Celebrate this year’s Valentine’s Day in with energy efficiency in mind.
- Eat at home. Save on gas – and reduce emissions – by cooking your Valentine’s Day meal together at home.
- Shop locally. Buy locally grown food for your home-cooked meal. That supports your neighbors and ensures that your food hasn’t traveled to reach you — which takes extra energy. While local food may seem scarce in the winter, some farmers sell winter vegetables or root vegetables stocked from the summer.
- Save time and energy by fixing your feast in an energy-efficient slow-cooker. Toss the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, and the meal will be ready by the time date night begins.
- If you want to cook on the stove, use the correct size pan for the burner, keep the lids on and turn the burner off shortly before the dish is done.
- Candlelight is romantic and doesn’t cost a penny of electricity.
- Choose sustainable gifts, like greeting cards printed on recycled paper. Opt for a longer-lasting potted plant rather than fresh-cut flowers.
