Plan Now for Valentine’s Day!

Whether you love animals, the environment, people or all three, there are many ways to transform your Valentine’s Day celebration into an expression of your personal philosophies. Read on for some neat gift ideas and project tips.

The number of Valentine’s Day projects you can do is as limitless as your imagination. In the past, Roots and Shoots groups have done projects where they've made Valentine’s Day cards for veterans, the elderly in nursing homes, or children in hospitals. (Learn how to make cards here: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/valentine.) Last year, one Massachusetts group made cookies and candy for a church program feeding 75 homeless men; the youth created a giant Valentine’s Day card that was on display during the meal. One New Hampshire group made cookies and cards that were distributed to 80 homebound people through their local Meals on Wheels program. This year, a group in Plaistow NH is making Valentine’s Day cards for the same child survivors of Hurricane Katrina that they sent cards to last year.

If you’re a traditionalist – and you want to give chocolates or flowers, consider this:

A study has shown that 43% of the world’s cocoa comes from farms in West Africa where an estimated 284,000 children between the ages of 9 and 12 work in hazardous conditions, and 12,000 or these children arrived in their situation as a result of child trafficking. The solution? Purchase Fair Trade chocolate at your local natural foods store! Or, consider ordering a *Heart of Gold* for your sweetie: profits from the purchase will benefit Global Exchange. You can learn more regarding Fair Trade chocolate at: http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/valentines2007.html

And flowers? Areas surrounding flower farms have higher miscarriage and birth defect rates than do other areas, 50 % of workers in the Costa Rica flower industry have symptoms of pesticide poisoning. Please promote organic farming and sustainable agriculture! You can purchase organic flowers and support the Jane Goodall Institute at the same time through the Jane Goodall Institute/Organic Bouquet partnership: http://www.janegoodall.org/you/organic-bouquet.asp.