- 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害羞草研究所檚 based on a similar principle: sustainability.

害羞草研究所淕iven the climate change crisis, as well as global social and environmental justice issues, sustainability is here to last害羞草研究所攁nd not just in floristry害羞草研究所攂ut in all aspects of our daily lives,害羞草研究所� 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害羞草研究所檛 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.

害羞草研究所淲hen I worked at a flower shop at the beginning of my career, I saw for myself how much waste was created,害羞草研究所� says Kamila Alikhani, owner and creative director of Bloomi茅r, a zero-waste flower studio in West Vancouver.

害羞草研究所淔lorists are under a great deal of pressure to keep their stock filled and fresh. If customers don害羞草研究所檛 see a lot of variety, they might feel that a store害羞草研究所檚 flowers aren害羞草研究所檛 fresh. The result is that many flowers are just thrown away.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淚 am very cautiously hopeful that there is a trend for local flowers,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 hopeful because we害羞草研究所檙e starting to see more local flower farmers.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淨uite frankly, growing flowers is a lot of work, especially when we also design them,害羞草研究所� Julie says. 害羞草研究所淏ut knowing that I害羞草研究所檓 doing something good and I害羞草研究所檓 giving back to the environment is a great reward.害羞草研究所�

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

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 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.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淭he planet will thank you.害羞草研究所�

Floral arrangements can be created instead with bundled chicken wire, old-fashioned pin or glass 害羞草研究所渇rogs害羞草研究所� 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: 害羞草研究所淚t allows the flowers to dance a lot more.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淏eing sustainable doesn害羞草研究所檛 mean it can害羞草研究所檛 be beautiful or luxurious,害羞草研究所� she stresses. 害羞草研究所淔or instance, we had our own tissue paper printed up with beautiful poems.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淲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.害羞草研究所�

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

害羞草研究所淭here is a season for each of them, which makes you appreciate them that much more. We don害羞草研究所檛 have dahlias in the spring, but we do have ranunculus,害羞草研究所� says Julie, adding that it害羞草研究所檚 like buying farm-grown fresh strawberries, for example. 害羞草研究所淵ou know at the end of the season that you害羞草研究所檒l have to wait until next year.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淎 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,害羞草研究所� says Kamila.

Ask your florists questions about your flowers

Ask where your flowers are coming from, advises Becky.

害羞草研究所淔lorists should know the place of origin for all of their flowers and should be able to convey this information to their customers.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淥nce you bleach the natural stem and dye the flowers, they cannot be composted,害羞草研究所� she explains. 害羞草研究所淲hen you don害羞草研究所檛 want them anymore, they have to be thrown away.害羞草研究所�

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

害羞草研究所淚t is a great way to extend the season sustainably. Some flowers dry beautifully and retain vibrant colours while others can be 害羞草研究所榖leached害羞草研究所� 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.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e fresher; they haven害羞草研究所檛 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害羞草研究所檚 not all been standardized for the wholesalers.害羞草研究所�

Work with and trust your florist

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

害羞草研究所淚 like to understand a bit about who my clients are and how these flowers will make their lives more beautiful,害羞草研究所� says Julie. 害羞草研究所淔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.害羞草研究所�

Kamila agrees: 害羞草研究所淢y clients trust me to choose flowers for them. They just say, 害羞草研究所榊ou choose. They害羞草研究所檙e all beautiful.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

Celebrate and support the natural world

Flowers are about bringing nature into people害羞草研究所檚 lives, concludes Julie.

害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e about celebrating nature and helping the bees and the butterflies and the birds and the environment as much as we can害羞草研究所�Flowers are one of the best ways we can do that.害羞草研究所�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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