Green Options

I miss the days of elementary school when Valentine parties were more about treats than potential love interests. I don’t miss the mass-produced valentines with tiny, flimsy envelopes, with glue that doesn’t stick properly and horrible pun phrases juxtaposed by cartoon characters. I’m pretty sure I gave out some awesome Duck Tales valentines at some point in my K-5 career…

Fortunately for kids (and grown-up kids) there’s a new eco-alternative. Launched in 2006 by Portland, Oregon’s Kate Rosenthal, Stubby Pencil Studios has created the Color ‘N Kids line of “interactive cards” made of 100% post-consumer recycled paper that are processed chlorine free and made with certified renewable energy. The cards are “interactive” because they are black and white and are designed to allow kids to color them in any way they desire. The words and phrases on the cards are made of dotted lines so children can practice tracing their letters.

Happy Valentine's Day! We'd like to finish up our Valentine's Day Green Series with some tasty tips for the big night. Our lives revolve around food, and most couples will enjoy this evening in a restaurant or prepare a nice meal at home. There is a way to make this meal romantic and green - and we'll show you how.

The term Hallmark Holiday has become so popular, it even has a Wikipedia entry. The basic concept, of course, is that the holiday exists almost purely for commercial purposes. Many would argue that the days are actually invented by businesses as an excuse to sell, sell, sell.

Now, we know that Valentine's Day goes back a little further than Hallmark, but it certainly has become more and more commercial through the years. What these

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Roses are red, violets are blue, conventional means pesticides, harmful for me and you. Conventional flowers are so last season. That's the new term for saying made with pesticides, which is the "normal" way of doing things, we guess.