Every year, Americans give billions of flowers as gifts. Bouquets are popular gifts for many holidays, including Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and birthdays. Flowers are great; they are beautiful, aromatic and welcoming. However, EnviroCitizen.org discovered that the floral industry uses a huge amount of chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers when they grow these flowers. Many growing practices in the floral industry cause erosion, soil degradation, water pollution and habitat destruction. So, if you want to send flowers to someone, send them organic flowers. That way, you won't be responsible for contributing to the environmental problems associated with the conventional floral industry.
One company, Organic Bouquet, specializes in organic, sustainable flowers and bouquets. They provide fair working conditions and living wages to their employees. The flowers are farmed with sustainable farming techniques and are not sprayed with toxic and persistent chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.
Organic Bouquet has been a catalyst for change in the floral industry. They use eco-friendly floral packaging and were the first company in the floral industry to implement a carbon offset program. All of their products come with a guarantee that they were not produced using animal testing or cruelty and are either vegetarian or vegan. The fact that Organic Bouquet attests to these good practices is alarming, considering the fact that other companies in the floral industry cannot guarantee the same quality.
A portion of Organic Bouquet's profits go to charitable organizations. To date, they have donated more than $250,000 to different causes. They use tree-free, recycled, recyclable, biodegradable, compostable, wild-crafted, post-consumer and/or all-natural materials at all times. They ship their flowers and products with packaging made from recycled and recyclable materials. Their inks are non-toxic and low in volatile organic compounds (VOC). Their bouquet sleeves are all made from polyactide, a biodegradable, renewable product made from corn.
Organic Bouquet also offers 100% recycled glass vases, which go well with their beautiful floral bouquets. They even sell gourmet foods, like Peace Cookies, picnic baskets, fruits, nuts, chocolates and a variety of plants that you can grow, like Bonsai's, fruit trees and sunflowers. Who knew one organic flower company could make so many small changes that would have such an effect on the conventional flower industry?
EnviroCitizen.org suggests that you make your flower purchases from a company like Organic Bouquet where all of the products are organic, so you can ensure that you are giving the best gift possible. |
