Green Gift Ideas for Valentine's Dayedited by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady They say sometimes you find what you really need in your own back yard. For weeks I have been researching and searching for green valentine gifts. I thought I had found a great list of unique goodies. And then my friend Rochelle Brown sent me this list from my own home town--Dallas! (although the postman and Fed X do not really believe I live here--since I am gone do much. Turns out the red hot gifts this Valentine’s Dayin Dallas are actually green gifts! From traditional to creative, you can find some romantic, eco-friendly gift ideas from GreenDallas that are sure to impress your sweetie this Valentine’s Day:  1. Organic Flowers – Each year Americans spend billions on blossoms for their loved ones without realizing the environmental consequences. Countries like Ecuador and Colombia, which supply us with the bulk of our cut flowers, rely heavily on pesticides to ensure these blooms enter the States bug-free. Show your Valentine – and the planet – just how much you care by purchasing an organic assortment instead. Try sunset roses, stargazer lilies or even organic chocolate or cookie bouquets instead.
 2. Locally made wine – This promotes the regional economy and sets the romantic tone for any special occasion. The Texas Department of Agriculture offers a guide to Texas wines at www.gotexanwine.org.
 3. Make a romantic dinner – This year, buy locally and naturally directly from our area farmers at Dallas Farmers Market. Or learn to cozy up in the kitchen together by taking a cooking class. Learn more at www.dallasfarmersmarket.org or www.aiwf.org/dallasfortworth/
4. Plant a tree dedicated to a loved one – Seriously, what is more romantic than dedicating to someone special a present that will be around for hundreds of years? Visit the Dallas Urban Forest Advisory Committee website at www.dallastrees.org for details.  5. Adopt a Dallas Zoo animal – Visit the Dallas Zoo’s website www.dallas-zoo.org to find out how, with a donation ranging from $20 to $2000, your loved one can receive a personalized adoption certificate, a color photo, a Zookeeper’s Report that gives information about your animal, mailings about the Zoo and Aquarium, an invitation to the annual Adopt Parents’ Party and a listing on the Adopt Parents’ Honor Roll at the Dallas Zoo. Too cute!
6. Gifts made of recycled materials – The gift that keeps on giving...in the most cutting-edge, fashion-forward way! Clothing examples: Patagonia, organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, etc. Or who said frames are cliché? Get this gender-neutral gift made from recycled wood - wooden boats, homes, doors; you’ll have a conversation piece even without a picture. It's the perfect gesture for any family member -- especially one who doesn't already have a photo of you on his desk at work! 7. Handmade items – True proof of one’s creativity and thoughtfulness.  8. Plants and native flowers – Rather than just getting a dozen roses that will wither within a week, give native plants and flowers that you can plant into your own little garden to enjoy for months to come. These native beauties help to conserve water because they only need as much as the natural amount of rainfall! http://www.txsmartscape.com/ To find out which plants attract birds and butterflies visit Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s site www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/wildscapes/
 9. Take a romantic stroll through the gardens - Visit the Dallas Arboretum www.dallasarboretum.org or the Texas Discovery Gardens www.texasdiscoverygardens.org/events.html and get the scoop on their many gardens like the certified butterfly habitat, the scent garden, and the heirloom garden and plan a trip for your sweetie. Also discover different ways to restore, conserve, and preserve natural environments in your area.
10. Give your domestic diva the best—buy energy-efficient appliances – Every woman wants the best for her kitchen. Let’s say your old fridge or dishwasher conks out. Great! Replace it with an Energy Star appliance and you'll use at least 15 percent less energy and water in your home. It might be a little pricier to buy, but you'll be saving money on your utility bills and helping the environment. The payoff: If we all installed one Energy Star appliance, it would be like planting 1.7 million acres of new trees. www.energystar.gov 11. Shower them with love –How about making an environmentally-friendly bath and spa gift basket to go along with it. You can include (and install) a low flow shower head, one that puts out less than three gallons of water per minute. They still have great pressure but conserve gallons of water from each shower. Then fill the basket with organic soaps, lotions and shampoos without toxic preservatives or additives. 12. Light up her/his life: change a light bulb and lower your energy bill –Sure…you’ve heard this one before—and we know it's tempting to buy the four-pack of bulbs for $2 –but compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) use two-thirds less energy and last 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs. So, replace the 5 most used light in your house with CFLs and save yourself about $60 per year on electricity. If Americans replaced just one bulb in their home, it would save enough energy to light 2.5 million homes in one year and prevent an amount of greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of 800,000 cars. Of course, you can always turn the lights off altogether… candlelight is more romantic anyway, right? 13. Give a blue bin with a big red bow…a recycle bin! – If you live in Dallas, sign up for a recycling cart by calling 3-1-1 and put a big red bow on it. Recycle your cardboard, metal cans, plastics and paper products. By recycling you help reduce the amount of waste going into the landfill. You can also fill out your recycling roll cart registration online through www.DallasCityHall.com (click on “Big Blue/Order Your Recycling Cart” on the left hand side of the homepage). ABOUT GREEN DALLAS The City of Dallas launched www.GreenDallas.net as part of its commitment to environmental responsibility. This comprehensive site is dedicated solely to environmental issues. Madelyn Miller is green with envy over anyone who has a valentine wonderful enough to follow all these suggestions. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com and www.TeaAtlas.com | 