Recycling Valentine’s Day Cards

Watt Watchers is an energy efficiency program designed to help schools and families save energy and money. Over the decades, Texas school districts that participate in the Watt Watcher energy patrols have saved thousands (and, in some cases, hundreds of thousands) of dollars in energy costs each year.

Valentine’s Day Card Recycling

Each year on February 14, people often will exchange cards, letters, candy, or flowers with their friends or special valentines.  Valentine’s day, or St. Valentine’s Day, was named after a mysterious saint named St. Valentine. The story of how Valentine’s Day came to be is still in some ways a mystery.  However, we do know that it likely originated from ancient Roman rituals of Lupercalia that aimed to welcome in the spring season with card-giving customs.  Now, students and adults across the U.S. and other countries often celebrate Valentine’s day through various means including the exchange of paper cards.

Students might be surprised to find most Valentine’s Day cards are recyclable. The Hunt for Recycling activity is a 30 minute to 1 hour activity that helps remove materials from the waste stream by recycling.  Knowing what to recycle is the first step to more sustainable consumption.  As a group, review with students the different categories of things that can be recycled.  This can differ by region and municipality, so you may want to consider looking up what your school recycles, or you can hunt for all recyclable materials. Then, you can send students outside in teams to find recyclable materials.  Let’s teach students to not only love and care for each other this Valentine’s Day but for the environment too!

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