Countdown to a Green Valentine’s Day - Day 6

Posted by User ImageA. Caleb Hartley on February 8th, 2008 filed in Candles

Welcome to cliche week on environmentastic!, where we discuss how to make your cliches as green as possible.

Today’s Valentine’s Day cliche is the candlelight dinner - specifically, the candle part.

Did you know that most candles are made with paraffin wax?  Did you know that paraffin wax is a petroleum product, meaning it is made out of oil - a nonrenewable resource? Additionally, this means that paraffin (and thus, your candles) are at least partially to blame for oil spills (Exxon helps Jesus walk on water!) and many other oil issues.

Okay, so maybe that was a little bit over the top, but you should also know that some candles’ wicks have lead and/or zinc in them, which means that they release small amounts of not-so-good-for-you gases as they burn.  Even though many countries have banned lead wicks, it’s not difficult to find them - even here in the USA.

The answer is not necessarily to forgo the candles entirely - the answer is to use a better option than conventional candles.  Fortunately, there are several options to green your candle-burning that will still light the fire in your loved-one’s heart (and/or loins):

  • Beeswax candles
  • Soy-based candles
  • Vegetable-based candles

Any of these choices avoids the paraffin dilemma at the least, and if you buy from the right manufacturer (ensuring they use cotton wicks or at least “lead-free” wicks), the lead wick need not be a concern either. 

One last thing to consider about your Valentine’s Day candles is their packaging.  Many traditional candles are wrapped in plastic shrink-wrap or placed in a plastic container (or - god forbid - both).  Packaging of any product has a large impact on the environment.  So look for candles that use paper (recycled?) wrapping or are poured into recyled or re-used glass or tin containers.

Where can you find these Captain Planet candles, you ask?  At the following places:

Honestly, if you’re going to buy candles for Valentine’s Day (or any time), just watch for the above issues and you should be fine, no matter where you buy your candles.

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

Light up the comments letting us know your ideas of a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner! Does it include candlelight?

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2 Responses to “Countdown to a Green Valentine’s Day - Day 6”

  1. no imageSelene (Who am I?) Says:
    February 9th, 2008 at 10:14 am

    I love candles and use them constantly. I’ll have to start using beeswax candles. Its only takes a few seconds to pick a brand that can help the environment.

    I just looked and the candle we were burning last night is a soy candle. Thought you’d be proud. :D

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  2. no imageBrian Fitzpatrick (Who am I?) Says:
    February 9th, 2008 at 10:49 am

    I have to say this is a great series of articles. It’s hard to be green and economically viable at the same time, but some of your ideas provide options for more earth-friendly product choices in these “nice to have” categories of things that we buy anyway for ourselves.

    Keep up the great work!
    –Fitz

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