‘Show the Environment Some Love This Valentine’s Day by Celebrating the Zero Waste Way,’ Says Arcata

This is a press release from the City of Arcata:

The City of Arcata’s encourages community members to keep zero waste principles in mind when celebrating Valentine’s Day.

The Environmental Services department has some tips on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day the zero waste way:

 Make your own treats. Instead of buying sweets, try baking something homemade. Be sure to use locally-made ingredients whenever possible to reduce fossil fuel consumption and support the local economy.

 Shop for locally-made and sustainably-made chocolate. Chocolate is a must on Valentine’s Day. If you decide to purchase chocolate, make sure to support local makers and businesses. When shopping for chocolate, go an extra step further and look for the Rainforest Alliance Certified frog seal on the package. The seal means that the chocolate was grown and harvested sustainably.

 Make your own cards. Get crafty and make Valentine’s cards from scratch with items already found at home or at creative reuse center, like SCRAP Humboldt, located at 101 H Street in Arcata. SCRAP is hosting an “Infinity Card Making” workshop on Tuesday, February 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for community members. For more information, call SCRAP at (707) 822-2452. Always remember to recycle old Valentine’s cards or donate them to SCRAP for future creative reuse projects when needed.

 Purchase locally-grown flowers. When purchasing flowers, remember to support local flower farmers, skip the plastic wrap and remember to compost them when they wilt.

 Bring reusable containers to dinner. Planning on going out for a candlelit dinner? Make sure to take reusable containers for leftovers in order to reduce food waste.

 Give the gift of experience and avoid unnecessary shopping. Giving the gift of experience helps reduce landfill waste. Take your date to a movie, a play or to see some live music. More shopping usually means more waste, and there are many romantic places to go in Arcata for free on Valentine’s Day. Take your Valentine on a hike to explore the Arcata Community Forest, or plan a bike ride to watch the sunset the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary.

For more zero waste tips visit, cityofarcata.org or call the Environmental Services Department at (707) 822-8184.