- Story by Jane Zatylny Photography by Lia Crowe

The slow-food movement awakened us to the benefits of eating local, seasonal food. Now the same passion is sweeping through the floral industry, and it香蕉视频直播檚 based on a similar principle: sustainability.

香蕉视频直播淕iven the climate change crisis, as well as global social and environmental justice issues, sustainability is here to last香蕉视频直播攁nd not just in floristry香蕉视频直播攂ut in all aspects of our daily lives,香蕉视频直播� says Becky Feasby, Canadian ambassador for the Sustainable Floristry Network, a global organization dedicated to sustainable floristry practices.

You may wonder how flowers could possibly be harmful to the environment. After all, aren香蕉视频直播檛 they organic by nature? Well, yes and no. Consider the last floral arrangement that was delivered to your door: more than likely it arrived in a box, with the flowers themselves planted upright in a large block of green floral foam and shielded by layers of cellophane and tissue paper.

In all that excess packaging, those foam bricks are by far the most controversial by-product of traditional floral design. Not only is it non-compostable, the foam is also known to contribute to micro-bead pollution. Then, of course, there are the cellophane and other packaging materials to contend with.

In addition, the flowers in many arrangements, as beautiful as they may be, are sometimes far from carbon neutral. They may have been sprayed with fungicides, imported from South America, flown to Holland and then Seattle, and driven by refrigerated truck to a wholesaler in Vancouver.

香蕉视频直播淲hen I worked at a flower shop at the beginning of my career, I saw for myself how much waste was created,香蕉视频直播� says Kamila Alikhani, owner and creative director of Bloomi茅r, a zero-waste flower studio in West Vancouver.

香蕉视频直播淔lorists are under a great deal of pressure to keep their stock filled and fresh. If customers don香蕉视频直播檛 see a lot of variety, they might feel that a store香蕉视频直播檚 flowers aren香蕉视频直播檛 fresh. The result is that many flowers are just thrown away.香蕉视频直播�

Today, Kamila lives and breathes sustainability in her work, purchasing most of her flowers locally, particularly from River and Sea Flowers, an organic specialty flower farm in Delta.

香蕉视频直播淚 am very cautiously hopeful that there is a trend for local flowers,香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 hopeful because we香蕉视频直播檙e starting to see more local flower farmers.香蕉视频直播�

Julie R茅my has seen that growth close-up. She is a local flower grower as well as the owner and lead designer of Fleuris Studio & Blooms, a small floral design studio in Victoria. Julie is also a member of the Island Flower Growers, a cooperative that offers a wholesale flower market and distribution hub for local florists and floral designers. The cooperative recently expanded to include eight sustainable specialty cut-flower growers and a few casual growers.

香蕉视频直播淨uite frankly, growing flowers is a lot of work, especially when we also design them,香蕉视频直播� Julie says. 香蕉视频直播淏ut knowing that I香蕉视频直播檓 doing something good and I香蕉视频直播檓 giving back to the environment is a great reward.香蕉视频直播�

As it turns out, even the pandemic has contributed to the demand for locally grown flowers, says Becky.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 provided an increased sense of seasonal relativity for both flowers and food. Climate pressures in the global south have also created supply chain issues, which makes locally grown flowers more attractive for many florists.香蕉视频直播�

Nine ways to go slow and sustainable with your next floral purchase

Forget the foam

The number one thing that all consumers should do is ask for their floral arrangements to be made without floral foam, says Becky.

香蕉视频直播淭he planet will thank you.香蕉视频直播�

Floral arrangements can be created instead with bundled chicken wire, old-fashioned pin or glass 香蕉视频直播渇rogs香蕉视频直播� or Agra Wool, a new product resembling floral foam made from biodegradable basalt and sucrose. Using chicken wire allows for more gracious, garden-inspired arrangements, says Julie: 香蕉视频直播淚t allows the flowers to dance a lot more.香蕉视频直播�

Just say no to cellophane

Be brave, and say no to wasteful packaging like clear cellophane wrapping, says Kamila. Opt instead for kraft paper or tissue paper and fabric ribbons to wrap bouquets.

