Here’s why you should Buy Locally Grown Flowers
« BackImported Flowers have a dreadful Environmental impact
The majority of all the cut flowers sold in the US come from abroad. Over 90-98% of all carnations, roses and chrysanthemums sold in the United States come from Columbia and Ecuador. This doesn’t just cause price spike of these products, but also bring along several other negative impacts.
In terms of Greenhouse gas emissions, considering that a simple bouquet of 20 roses produces as much as a 20km car ride alone – now that’s a dreadful picture.
A plane trip around the world for a flower?
Besides that, if we consider the greenhouse gas emissions involved in the cultivation of these flowers, the numbers add up even faster. Roses are almost always placed under glass and heated artificially to enhance growth. It also helps big Flower Corporations to grow roses in winters when they don’t grow naturally. The environmental impacts of this practice are so high that a single Dutch Rose grown in a greenhouse emits six times more CO2 than a rose grown locally and naturally in Africa and transported by plane! Now let’s cut out the air travel emissions from the Africa case, and that’s how little a locally grown flower bouquet impacts the environment.
Ethics aside, let’s ask ourselves a simple question: is one single rose worth that much carbon emission?
Buying freshly grown flowers from a local farmer in Duluth, MN is 7000 miles more local, and let’s not even talk about buying from Amazon – they aren’t going to sponsor your little league team.
What a waste of water
Our planet is running out of water – not Minnesota but the world as a whole. There’s nothing great about boasting our imported flowers that were grown after wasting tons of water. The flowers, especially the roses, require large quantities of water for cultivation when their growth is accelerated unnaturally. It takes between 7 and 30 liters of water to get a single rosebud. The rest of the math is disturbing.
This practice leads to the gradual drying up of our natural waterways and water bodies in their local environment.
But wait! There’s more. You don’t have to be a die-hard environmentalist to stop buying these. Here are some other reasons for you to consider.
Toxic Fertilizers
Many fertilizers and insecticides are used in flower cultivation. It impacts both workers' health and the local environment, but the story doesn’t end here. Being exposed to these flowers can affect you and your guests’ health.
A gift with strings attached?
A study analyzed the impact of toxic fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides and acaricides present in the bouquets of various import retailers. The head-spinning results showed that these toxic substances were present in all tested bouquets. Even the least toxic bouquet contained four of the banned chemicals. The most toxic bouquet of roses had 25 chemicals, including 9 pesticides and 1 fungicide that are banned due to health concerns.
A total of 49 different substances were identified in the tested bouquets, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and others that are extremely dangerous for the endangered bees.
Poor working conditions
The working conditions in the flower fields of many countries such as Kenya, Colombia and Ecuador are extremely poor. Reportedly, it even involves child labor. Apart from their daily and direct exposure to potentially toxic substances used for flower cultivation, African workers in this sector receive on average only 2% of the final selling price.
That was the problem, but what’s the solution? Keep reading.
Respecting the environment
Considering all these alarming facts, we can understand the importance of finding another way of producing and using flowers. We must take advantage of local seasons and exceptionally great varieties of local flowers. Despite the cold and the snow, we have a beautiful variety of flowers that can grow all year long! Fortunately, many flower farms have been supported and grown over recent years in Minnesota. Florists also refuse to sell non-ecological products and prefer to only offer green and eco-friendly products in winter. In short, the industry is changing, but we still require a lot of awareness. People are not as aware of these issues as they should be. The local craft beer industry has been hugely successful with local support – the flower industry can be too.
Supporting your Community
On the bright side, we have many people who are aware of these situations and consider it their responsibility to act responsibly. We also have some great people who want to support local farmers and buy local flowers. This can help a lot – for example, if you buy your flowers from a local business, 0.83 cents stay in the community. So, it’s not just about supporting our local farmers, it’s about doing something for the entire community.
Sustainable and Responsible Production
By buying local and eco-responsible flowers, we pay a little more towards the environment – but that's not all. The local flowers offer way more beauty and freshness. These bouquets are more alive and fresher than any other; they flourish naturally in a vase and breathe a scent of life wherever you put them.
At Duluth Flower Farm & Balsam Wreath, we offer flexibility like DIY flower buckets and all seasonal designer’s choice – you don’t get these perks from a traditional imported flower florist. We grow all our flowers locally and organically with eco-friendly practices. Stay tuned for our happy bouquets growing up for the holidays! Be trendy and add a local fragrance to your bouquet! Our flowers are not just beautiful and fresh, they are healthy. Give us a call today and book your order now.