It’s the month of love, and as we prepare to celebrate those who are special to us this Valentine’s Day, it’s important to remember to do so consciously. From sustainably dressing to thoughtfully gifting, there are lots of ways that we as individuals can approach this celebratory moment in a way that makes a positive impact on our planet.

Moreover, this time of year is also a great moment to spread love within our communities too. When it comes to sustainability advocacy, there’s strength in numbers, in lending your voice and a helping hand, because it is, in fact, a large issue that can only be solved when we come together.

So, today, we wanted to share some Valentines Day gifts and slow fashion tips alongside how sustainable action through community empowerment can make this a very sustainable Valentines Day.

Dressing & Gifting Green

Let’s start with some simple tips you can keep in mind while you’re celebrating a sustainable Valentines Day.

Sustainable gifting tips:

1.A sustainable Valentines Day gift makes a positive impact on the planet - that means choosing something that’s created using non-toxic, sustainable processes and materials; it uplifts the workers that create it; it cycles back into our environment without harming it; and, most likely, can be used for a long time -  all in all, making it an environmentally friendly gift.

2.But buying new doesn’t have to be the way to go! If you’re crafty, try recycling or upcycling materials you have already to create the ultimate earth friendly gifts - an old pair of jeans could become a shoulder bag or a trinket to hang on a keychain. This means there’s less need to produce something new (less carbon emissions created) and materials are given new life and aren’t thrown away (less pollution is added to landfills/our ecosystems).

3.Choose your packaging wisely & consciously! A sustainable clothing brand and the like will most likely be able to provide this for you when you buy from them. However, you could instead opt to use old newspapers or fabrics to wrap gifts, or seek out wrapping alternatives that stay away from plastics.=

Sustainable dressing tips

1.Buy from a sustainable clothing brand! Brands like ours take the time to make sure their production chain is as sustainable as it can be, opting to craft sustainably and ethically, as well as working alongside vendors with the same conscious mindset.

2.And to add to the above point, also try to buy from small, local clothing brands.It’s very likely the brands in your neighbourhood operate in a much more sustainable manner than large, global corporations, crafting smaller and slower to provide for their own community - which they’ll also have a vested interest in uplifting.

3.When you’re buying new, keep your personal style in mind so you pick something that lasts a long time! Conscious fashion is all about choosing what’s best for you and your closet so that they thrive with each other for as long as possible - so not only choosing, for example, sustainable womens dresses made from conscious fabrics just for the sake of it, it mean means choosing silhouettes that are timeless; colours and prints you would wear on most days; and could be mixed-and-matched with the closet and accessories you already own.

Share Love With Your Community

Every little green act, however big or small, does impact the world around us for the better - that includes our communities! Things like investing in eco-conscious brands and environmentally friendly gifts does domino effect into ensuring we’re investing in better systems that take care of crafters and workers, therefore, uplifting communities. 

And so, in this section, we’ll take you through why it’s important to do so and how you can be more directly involved in community outreach.

How does collective action make a positive impact?

“From mitigating the effects of global warming to addressing resource scarcity, no single entity – governmental, corporate, or nonprofit – can tackle these pressing issues alone.” – weforum.org

Individual action can, in itself, make a difference, but there’s an immense amount of power that lies in community. Coming together to carry out sustainability initiatives can:

• Encourage discussion and education so that awareness is created of more diverse issues that involve climate and your specific community.
• Break stigma and cycles of inequality as we realise treatment of our planet reflects in how we treat each other - i.e, building healthier communities in turn creates healthier ecosystems.
• Accelerate effective climate action as numbers can make a difference in a cleanup or simply amplifying voices through media.
• Builds more resilient communities that can problem-solve and innovate more effectively when faced with climate issues.

(Sources: 1, 2)

How do I get involved?

There are a few specific ways you can get involved which depends on the needs of the community that surround you.

1.Cleanups

From beaches to parks, hiking trails to rivers, cleanups can do a lot of good to remove pollution that’s harming natural spaces as well as the creatures that live in those habitats.

In Singapore, 4,383 volunteers (a record for the recurring event) came together in November 2024 for an SG Clean Day event to pick up litter around the F1 Pit Building area - an initiative created to encourage cleaner habits and grow appreciation for Singapore’s labour force who clean public areas.

-You can register to participate in any of the SG Clean Day events here.

In India, there are cleanups all over the country in any major city. In September 2024 in Puducherry, the Indian Coast Guard organised a coastal cleanup that resulted in around 400 kg of plastic waste being collected!

-Keep up with coastal cleanup days in India here and here.

2.Learn, volunteer & participate in workshops

Education is key in fostering new, cleaner, sustainable, ethical systems. The more we know, the better we can improve and innovate! And that goes for conservation as well as slow craft, which is why it’s important we learn from those doing good green work in their own ways.

In terms of environment and wildlife conservation work:

• INDIA: ReefWatch Marine Conservation host a number of education and outreach initiatives around the country.
• INDIA: WildlifeSOS hosts talks at their education centres and you can volunteer at their rescue facilities.
• SINGAPORE: Nature Society Singapore hosts nature walks, creative and educational activities to help expand your knowledge of the importance of conservation.
• SINGAPORE: Conservation International Singapore offers outdoor education opportunities and internships.

In terms of slow fashion and craft:

• EVERYWHERE: Fashion Revolution is active around the world and hosts talks and events that can broaden your knowledge of sustainable fashion systems.
• INDIA: whatever city you’re in, there’s a big chance you’ll be able to learn more about the local handicrafts, especially since almost every state is known for particular unique textile practices: 

In Jaipur, Bagru Textiles offers workshops to understand and learn more about the hand block printing process;

At the Anokhi museum of hand printing you can also learn more about the art Jaipur’s hand block printing communities;

In Kukma, Kachchh, Khamir Crafts’ Campus is a space to observe the handloom art in person.

There’s so many ways we can encourage better and doing it together will help us make this a sustainable Valentine's Day while making big strides towards a greener planet. Whether you’re wearing sustainable womens dresses, buying earth friendly gifts for your Valentines Day gifts, or giving back to your community in some way, we hope this inspires you to spread the love this year to the planet.