Show your love for planet Earth this Valentine’s Day

On Valentine’s Day, Major Heather Poxon encourages us to join the Climate Coalition’s campaign to care for creation.

Every February for more than a decade, people across the UK have come together for Show the Love, an environmental campaign to share what they love and want to protect – symbolised by a green heart.

The Bible tells us that God showed his love by sending Jesus to be our Saviour. We read in 1 John 4:7–9: ‘Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God... Because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

Caring for creation helps us as a Movement to love God and love others. We recognise that the Earth is the Lord’s, that he loves it and so should we. In doing so we discover, and remind ourselves, that it is our common home – as we care for creation, so creation is better able to sustain us.

The Salvation Army is a member of the Climate Coalition, alongside more than 130 organisations, which coordinates Show the Love each year. This year, Show the Love invites everyone to share a green heart as a simple, visible act that can connect us around the things we all care about – our homes, our health, our neighbours and our shared future. These green hearts will also help remind elected representatives in government that people want action rooted in care for place and community.

Caring for creation is one of our territory’s five mission priorities and it connects with and impacts the other four: sharing the good news, serving others without discrimination, nurturing disciples of Jesus and seeking justice and reconciliation. Climate action, for example, is at the heart of a healthier, fairer, safer future for others – clean air impacts children’s wellbeing and warm homes are at the heart of healthier families and lower bills.

This February, you can make and send a green heart to your local politician, with a short message about what’s at the heart of caring for creation for you. Your heart could be drawn on a postcard, made from fabric, turned into a badge or designed as a greetings card. You can also send a digital postcard via postbug.com. The idea is that members of parliament will receive these as gestures of goodwill and support as they endeavour to promote green policies in the corridors of power.

If you are sending a green heart or postcard to a politician, I would love to receive a photo of it, as well as a copy of the message you send – please send them to me at environment@salvationarmy.org.uk. Together, let’s wear our hearts on our sleeves as we care for creation and we Show the Love.

Reflect and respond

• Read 1 John 4:7–9 several times. What words jump out to you? What is at the heart of caring for creation for you?
• Send a postcard to your local politician by visiting showlove.theclimatecoalition.postbug.app.
• Share a green heart on social media with the hashtag #ShowTheLove2026 and tell the story of what’s at the heart of climate and nature action for you.
• Find out more about Show the Love at theclimatecoalition.org/show-the-love.