Eco Lassie has gotten tired of the heavy consumerism surrounding Valentine’s Day. Over 180 million cards will be sent on Feb. 14th, second only to Christmas — think of all those trees!

She decided to research alternate ways to tell those special people they are loved.

The most obvious one is to substitute paper cards for an e-card. There are many popular sites for e-cards and all will have special ones for V-Day. One site that caught Eco Lassie’s fancy comes from Grace Communications Foundation’s Ecocentric blog. With several designs to choose from, you can be eco friendly and save a tree!

If you’re the type of person who wants to send a Valentine through the mail, consider recycling a vintage card. You can go one of two routes here: either purchase a vintage card or postcard, or consider downloading images you can cut out and send along.

Etsy.com has several shops that carry a variety of images. Choose the one that hits your fancy!

Then there are handmade Valentines. These are the keepers everyone appreciates. Get out your stamps, your leftover snippets of ribbon. Grab a few doilies and markers and you’re all set to create a heartfelt memento. You can Google snappy sayings, too. A simple pair of matches glued into a heart can read: YOU LIGHT MY FIRE. Use your imagination.

Finding plantable seed paper is another neat way to send a Valentine. Etsy.com once again is a great source for this paper , implanted with seeds, usually wildflowers. When planted and watered, the paper biodegrades and the seeds grow into wildflowers. Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving!

Of course, if you’re not crafty or have simply run out of time and the Hallmark store beckons, look for their Project Red Campaign cards and gifts. Made from all recycled materials, these benefit people living with AIDS in Africa.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Eco Lassie did not receive any gifts or remuneration for mentioning these products.