Organic Flower Delivery: The Importance of Buying Organic Flowers

Many people believe that since we don’t eat flowers, using non-organic practices to grow them is of no consequence to our heath or the environment. The reality is that the floral industry uses a lot more pesticides and fungicides than food crops. Becoming aware of the tremendous negative impact of these, one begins to appreciate the power of simple acts like choosing organic flower delivery services.

It wasn’t until recently that I learned about the people behind the flowers that we sell at Wisteria Lane.  I quickly realized that our expressions of affection require painful, low paid toil by mostly female labor. The lack of protective equipment and clothing leaves most of them exposed to many pesticides and fungicides used in the fields.  These chemicals are known to cause symptoms such as headaches, nausea, autoimmune diseases and miscarriages.

Why Choose Organic Flowers?

While being eco conscious is important, caring for our human resources with respect is as important. This is one of many reasons to choose organic flowers.  Across the board, farmers who are respectful of the earth will tend to also be respectful of their employees.

Time and again, I have been relieved to realize that the more eco conscious the farmer is, the more socially responsible they are. I constantly remind myself that there is no good reason to buy organic flowers from farms that don’t value the human beings that produce the crops.  I advise this to all when choosing organic flower delivery services as well.

America’s main suppliers of cut flowers next to the Netherlands are Columbia and Ecuador, where a repressive culture has allowed many unhealthy practices to prevail. Within the next decade most of our roses will be “Made in China”. Without any job rights or union protection, young women earning less than $25 a month will face the same occupational, safety and health hazards as their counterparts in South America.

On the ecological side, while organic flowers don’t cost more or look very different, they are farmed very distinctively.  Organic farmers do not use the chemical pesticides, fertilizers and unconscious waste management that cause so much destruction to the soil, flora, fauna and waters in the surrounding eco system.

Organic farming also prevents topsoil erosion by eliminating chemical-intensive, mono-crop farming practices.  In the end, choosing organic flowers for your next celebration will go far in protecting your soil, water, health and well-being of farmers world wide.

Today, there are many good sources for eco friendly flowers across the nation. Organic flower delivery services such as Wisteria Lane use flowers that are grown locally, using ecologically and socially sustainable practices, and ensure that their flowers are certified Organic or Veriflora.

Flowers have long been a perfect expression of celebration, romance, appreciation or sympathy.  Using organic flower delivery services will guarantee that these gifts stay congruent to their meaning and that earth and their farmers are treated with respect.

Notes
www.Organic.com and www.Veriflora.com
Studies in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives have found symptoms of pesticide poisoning in workers in Colombia and Ecuador, which produce 59% and 19%, respectively, of the cut flowers imported into the USA. In Colombia, floral workers reported headaches, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, skin eruptions and fainting. In Ecuador, nearly 60% of flower workers surveyed showed poisoning symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, trembling hands and blurred vision.

Sherene Hulugalle is the founder and president of Wisteria Lane Organic Floral Designs. She says: Our quest for a sustainable future for nature is the best business practice we can imagine. Our flowers are grown in a manner that is gentle to the earth and safeguards the well-being of farm workers, wildlife, and the ecology using the best certified sustainable practices including Organic and Veriflora. www.wisterialaneflowershop.com

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