1. Purchase a gift from a company with a cause

Purchase your loved one a gift from a company with a cause. Toms is an apparel and accessory brand that’s made its way into the mainstream thanks to its’ feel-good consumer cause. Toms donates ⅓ of its profits for grassroots good, with focus on boosting mental health, increasing access to opportunity, and ending gun violence. United By Blue is another great example, they are a sustainable apparel e-commerce website. For every product sold, they remove one pound of garbage from oceans and waterways. 

Organize a day with your loved one after checking your local city’s environmental regulations. Here are some tips on how to plant a tree properly. It’s best to plant trees in dormant seasons, so mid-February is a great time before spring starts to bloom! This makes a great anniversary date later on, enjoying a picnic at the tree you planted in the later warm months.

Through Altruisto’s free browser extension and our 1000+ partners, you can buy your loved one a Valentine’s Day gift and at no extra cost to you, donate to a charity fighting for a cause of your choice. Whether it be reducing animal suffering, fighting against poverty, malaria or COVID-19. Purchase from vendors like AliExpress, Booking.com, Microsoft, and Barnes & Noble, or pick a partner from the full list found here. 2-6% of your purchase goes directly to the cause of your choice. For every $4.59 raised for Against Malaria Foundation two people are protected from malaria (via insecticide-treated bed nets) and for every $0.99 raised for Schistosomiasis Control Initiative one child receives crucial antiparasitic medicine.

4. Donate to a charity on behalf of your loved one. 

GiveWell is a great source for finding a charity that best aligns with your altruistic goals. They search for the charities that save or improve lives the most per dollar. Givewell conducts in-depth evaluations of a few highly effective charities and their nine top charities do an incredible amount of good. Donate through GiveWell here! 

If your Valentine’s Day is less of an event, you can always do a random act of kindness (RAOK) throughout your hometown and make someone else's day extra special. Some examples include: paying for the person-behind-you’s coffee or meal. Letting some people behind you in line ahead of you. Buying a warm meal for a homeless person on the street. Random Act of Kindness Day is actually February 17th, so you can get a head start! There are many more examples of kindess included on the official RAOK website!

Enjoy a vegan meal together to reduce your meat consumption and save a few animal lives! Switch up your usual date night spot for a cruelty-free dinner! You can find many great vegan restaurants in your area at HappyCow.net! Planning on staying-in this Valentine’s Day? You can find many great recipes here. Cooking together can be a fun activity and all the hard work is rewarded with a delicious meal. 

Stuck on what to do for Valentine's Day with your loved one this year? Check out our 6 tips, from gifts to activities for the altruist!

6 Altruistic Ways To Celebrate Valentine's Day

6 Altruistic Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

A small village of 8,000 residents in India is taking a big initiative, leading by example for the rest of the world to see. In Piplantri village in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, India, the villagers plant 111 trees every time a girl is born, an initiative that began around a decade ago.

This Village in India Plants 111 Trees Every Time a Girl Is Born

Together, the community maintains and nurtures these trees just like the girls that are born into them. In Indian culture, the number 111 is considered a guarantee of success, and that is what the village is planning for these girls. Every year, around 60 girls are born in Piplantri, according to Shyam Sundar Paliwal, the village's former sarpanch (decision maker). He led this initiative in the memory of his daughter Kiran, who had passed away.

In Indian culture, parents are reluctant to welcome daughters into the family. They are considered of less value than sons and are considered to be more of an expense, rather than an asset. Parents make an important pledge to their daughters.  “Parents sign [a written statement] promising that they would not marry her off before the legal age [18], send her to school regularly, and take care of the trees planted in her name,” Paliwal told The Hindu.

The families and communities also start a fund for the baby girl that will mature in 20 years; just like her. Together, residents of the village and the girl’s parents contribute Rs. 31,000 (approx. $400 USD) for her adulthood. 

The village has planted over 350,000 trees including mango, neem, sheesham, and amla. In addition, the village has planted over 500,000 aloe vera plants that act as a pesticide for the trees. These trees have become a source of livelihood for the village.

“Gradually, we realized that aloe vera could be processed and marketed in a variety of ways. So, we invited some experts and asked them to train our women. Now residents make and market aloe vera products like juice, gel, pickle, etc.,” explains Paliwal.

 Altruisto is a free browser extension that helps you effortlessly raise money for causes like these, all while shopping online at no extra cost. Once you are signed up and shopping with one of Altruisto’s 1000+ supporting partners, simply make a purchase and 2-6% of the total goes to a charity focused on an issue of your choice! Donate to Covid-19 relief, reduction of animal suffering or extreme poverty, and global health relief. Add to cart, save the world, one purchase at a time. 

A small village of 8,000 residents in India is taking a big initiative, leading by example for the rest of the world to see. The Piplantri villagers plant 111 trees every time a girl is born, an initiative that began around a decade ago. The families and communities also start a fund for the baby girl that will mature in 20 years; just like her.

Small Village Plants 111 Trees Every Time a Girl is Born

A small village of 8,000 residents in India is taking a big initiative, leading by example for the rest of the world to see. The Piplantri villagers plant 111 trees every time a girl is born, an initiative that began around a decade ago. The families and communities also start a fund for the baby girl that will mature in 20 years; just like her. 

Posts about: Lifestyle

6 Altruistic Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Small Village Plants 111 Trees Every Time a Girl is Born

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