Be My Anti-Valentine
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 02. 2.07
The advertisers have cranked up their engines, the planes are full of flowers from Africa and South America (what is the carbon footprint of this holiday?) , the Ivory Coast Blood Chocolate is being shipped out in anticipation of Valentines day. Think carefully about what you buy and for a really good laugh, look at the anti-valentines created by Meg Pickard and David Pannet, two cynical and grumpy new media types in London. "There’s nothing less romantic and/or sexy than a bunch of wilted, overpriced flowers, slutty lingerie made in a sweatshop, chocolates melted down from left-over advent calendars and reformed into hearts and a card pre-printed with someone else’s generic sentiment which you’re supposed to sign away to your sweetheart." ::Be My AntiValentine
another favourite:
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Reduce Your Carbon Footprint by Half in Three Steps
- Eat a Vegetarian Diet, Reduce Your Carbon Footprint by a Ton
- Found Flowers: The Perfect Eco-Alternative to Cut-Flowers
- Mister Miyagi's Guide to Going Green: 5 Questions to Always Ask to Think Green and Be Green
- Don't be Like Gov. Mark Sanford—Travel Local
- 8 Fun Green Ways to Manage Stress (Kissing is One of Them)
Guys - I'm getting tired of this sarcasm, it's really not that creative. Not to fault the poster, but the environmental movement is under increasing scrutiny and the knucklehead population is likely to take this seriously and chum it around.
have to say i really appreciate the anti-valentines! and then there are those among us who remember when valentine's was all about the anonymous expression of love, as in the secret admirer. can't help thinking even sustainable freaks need a little romance in their lives.
Yes, let's keep it simple. Media will have us believe it's not the little things you do every day that shows you care, but how much green (as in money) you surrender to a stranger.
And, the worst, since we're falling for it, they're inventing new 'special days' to vacuum up what's left of our savings.
Grow some flowers in the garden - it'll even suck up a little CO2.
Aaaaw, I am definitely a pro-conservation, alt-fuel, environmental, tree-huggin' fool, but I must say, Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. C'mon, have a heart!
Maybe they just need a good date. haha! Seriously, I think it's a good thing to you know make Valentine's more real and intimate and personal.
These ads are great for putting this consumer-driven carbon heavy holiday into perspective. V-day is one of the most wasteful holidays around... think about not just where all those sappy gifts are coming from, but how they're packaged, how long they last and meaningless it is when they're delivered more of out of fear of backlash from a loved one than because its something special.
This is a manner of culture jamming that is essential today if we can ever hope to start breaking people out of the socialized consumerism that is destroying the planet and killing people worldwide.
Kudos to the Anti-Valentines!
I think the anti-valentine idea is a good one, but not something I would give someone on Valentines Day lol. I like to make things on Valentines Day, partly because then you feel like the shops haven't won, but also the person you care about gets a unique gift and you don't have to throw away about 6 tonnes of un-needed packaging:) !!!