As a romantic at heart, Valentine's Day is one of my favorites. And although it's still two weeks away, being prepared for the holiday can reduce the need for spur of the moment gifts.

Instead of getting caught up with last-minute generic cards and cheap chocolates, try to take an eco-conscious approach.

Valentine's Day starts out being wasteful with the onset of billions of Valentine's Day cards that are given each year around the world. Exercise your pre-cycling knowledge by purchasing cards made with post-consumer recycled content. The way to tell if a card contains recycled content is by flipping it over. The recycled content will be listed on the back; look for 100 percent and settle for nothing less than 30 percent. Locally, you can go to Winds of Change in Frisco for recycled cards. Visit www.greenfieldpaper.com for lovely, biodegradable cards, or go completely paperless by sending e-cards. You could also make a card from supplies you have around the house, even if it's not perfect, you're cutie will appreciate the effort.

When you've finished picking out or crafting the perfect card, it's time to move on to the good stuff - like chocolate. Fair Trade certified organic chocolates are the only way to go for the eco-conscious gal or guy. Chocolate made from cacao grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers also restores nutrients to the forests and soils in which it is grown. Support products that carry the "Fair Trade Certified" stamp of approval this Valentine's Day; go to www.transfairusa.org to do a search on products and the places to find Fair Trade goods.

Vitamin Cottage (which recently opened in Dillon) offers an assortment of yummy chocolates. Keep an eye out for a couple of my favorites: Dagoba, Chocolove (with a convenient love poem on the inside of each wrapper) and Green & Black's. Additionally, Vitamin Cottage offers an array of pre-packaged bulk goodies, so you can satisfy your sweetheart's sweet tooth in a natural way. Harmonize with the chocolate by adding a gift of eco-friendly coffee from Conscious Coffees in Breckenridge, which uses ecologically kind practices too.

But if your significant other doesn't have a taste for coffee, a bottle of good wine is another great option. Some types known for their sustainability strides are: Organic Wine Works, Frey, Fetzer, Benziger, Badger Mountain, Bonterra or Frog's Leap. The different vineyards employ types of sustainable farming methods from organically grown grapes to "biodynamic." Each wine is unique and your honey will love the gesture of giving a good wine from the heart and earth. And while you're cuddling up and eating chocolate and drinking wine, watch a movie like "Go Further" starring eco-hottie Woody Harrelson to get inspired.

One more gift along the path of cupid's arrow which hits the mark is an air-cleaning plant. It doesn't really sound like an adoring notion, but it is! One air-cleaning, flowering plant can produce the beautiful gerbera daisy. Make sure to get the potted variety and it will last two to three years as a sign of your love and devotion. Personally, anyone who gives me a gift that provides a healthier environment is a keeper.

So, whether you buy Fair Trade chocolate or a nice plant for your dearest this Valentine's Day, any eco-effort you make will show your loved one that you care for her or him and the day will be a success.



Eartha Steward is written by Carly Wier, Holly Loff, and Beth Orstad, consultants on all things eco and chic at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation in our mountain community. Eartha believes that you can walk gently on our planet, even if you're wearing stylie shoes.

Submit questions to Eartha at recycle@colorado.net with Ask Eartha as the subject or to High Country Conservation Center, P.O. Box 4506, Frisco, CO 80443.