Valentine’s Day Guide to Com(passionate) Giving

Please your Valentine and nurture the world with these sustainable, ethical, intentional and cruelty-free gift options.

1. Fair Trade Wine. “Drink like you give a damn” says Etica, the United States’ top fair trade wine distributor. Etica’s producers in South Africa, Argentina and Chile are paid an honest wage for their work. Buying directly from local cooperatives, Etica’s aim is to help farming communities become self-sustaining.
2. Clean Water. A $20 Valentine’s Day water bottle from Charity Water will give an individual 20 years of clean drinking water. Give Cupid a rest this year and call on Hydrus, the god of clean water.
3. Intentional Chocolate. Intentional Chocolate uses trained meditators (some who’ve worked with the Dalai Lama) to project positive intention into a device designed to capture, hold and transfer the intention into food products. Intentional Chocolate subscribes to the principle that intention embedded in food can positively affect the snacker–think less stress and fatigue and increased calmness.
4. Conflict-free Diamonds. ‘Beauty knows no pain’ is plainly incorrect when it comes to conflict diamonds. Make sure that the gems you purchase or sport aren’t a product of violence. Brilliant Earth carries only Canadian, cruelty-free diamonds and recycled gold and donates 50% of profits to land restoration, gemology training and medical aid in Africa. Also to try, Igloo Diamonds.
5. Bamboo Skivvies. Kinder than they sound, these men’s and women’s underwear are made from bamboo fibers and organic cotton.
6. Pair of Sheep. A pair of sheep is whimsically romantic (like the amorous atmosphere of Noah’s Arc). Give a pair of sheep to a family through Oxfam. At $45 a sheep, your $90 gift enables women to becoming self-sustaining through the sale of wool textiles.
7. Flowers. Not just organic, each bouquet from Organic Style is associated with a specific nonprofit. Buy a bouquet and a portion of the cost goes directly to its affiliated organization. Heifer, EarthShare, PETA, Global Giving or Amnesty International are some of the organizations that will benefit from this romantic gesture.