Green Tips for February – Let’s Spread the Love!

Happy February, all! This year, ACI’s Team Green is sharing ways to cherish and celebrate yourself, your loved ones, and your community.

Start with self-love & self-care.

This Valentine’s Day, let’s make YOU the priority by scheduling some serious self-love! This month, we encourage you to make time for activities that nourish your body and soul. How about taking daily walks, treating yourself to a fresh haircut, manicure, pedicure, or booking a relaxing massage? Feeling lazy? How about picking up that book you’ve meant to read and spending a lazy Sunday cuddled up on the couch? (Check a book out of your library for a waste-free option!) Feeling ambitious? Maybe find time to set up the garden you’ve wanted to start (late winter/early spring is the perfect time for this) or take up that new hobby. Self-love and self-care aren’t selfish but essential, and you will be more present for your loved ones if you take the time to do them!

Share the love with others.
SUCCULENTS ARE SUSTAINABLE

This Valentine’s Day, skip the cut-flower bouquet that will wilt, die, and end up in the green organics bin and opt for a potted plant or herb that will bring sunshine into you and/or your sweetheart’s life for months (or maybe even years) to come! Succulents are a great gift and are plants that take very little to maintain. Bring joy into your home or theirs and give them something that reminds them of you every time they look at it!

CREATE AN ACTIVITY BOX FOR OUTINGS

This idea blends sustainability, creativity, and thoughtfulness into a gift that keeps giving. Take any container and decorate it. Then, create an assortment of date ideas by writing them on paper, printing them onto paper cut-outs, adorning decorated popsicle sticks, etc. For extra razzle, add gift cards to take the guesswork out of budgeting! Place those “dates” in your decorated reusable container and gift it to a loved one or as a gift to yourself.

HERE ARE SOME IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED:

Stay-at-home dates ($)

    • Take a walk to the park.
    • Shop your Farmer’s Market for seasonal produce and prepare a meal together.
    • DIY spa date at home.

Going out dates ($$)

    • Go to a local museum or gallery.
    • Enroll in a local class.
    • Purchase tickets to a sports game or comedy show (some comedy shows are free!).

More expensive ($$$)

    • Visit a winery.
    • Explore a new part of town through food and art.
    • Weekend stay-cation trip in your area.

Don’t have that special someone in your life? Sure, you do, your friends!

If you don’t have a romantic Valentine this year, don’t worry! Grab your friends and get together. Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to connect with your friends and have a fun night out or in. Make a reservation at your favorite restaurant or the new one you’ve been dying to try. Or spend it inside with your favorite snacks, games, and movies. Enjoy the love you’ve created through the friendships of those around you!

Giving love back to your community.

Love takes many forms; one way to express it is to give back to your community. Looking for a new way to get involved in your community? Try one of these great ideas!

TRAIL MAINTENANCE

Are you a lover of the outdoors? Have you wondered what more you can do to give back to Mother Nature and your community? Hiking trail maintenance and restoration is a fantastic way to get outdoors and meet like-minded people!

  • The easiest way to support trail maintenance and restoration is to follow the “Leave No Trace Principles” every time you go into nature. The principles include staying on the trail, not using muddy trails, not littering, and learning and following the regulations of each area you visit.
  • Connect with your local trail maintenance groups or national organizations to do more. A quick web search will tell you who to contact or how to find groups that host events. Events, such as volunteer days, offer a way to participate in hands-on projects like clearing debris, repairing erosion, and building trail structures.
  • Lastly, advocacy is an extremely powerful tool. Share the “Leave No Trace Principles” and why they matter to educate others on their impact. Research and support public policies that fund and protect trail systems. Click here to dive further into trail restoration.

SHELTER DOG-WALKING/VOLUNTEERING

Share your time and get rewarded with unconditional love from a shelter animal. Bay area animal shelters need volunteers to help with various activities, including shelter animal walking, care, and enrichment. Volunteers must complete a form, complete training, and commit to a certain amount of time per week. Search for shelters near you or check out the following websites.

  • Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter —Volunteers work in the kennel, walk dogs, care for cats and kittens, and help in the office. Like most nonprofits, they need volunteers more during the week than we do on weekends.
  • East Bay SPCA: Individuals aged 18 and older and youth aged 16-17 may volunteer independently but must submit a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. Children ages 10-15 are welcome to volunteer as part of an adult/child team under the supervision of a trained parent or guardian. A volunteer team is one child per adult. Youth can also volunteer in dependently through one of our many Humane Education Programs.