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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
Saturday/Sunday, February 9 - 10, 2013 | D3
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VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT GUIDE
All Good Things Valentine’s Day might strike some as a frenzy of mindless consumerism, but that needn’t be the case. Show your supreme thoughtfulness by giving a present with spinoff benefits for the world at large
Spread the love…to pachyderms. Global Vision International’s elephant-rescue program in Chiang Mai, Thailand, brings visitors up close to gentle giants who were freed from tourist camps and returned to their natural habitats. Learn how to observe and feed the creatures, no longer obliged to perform embarrassing tricks, thanks to your contribution. One week from $1,522, gvi.org
For the
ecovalentine
GOLD INTENTIONS
Blooms for Improvement Flowers are a time-honored way to express your desire to grow old and grouchy together—and if you order through Organic Bouquet’s Flowers For Good program, 5% of the purchase will go to a charity of your choice. organicbouquet.com
TECHNO-CLUTTER, BE GONE! SWEET DEAL Think outside the heart-shaped box: An investment of $100, $250 or $500 in the Chocolate Garage’s Future Chocolate program allows participating chocolate makers to pay top dollar for raw ingredients sourced ethically in developing countries. It also buys your cacao-crazy sweetheart an equal sum in credits toward the purchase of the highest quality microbatch product available. Our fave: The supremely smooth selections from Madre Chocolate (above) in flavors like chipotle-allspice and hibiscus. thechocolategarage.com
For the
nester
For the
gourmand DO-GOOD READS At the risk of making your own relationship seem humdrum and less-than-sweeping, give your mate a classic love story such as Ian McEwan’s “Atonement” or Jane Austen’s “Persuasion.” Buy it from Better World Books, which, for every book sold, donates another volume through pro-literacy charities like Books for Africa. betterworldbooks.com
Is your sweetheart racked with guilt over the obsolete gadgets he or she has failed to recycle? Step in, chivalrously, by ordering GreenDisk’s Technotrash Can. Fill the box with up to 35 pounds of pointless Pearl Jam cassettes, ancient laptops and other electronics—and send it back, knowing the refuse will be properly dealt with. $43, greendisk.com
PURE MOTIVES Bottled water creates waste, and Brita pitchers fall short of chic. Equip your Valentine to purify tap water the picturesque Japanese way— by popping a stick of binchotan, a charcoal made from oak-tree branches, into an elegant carafe. Each stick lasts about two weeks before it needs to be revitalized by boiling for 10 minutes. Quarter-pound bag of Kishu binchotan, $19, rikumo.com; Blomus Acqua Large Carafe, $59, lumens.com
SCRAPPY SWEATER Hoping to endear yourself to an environmentally minded man? British company Sir Plus makes its natty sweaters using surplus fabric that would otherwise go to waste, with elbow patches cut from old coats and caps. Navy Crewneck Jumper, $78, sirplus.co.uk
COZIER THAN ROSES
Hooking Up The thought of fish may not stir your heart, but some food lovers regard Rogue Tuna with a covetous gaze. These award-winning albacore fillets are sustainably harvested and craft-canned in their own juices, with no oil or water to dilute their rich, clean flavor. Sales help sustain a coastal Oregon community. $7, rogue.com
BENEVOLENT GRUB
Love is not love which alters when it sits on uncomfortable sofas, but, just to be safe, pamper your Valentine with this pillow, handembroidered by women in Ahmedabad, India, and sold by Servv, a nonprofit that’s been supporting impoverished artisans for over 60 years. Peacock Pillow, $45, serrv.org
Covered Girl NICE BUNS A true care package, the Global Bread Box is a collection of baked goods— from Persian milk-andhoney bread to chocolatefilled rolls—produced by Hot Bread Kitchen, a New York nonprofit that provides workforce training and business incubation programs for immigrant and low-income people. $70, hotbreadkitchen.org
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Take your date out for craft beers and seasonal food— with a side of good works. “Philanthropubs” that donate 100% of their profits to worthy causes are popping up around the country, from Cause in Washington, D.C. (causedc.org), to OKRA Charity Saloon in Houston (below, friedokra.org) to the soon-to-open Oregon Public House in Portland, Ore. (oregonpublichouse.org). Cheers to that.
For five out of 10 days of Hands Up Holidays’ “Mayans & Mountains” trip to Guatemala, you help build a home in an impoverished village by day, and hang in the romantic colonial town of Antigua by night. Other highlights: Hiking a volcano and boating on Lake Atitlán. Ten days from $3,950, handsupholidays.com
For the
traditionalist
The social entrepreneurship credentials of Maiyet, a company co-founded by a South African human rights lawyer, are as flawless as the diamonds in its fine jewelry. These elegant pieces are s ure to melt her heart in ways both altruistic and entirely selfish. Maiyet Diamond Owl Eye Earrings, $17,000, Barneys, 212-826-8900
BUILDING MEMORIES
This whisper-soft cotton Lemlem robe will make her feel heavenly—and cherished—while delivering earthly benefits. Model Liya Kebede started Lemlem to support local weavers in her native Ethiopia, giving them access to a market far beyond their borders. Adersh Navy Kimono, $238, lemlem.com
AVAIL ABLE AT FINE OPTICAL RETAILERS WORLDWIDE | 1-800-223-0180
Illustrations by Sergio Ruzzier for The Wall Street Journal; F. Martin Ramin for The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas (9); Getty Images (tech); GVI (elephants); Hands Up Holidays (Guatemala); Okra (interior)
adventurer
Your Valentine can’t effectively inspire passion when he’s squinting into the sun. Warby Parker sunglasses will help—and, for every pair sold, the company provides spectacles for a vision-challenged child or adult. Winston Sunglasses, $95, warbyparker.com
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For the
SHADES OF HONOR
Trunk Bonds
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