Green Options

In my previous eco-dating post I described a possible afternoon out to share with your significant other. This time let’s explore a night in!

I have found that cooking with your favorite guy or gal is a great way to spend time together and learn something new. Aaron and I tend to make a lot of whole grain pasta with chunky organic veggie sauce. Whole grain pasta is less processed than typical pasta and any foods made from grains rather than meat are less energy intensive to produce.

After this hearty meal you can rent a movie that you have both wanted to watch. Renting instead of buying is a way to share and re-use resources, in this case DVDs or tapes, as much as possible before they must be recycled or sent to a landfill. For us, renting is a particularly attractive option because theater tickets are so expensive these days and rental businesses definitely give us more choices. If you’re not keen on renting but want the same effect try Netflix or buying movies on iTunes.

My boyfriend Aaron and I have been dating for about 3 years now! Since we met in college, and college students are notably poor, we relied heavily on cheap dates that were within walking distance of campus. The good thing about these sorts of dates is that they are also often very eco-friendly!

First, for the guys, surprise your belle with a bouquet of hand-picked wildflowers. By doing so you are avoiding all of the plastic packaging and chemicals used to keep store-bought flowers alive. Also, a good majority of women are so impressed that you would take the time to pick flowers for them that you will score major brownie points in the ‘being a really sweet guy’ field!

Now to the main event! Taking a walk in the park is one of my favorite sustainable date activities. It may sound simple but it is more charming than you might expect. Plus, not only are you enjoying the environment and each other but you will feel great knowing that you are saving energy by opting for activity which requires no electricity or battery power.