香蕉视频直播淏eing sustainable doesn香蕉视频直播檛 mean it can香蕉视频直播檛 be beautiful or luxurious,香蕉视频直播� she stresses. 香蕉视频直播淔or instance, we had our own tissue paper printed up with beautiful poems.香蕉视频直播�

Buy in season

Local flowers are typically available from April through October in BC, although there are many BC flower growers who use heated and precisely lit greenhouses to extend the season, says Julie.

香蕉视频直播淲e have sustainable flowers available the rest of the year to a certain degree, but just a few varieties here and there, and not necessarily in the abundance required to create amazing bouquets and arrangements without having to rely on unsustainably grown flowers, local or not.香蕉视频直播�

By buying in season, we can learn to anticipate them much like local produce.

香蕉视频直播淭here is a season for each of them, which makes you appreciate them that much more. We don香蕉视频直播檛 have dahlias in the spring, but we do have ranunculus,香蕉视频直播� says Julie, adding that it香蕉视频直播檚 like buying farm-grown fresh strawberries, for example. 香蕉视频直播淵ou know at the end of the season that you香蕉视频直播檒l have to wait until next year.香蕉视频直播�

Consider a flower subscription

Flower subscriptions are a great way to bring flowers into your life in a very sustainable way. Florists typically provide you with the vase for your first order and often offer or sell pin or glass frogs.

香蕉视频直播淎 monthly, bi-weekly and weekly flower service allows us to source the flowers needed for each set of arrangements. And, with no extra stock on hand, there are no unused flowers to throw away,香蕉视频直播� says Kamila.

Ask your florists questions about your flowers

Ask where your flowers are coming from, advises Becky.

香蕉视频直播淔lorists should know the place of origin for all of their flowers and should be able to convey this information to their customers.香蕉视频直播�

Choose fresh or naturally dried flowers over bleached and dyed

Trendy bleached and dyed flowers are often portrayed as sustainable but are anything but, says Kamila.

香蕉视频直播淥nce you bleach the natural stem and dye the flowers, they cannot be composted,香蕉视频直播� she explains. 香蕉视频直播淲hen you don香蕉视频直播檛 want them anymore, they have to be thrown away.香蕉视频直播�

Dried flowers, however, can be an important part of slow floristry, says Julie.

香蕉视频直播淚t is a great way to extend the season sustainably. Some flowers dry beautifully and retain vibrant colours while others can be 香蕉视频直播榖leached香蕉视频直播� naturally by the sun, instead of using harmful chemicals. Properly dried flowers can add a beautiful texture or pop of colour in a holiday wreath, for example, just when local sustainably grown flowers are harder to come by.香蕉视频直播�

Buy local from smaller growers who support farm-to-table flowers

Flowers that have been grown locally by a smaller grower who is interested in sustainability have a lot more movement and grace to them, says Julie.

香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e fresher; they haven香蕉视频直播檛 been shipped all around the world before they came here. They may be more delicate, but they have this amazing romantic look. The stems are freer; it香蕉视频直播檚 not all been standardized for the wholesalers.香蕉视频直播�

Work with and trust your florist

Florists know what flowers are in season and how to work with your style.

香蕉视频直播淚 like to understand a bit about who my clients are and how these flowers will make their lives more beautiful,香蕉视频直播� says Julie. 香蕉视频直播淔or one client, everything should be white. Another may be going for a memory or a feeling; for example, they want to recall a trip to Mexico with a bold-coloured arrangement.香蕉视频直播�

Kamila agrees: 香蕉视频直播淢y clients trust me to choose flowers for them. They just say, 香蕉视频直播榊ou choose. They香蕉视频直播檙e all beautiful.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈��

Celebrate and support the natural world

Flowers are about bringing nature into people香蕉视频直播檚 lives, concludes Julie.

香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e about celebrating nature and helping the bees and the butterflies and the birds and the environment as much as we can香蕉视频直播�Flowers are one of the best ways we can do that.香蕉视频直播�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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