flower store. The less importing and shipping, the better for the planet. You could ask the store which flowers are grown locally and you can pick them up instead of having them delivered.
Personally, I don’t like getting bouquets. They are beautiful but they wilt quickly and it actually depresses me to watch them die. I prefer when my husband buys me potted plants instead! There are also bouquet alternatives with liquor bottles, candy, etc. I also wouldn’t mind getting paper or felt flowers that would last forever!
Veg News actually had a great article with edible vegan v-day bouquets that will blow your mind! I would personally kill for the pickle one!
Vegan V-Day Dinner
Most countries that I have visited have amazing vegan restaurants. So it’s not too hard to find a place for a romantic vegan v-day dinner! However, you should book in advance. Some places will have special courses for Valentine’s day and they are not always cheap.
Since I live in the USA, I checked out GroupOn. I was happy to see that even non vegan restaurants mentioned plant-based options for their several course dinners. I ended up splurging on Plant City in Providence. It is a vegan restaurant and they had a seven-course all-vegan pop-up for $85 per person. I never eat at fancy restaurants so I am extremely excited!
Want to read more about veganism? Click here!
