Green Your Valentine's Day: The Sweet Stuff

On Valentine's Day, don't forget to extend your love to Mother Earth. This week's tips should help you do just that, even as you celebrate the biggest Hallmark holiday there is.

Tip #3: Choose Conscientious Cocoa

What's Valentine's Day without chocolate? When choosing sweets for your sweetheart, look for brands that are organic, local, and shade-grown. Why organic? Of all crops, cocoa takes second plase for using the most pesticides (number one is cotton); when producers stop using planet-harming chemicals, chocolate tastes better. As for shade-grown, that label means the cocoa under it was grown under indigenous trees, which therefore got preserved. Also, try to resist the convenience of that frilly heart-shaped box with all those paper wrappings tucked into plastic. Instead, go for a less packaged option. In general, names to avoid include M&M/Mars, Hershey, and Russell Stover in favor of Green & Black's, Newman's Own Organics, and Endangered Species.

Tell us: What's your favorite chocolate brand?