In honor of Earth Day (today is its 50th anniversary!), I thought I would share our earth-friendly and sustainable approach to floral design. Here are ways that we reduce our environmental footprint in our operations, sourcing of our materials and client interactions:
Seasonal and US grown flowers
We limit the use of out-of-season products as those have to be imported from international growers. They increase fuel consumption and transportation costs. Using seasonal and local products mean we’re supporting the community and the designs reflect the seasons with fresher and more vibrant flowers.
Vases and props for rent
To avoid buy and dump, offer our clients a wallet-friendly service and help make wedding planning stress-free for them, we have a wide variety of items for rent with a broad range of sizes and materials (wood, metal, glass, ceramics, etc.).
Limiting floral foam
It is a non-reusable, petroleum-based product that provides support for the flowers in the arrangements. It is carcinogenic and contains formaldehyde too. The less it’s out there, the better. Instead of foam, we design in water using reusable chicken wire. Additionally, without foam, our work have a more organic, natural feel our clients like. We only use when absolute necessary.
A hybrid vehicle and van rental
I own fuel-efficient Prius to help decrease our fuel consumption. We drive it to pick up our flowers at the flower market and with our superb packing skills, we use it for some of our deliveries. If needed (for instance, bigger weddings), we rent a van/truck from our local U-Haul.
Flower donation
Sometimes we can give some flowers a second life. For a few weddings, the clients and their guests can take flowers home. But for the majority of weddings, it’s just not feasible. In those cases, we partner with wonderful organizations to repurpose and donate flowers to recipients in hospitals, hospice facilities and senior care centers in the Chicago area to expand the reach of flowers.
Composting leftover and unused materials
There are times when flowers are just not suitable for donation after the wedding because they’re nearly at the end of their vase life. To me, it would be sad to give someone nearly-dead flowers. Those flowers are composted instead, so we’re able to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and create a valuable new resource, compost.
Reuse and repurpose packaging
Flowers from farmers and wholesalers are packed for shipment in long, cardboard boxes, which we then reuse when we deliver our bouquets and centerpieces. Also, flowers are bunched by farmers with rubber bands, which we always save and give to teacher friends to repurpose in their classrooms.
Paperless
Our quotes, contracts and invoices are delivered electronically, so not only is our process seamless for our clients, we also reduce waste. We accept payments via credit cards, debit cards and bank transfers without additional fees. And when we do need paper (like thank you notes and small boxes for packaging boutonnieres, flower crowns and corsages), we intentionally select ones composed of recycled fibers.
Natural cleaning products
There is a lot of washing in floristry. Clean buckets, tools, and vases ensure flowers last a long time. Our floors and worktables get dirty too. And of course, our poor hands! My favorite products are from Mrs. Meyer and method. For our buckets, we do not use bleach, which has proven to be damaging to our health and environment. Scrubbing them with soap and warm water clean them while not presenting any risks to our health and environment.
For those planning a wedding, what do you think? Are you trying to be more environmentally conscious as you plan your wedding? For those who work with flowers, got any earth-friendly tips you’d like to share?